Ottawa, ON – The Council of Canadians is urging the Newfoundland and Labrador government under Premier Kathy Dunderdale to take an even stronger stance and pull out of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) now because of how harmful the deal would be for the province and the country.
In recent days, Premier Dunderdale has become vocal on concerns around the Fisheries section of the agreement. Harper has even reportedly raised the prospect of fiscal punishment against Newfoundland and Labrador, and Premier Dunderdale has suggested that the federal government is working with industry groups to pressure the province.
“CETA would undermine the public policies that limit the ability of large multinational corporations to dominate the fisheries industry. It would also make it incredibly difficult if not impossible to regulate the fisheries for conservation purposes,” says Angela Giles, Atlantic Regional Organizer with the Council of Canadians. “Bluffing and bullying provincial leaders into making concessions for a bad deal is unacceptable.”
In response to Premier Dunderdale’s concerns regarding fisheries, Ken Kavanagh, chair of the St. John’s chapter of the Council of Canadians, agrees. “It is an imperative that we protect and maintain our constitutional right to regulate and control the fishery processing sector for the absolute maximum benefit for our people and our communities, particularly our coastal communities and not for the maximization of profits for local or European companies.”
“This latest attempt to use the ongoing CETA negotiations to circumvent existing legislation and even constitutional rights underscores that it’s a bad deal and Newfoundland and Labrador should withdraw,” adds Giles.
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Twitter: @CouncilOfCDNs | www.canadians.org/CETA
