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Trade

Trade is important to the Canadian economy to the extent that it enriches communities, respects democracy, and preserves our shared natural environment. But free trade agreements signed by Canada and other countries in the past 30 years have had the opposite effect.

From the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement of 1988, through NAFTA, the WTO and Canada’s many Foreign Investment Protection Agreements, to today’s bilateral, European Union and Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, these deals enrich multinational corporations at the expense of the vast majority of people and the planet. In fact, these old and new agreements are better understood as corporate rights deals.

The Council of Canadians believes trade agreements should be made by and for people, not corporations. We campaign to make trade deals fair, and trade policy open and democratic.

National Assembly, Senate in France adopt resolutions opposing CETA investment rules

National Assembly, Senate in France adopt resolutions opposing CETA investment rules

Both houses of the French Parliament last week adopted resolutions opposing the investment protection rules in the proposed Canada-EU ...
Opposition to CETA remains strong in Germany

Opposition to CETA remains strong in Germany

Today, the Globe and Mail reports, "Germany has dropped its objection to the controversial investor protections in the Canada-Europe free-trade ...
Could a corporation use CETA investor-state to challenge the consequences of its criminal actions?

Could a corporation use CETA investor-state to challenge the consequences of its criminal actions?

This past March, the Harper government adopted federal procurement 'Integrity Framework' regulations that state that companies convicted in Canada or ...
New report outlines the threat of CETA’s corporate rights protections

New report outlines the threat of CETA’s corporate rights protections

The Council of Canadians and more than a dozen European and Canadian organizations today simultaneously released a new report that ...
Trading Away Democracy report calls for CETA's investor-state rules to be rejected

Trading Away Democracy report calls for CETA’s investor-state rules to be rejected

The Council of Canadians has been working with numerous organizations in Canada, Quebec and Europe on a 20-page report released ...
Coalition takes citizens initiative on CETA to the European Court of Justice

Coalition takes citizens initiative on CETA to the European Court of Justice

About 100 people held a demonstration against CETA and TTIP in front of the European Court of Justice ...
The Canada-US Procurement Agreement And Canadian Municipal Procurement

The Canada-US Procurement Agreement And Canadian Municipal Procurement

Legal opinion prepared by Steven Shrybman (Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP) for the Centre for Civic Governance at Columbia Institute (May ...