NAFTA? 2017

On the survey we sent you earlier this month we asked supporters like you what concerns you the most about President Donald Trump. His proposed renegotiation of NAFTA to “put America first” scored high. And now I urgently need your help to act on that concern.

For years, we have seen the ravages of NAFTA – the Chapter 11 corporate lawsuits that have cost Canada billions of dollars and eroded our environmental and public policy, hollowed out manufacturing towns and put hundreds of thousands of people out of work, and created greater inequality in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

Now, U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to renegotiate NAFTA.

Canada’s trade relationship with the United States has never been more uncertain.

There cannot be closed-door negotiations that put the interests of corporations ahead of the interests of people and the environment.

Any NAFTA renegotiations must:

• Eliminate Chapter 11, the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) process. These provisions allow corporations to sue governments for policies or regulations that restrict corporate profits. Corporations have used ISDS provisions to challenge laws that protect people’s health and the environment. Under ISDS, Canada has faced more corporate lawsuits than any other developed country.
• Remove all references to water as a good, service or investment. We are vulnerable to bulk water exports and increased privatization under the current deal.
• Eliminate NAFTA’s energy proportionality rule. This rule requires Canada to export a locked-in percentage of our energy production to the U.S. This forces continued production in the tar sands. In this scenario, Canada will not be able to meet its climate commitments.
• Prioritize good jobs, democracy and the environment. Trade should create good jobs where workers are paid a fair wage, have job security and work in safe conditions. Trade should never undermine our democratic rights. Trade should never infringe on any government’s ability to protect the health of people and the environment. These should be the priorities of our negotiations with the U.S. and Mexico.
• Include full public consultations. The government should consult with First Nations, municipalities, unions and civil society on NAFTA renegotiation priorities, involving all of us in a transparent process.

We must demand that the Canadian government be vigilant to ensure trade talks are fair, open and transparent – all things the Liberals promised in the last election.

Please send your letter to Prime Minister Trudeau telling him it’s time to challenge NAFTA