Ask your MP to oppose toxic EU-Canada deal
A trade deal as dangerous as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership [TTIP] has been agreed between the EU and Canada, and is about to come into force.
The EU commission is trying to fast-track this deal so it becomes law before Parliament has scrutinised it in Westminster. We need stop this happening to avoid serious consequences for our democracy and public services.
WHAT IS CETA?
Just like TTIP, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement [CETA] will give corporations new powers to sue governments through special corporate courts. And even if the British parliament rejects CETA, these corporate courts could remain active for several years.
CETA’s 1,600 pages show us that it’s a threat not only to our food standards, but also to the battle against climate change, our ability to regulate big banks to prevent another crash and our power to renationalise industries.
Public services are particularly at risk because the deal will make it more difficult for future governments, national and local, to prevent Canadian companies from taking over public services in the EU.
WHY WE NEED TO ACT NOW
CETA has already been agreed by the European commission and the Canadian government and it now awaits ratification over the next 12 months.
We believe CETA should be stopped. But it’s a race against the clock.
CETA could take effect in Britain early next year without a Westminster vote. We could face a ‘corporate court’ case from Canadian multinationals before our parliament has had the chance to agree to the deal – or throw it out.
Email your MP and get them to sign Early Day Motion 165 on CETA.
LEARN MORE ABOUT CETA
cllrpaul4cowick 
Dear Paul
Thank you very much for contacting me about the EU-Canada Trade Agreement.
I’m afraid, like many MPs, I do not sign EDMs as they have no effect [I would be happy to explain this in more detail if you would like me to].
Free trade has been the single biggest contributory factor to rising living standards and the alleviation of poverty in the world in recent decades.
While trade agreements must, of course, contain labour, consumer, environmental and other safeguards, my main worry following the EU Referendum result and Trump’s election is that the world falls back into protectionism, trade wars and worse. We all remember what happened when this last happened in the 1020s and 30s.
As you may be aware, CETA is expected to be signed later this year and come into force in 2017.
I know that Global Justice Now and others have expressed concerns over whether the UK Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the deal before it is implemented.
Following a meeting of the European Council in June 2016, the European Commission has proposed both the EU and individual members states.
In order to ratify CETA,therefore, the agreement must be put before the UK Parliament for 21 sitting days, during which time both Houses of Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the agreement and pass a resolution against ratification.
As you may know, the EU is able to provisionally implement some elements of the agreement before it is scrutinised by the UK Parliament.
The European Parliament, however, will be able to ratify the agreement before provisional implementation, and I know that my colleagues in the European Parliamentary Labour Party, who have expressed a number of concerns regarding public services and ISDS, will be scrutinising the text of CETA before deciding whether to accept or reject it.
With very best wishes,
Ben Bradshaw MP
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