AlternativeFreePress.com

They are calling it an “internal free-trade deal” between provinces, supposedly it’s purpose is to apparently remove protectionist barriers which inhibit competition….. of course they could just actually remove protectionist barriers which inhibit competition, but instead they are creating more regulations. Governments rarely repeal laws, instead they write new ones. Repealing laws would mean the government ceding power, while creating new laws provides them with more power.

This new Agreement on Internal Trade will likely have some positive results, but at what cost? It’s clear that the biggest change will be “a strengthened dispute settlement mechanism with increased monetary penalties”… meaning corporations will have increased ability to sue provincial governments for things like an environmental assessment that concludes a project is likely to cause significant and adverse environmental effects.

Investor-state dispute settlement provisions provide corporations with the ability to loot the public purse when they make poor business decisions and hinders governments ability to protect citizens and the environment.

Sources:
1. Provinces negotiating final details of free-trade deal Globe & Mail

2. The Trouble With the TPP, Day 42: The Risks of Investor-State Dispute Settlement michaelgeist.ca