Scrap the SPP and renegotiate NAFTA

87% of Canadians agree that Canada should maintain the ability to set its own independent environmental, health and safety standards, even if this might reduce cross-border trade opportunities with the United States.

The SPP contains more than 300 initiatives aimed at further integrating the economies and security policies of Canada, the United States and Mexico. It was never debated by Parliament, and to date, there has been no public consultation on the SPP’s radical new vision for North America. Serious concerns continue to be expressed about some of the SPP’s more controversial initiatives, such as Canada’s “Passenger Protect” no-fly list, the harmonization of pesticide residue limits and toxic chemical regulations to match lower U.S. standards, a massive increase in tar sands production for export to the United States, and the possibility of bulk water exports. Only the members of the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), made up of 30 CEOs from North America’s richest corporations, have had any meaningful input into the SPP.

Environmental, labour and progressive groups in both Canada and the United States are also ramping up the pressure to renegotiate NAFTA. Yet the Harper government, and the Liberal opposition, have avoided the issue publicly and instead want to convince their U.S. counterparts to leave the lopsided free-trade agreement as it is.

This federal election demand that candidates scrap the SPP, disband the North American Competitiveness Council and renegotiate NAFTA.