Trade Minister trading away local government authority

(Ottawa) Municipalities across Canada have expressed concern about the impact of global trade deals on their power to regulate. To date over 70 municipalities have passed resolutions that challenge the federal government's plans to expand the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) at the World Trade Organizations.

Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew, scheduled to speak at this year's meeting, will attempt to mollify the rising tide of municipal concern over the harmful impacts of international trade deals on municipal governments and services. But the Minister will be avoiding the hard reality of what is at stake in the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) negotiations.

"Zoning" and "hours of operation" are just two examples explicitly mentioned in a WTO negotiating document of local government regulations that will have to be limited to only what is "necessary," explains Ellen Gould, trade policy analyst. Ultimately, it would be left to a WTO dispute panel to define what regulation is 'necessary' ".

Toronto City Councillor Pam McConnell will be attending this year's AGM, and is looking forward to hearing what Minister Pettigrew has to say. "As municipal councillors, we have a tremendous responsibility for the quality of life in our communities. We deliver that quality of life through our public, municipal services. If trade deals are going to impact on municipal services, we at least need to have a say."

"The underlying concerns of municipalities have not been addressed", said David Robbins, Trade Campaigner for the Council of Canadians. "The federal government refuses to open up the negotiating process and is relying on misinformation to get away with a trade agenda that will strip local governments of their authority," said Robbins.

Just prior to the FCM AGM, municipal leaders have called upon the provincial and federal governments to make sure they are involved in any decision making process that is going to impact on cities. The FCM passed a strong resolution at last year's AGM asking to be excluded from trade rules that would dramatically limit cities ability to regulate everything from water services to billboards. The European Union has recently asked for all Canadian water services to be opened up to their corporations. Yet the Canadian government refuses even to inform local governments about whether they are going to trade away this critical service.

The Council of Canadians is calling on the federal government to open up the process and show Canadians what they are putting on the WTO negotiating table. A list of the services Canada wants covered by the GATS is to be sent to the WTO by the end of June 2002, but the government continues to refuses to make this document public.

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