Holding our provinces accountable on trade
U.S. states are passing trade bills that force a vote on all new agreements
There is a growing movement of U.S. state legislatures demanding a greater say in international trade
agreements that affect state and municipal policy. This September, the California Senate and Assembly
voted 23 to 13 and 50 to 29, respectively, in favour of a bill that would uphold the state’s jurisdiction over
non-trade issues.
“Assembly Bill 1276 recognizes that the state’s decision to commit state procurement, services and
investment laws to the terms of trade agreements falls under the jurisdiction of the state legislature,”
explains Sarah Edelman, a trade expert with Public Citizen in the United States.
“Currently, the federal government consults only with the governor’s office which has exercised full
decision-making power over state commitments to trade pacts. AB 1276 brings these decisions out of
the back room and into a forum where they can be fully vetted and assessed to determine whether or
not new commitments will benefit the state.”
Prime Minister Harper has asked Canada’s premiers to help negotiate new trade talks with the Obama
administration and European Union because the provinces are being asked to give up a lot of their
traditional powers and areas of jurisdiction. But premiers should not have the authority to agree, on
behalf of millions of voters, to be bound by these international pacts that have less and less to do with
real trade, and more with curbing democratic governance of the economy.
“California, perhaps more than any other state, understands that NAFTA-style trade agreements
are certainly about more than simply trading goods and services,” says Edelman. “Unfortunately,
Californians have learned this after spending way too many tax dollars warding off corporate claims,
totaling nearly $1 billion, against NAFTA challenges of state environmental and public interest regulations,
including a state ban on gasoline additive MTBE and mining regulations.”
What you can do
Our politicians should be accountable to the voters that elected them and disclose information on trade
deals that impact locally. Here are some ways to make that happen:
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Demand that our premiers and their trade officials bring our legislative representatives and the Ontario
public up-to-speed on internal and international trade agreements that threaten provincial and
local democracy.
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Ask that our Members of Provincial Parliament champion a trade bill, similar to California’s proposed
law, establishing a democratic process for deciding whether or not to commit the province
to these internal and international trade regimes.
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Demand that Premier McGuinty freeze the current Ontario-Quebec Trade and Cooperation Agreement,
and cease participating in negotiations with the European Union, until Ontarians have had
a chance to see what’s on the table, where we’ll lose, and decide whether or not to commit the
province to these new deals.
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