Canada
to pay farmers for TPP losses
31
September, 2015
Canadian
farmers will receive government compensation for any losses resulting
from a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, the country's
agriculture minister said on Wednesday in a discussion about the
nation's protected farm sectors.
The
United States, New Zealand and Australia want Canada to start
dismantling a system of supply and import controls over dairy,
poultry and eggs that keep domestic prices high and foreign producers
at bay.
Trade
ministers from 12 countries are currently meeting in Atlanta in a bid
to close the TPP deal, which seeks to cut trade barriers and set
common standards for 40% of the world economy.
Unhappy
Canadian dairy farmers parked dozens of tractors in central Ottawa
and walked their cows down the main street opposite Parliament on
Tuesday to protest trade talks that they said could cripple them.
Conservative
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, speaking in a debate ahead of
Canada's federal election on October 19 said "everything starts
out on the (negotiating) table," including the supply-managed
sectors.
A
reelected Conservative government will maintain "the pillars of
supply management," Ritz said, but he did not rule out allowing
more imports as Canada did in an earlier free trade agreement with
Europe.
"If
there is loss on your farm, (or) the processing side, you will be
compensated," Ritz said in the debate in Ottawa organised by the
Canadian Federation of Agriculture, an organization of farm groups.
The
governing Conservatives are in a tight three-way race with the
Liberal and New Democratic parties (NDP). The dairy lobby is
politically influential, with most of its farmers living in Quebec
and Ontario, two provinces that are key to winning the election.
While
eastern Canadian farmers of supply-managed products fear the impact
of TPP, the majority who sell to the open market, especially in the
West, desperately want a deal. Producers of grain, oilseeds, beef and
pork say it's critical to join TPP to boost access to foreign
markets, particularly Japan.
NDP
candidate Malcolm Allen said during the Ottawa debate that putting
all issues on the table is "the way you lose" negotiations.
An
NDP government would keep supply managed sectors "whole,"
but it was not clear if he meant that it would rule out any
concessions.
"One
(industry) is going to be a real loser and it certainly looks like it
will be supply management this time," Allen said.
The
latest on the fight against TPPA
Prof.Jane
Kelsey
30
September, 2015
Five
and a half years is enough! The obsessive secrecy that shrouds the
Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) negotiations
was challenged in the High Court in Wellington on Monday.
The
case involves Trade Minister Tim Groser’s blanket refusal to
release a range of documents relating to the TPPA that I requested
under the Official Information Act. Co-applicants are Consumer NZ,
Ngati Kahungunu, Oxfam, Greenpeace, Association of Salaried Medical
Specialists, NZ Nurses Organisation and the Tertiary Education Union.
We
are seeking a Declaration that the Minister’s refusal was unlawful,
and for orders as to how he should reconsider the request. Matthew
Palmer QC represented all the applicants. Justice Collins has
reserved his decision.
The case has its genesis back in January. I had asked the Minister to supply eight categories of documents, ranging from old and more recent negotiating mandates and documents tabled by New Zealand in the negotiations, to any cost-benefit analyses on its potential impact for New Zealand overall or in sectoral areas.
The categories were based on recommendations from the European Ombudsman in a self-initiated report on the negotiations between the US and EU for the TransAtlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which runs parallel to the TPPA.
The
case took so long to get to court because the Chief Ombudsman had to
review the Minister’s refusal before we could seek a judicial
review. That took nearly five months – and she still hasn’t
completed her review of two of the eight categories.
It
transpires that the Minister made his decision without looking at a
single document! He simply knew from experience that they would
either be super-sensitive and therefore could be withheld under the
Act, or so anodyne that there was no point in releasing them. Both
MFAT officials and the Chief Ombudsman viewed that as an acceptable
process.
The
infamous secrecy pact adopted by the TPPA parties was just one reason
Groser relied on. Others included the likely prejudice to
international relations and damage to the economic interests of New
Zealand.
This
is not the place to rehearse the legal arguments in any detail. My
OIA request, Groser’s response, the Ombudsman’s report and
various documents from the case can be accessed
on tpplegal.wordpress.com.
A
ruling in our favour will help to breakthrough the secrecy of the
TPPA and prevent a re-run in future negotiations. Already a similar
pact applies to the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), where
documents are to be kept secret throughout the negotiations and,
aside from the final text, for five years after the agreement comes
into force. Future agreements could extend that period to 10 or 20
years, or even indefinitely.
The
case could also serve a much wider purpose. This is the first time
the New Zealand’s courts have reviewed some provisions of the
Official Information Act. A progressive interpretation that reflects
the Act’s objectives of promoting democratic engagement and
accountability would benefit journalists, campaigners, academics,
NGOs and many others who have been frustrated by the rise of
executive power and its corresponding unaccountability.
The
litigation is being crowd funded. Contributions can be made
at https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/tppnosecrecy.
There is also a fundraising dinner at Ika restaurant in Mt Eden Rd,
Auckland next Monday 5 October, with entertainment from Moana
Maniapoto and Don McGlashan; bookings can be made
through http://ikaseafoodandgrill.co.nz/salon/. Any
money left over will go to support the ongoing campaign.
TPPA
already a done deal
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