Free trade agreements (FTAs) threaten Canada’s public services.
Facts:
Canada’s FTAs exclude health care, public education and other social services maintained for a public purpose.
Canada’s FTAs do not force governments to privatize, contract out or deregulate public services.
Free trade agreements (FTAs) prevent governments from regulating environmental, labour, health-care and safety standards.
Facts:
Canada’s FTAs do not prevent governments from regulating standards that protect the public, including in the areas of the environment, labour, health care and safety.
Nothing in any of Canada’s FTAs exempts foreign service providers and foreign investors from Canadian laws and regulations.
Free trade agreements (FTAs) threaten Canada’s public health-care system.
Facts:
Canada’s FTAs, including the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union, do not support the privatization of Canada’s public health-care system.
Canada’s FTAs do not prevent governments from setting standards to ensure that Canadians have access to safe drinking water.
Canada’s FTAs do not force governments to privatize, contract out or deregulate water-related services. All companies operating in Canada, whether domestic or foreign, must respect Canadian laws and regulations.
Free trade agreements (FTAs) harm Canadian environmental standards and regulations.
Facts:
Canada’s FTAs do not compromise the environmental protection measures that Canada has implemented.
Nothing in any of Canada’s FTAs exempts foreign service providers and foreign investors from Canadian laws and regulations.
Free trade agreements (FTAs) could force Canada to export its water.
Facts:
Canada’s FTAs do not consider water in its natural state—that is, water held in natural bodies such as rivers, lakes and streams—to be a “good” or a “product” for export.
Canadian federal legislation prohibits the bulk removal of boundary waters from natural basins for any reason, including export.
Canada’s FTAs, including the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement with the European Union, do not compromise the measures implemented by Canada’s provinces to protect water within their jurisdictions.
CETA will prevent the government of Canada from protecting Canada’s cultural interests.
Facts:
Canada’s Free trade agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), have not prevented Canada from protecting its cultural interests. The preservation and promotion of Canada’s cultural diversity is among the Government of Canada’s core objectives.
These same allegations were made during the NAFTA negotiations 25 years ago. Today, however, Canadian culture is thriving like never before. Canadian books, television, films, visual arts, music and other art forms are prominent on the world stage.
Under CETA, Canada will continue to meet its cultural objectives.
Free trade agreements (FTAs) allow foreign investors and foreign companies to challenge Canadian laws and regulations.
Facts:
Canada’s FTAs do not allow foreign investors or companies to force a government to change its laws and regulations.
Including mechanisms for dispute resolution through international arbitration in FTAs does not restrict any level of government from legitimately legislating in the public interest.
Canadian and foreign investors alike are subject to all Canadian laws and regulations, including those pertaining to environmental, labour, health-care, building and safety standards.
CETA prevents Canada’s municipal governments from sourcing goods and services locally.
Facts:
CETA does not add much to existing requirements for municipalities to procure goods and services through an open or limited tendering process, as similar requirements already exist under the Agreement on Internal Trade.
Government procurement requirements exist because it is in everyone’s interest that tax dollars are spent wisely and efficiently. Opening up procurement options benefits municipalities by expanding the range of available goods and services.
Canada’s municipalities may continue to use existing selection criteria such as quality, price (including transportation costs and duties), technical requirements or relevant experience in competitive bids.
CETA does not add any new restrictions that would prevent governments from addressing the needs of their constituents and providing support to local businesses through grants, loans and fiscal incentives.
Projects below a threshold dollar value are not subject to the Agreement, nor are the procurement of research and development, financial, public administration, education or health-care services.
Canada’s procurement system is quite open at all levels of government and allows local and other companies to compete for government contracts.
When foreign suppliers win bids, they usually source and hire locally.
The government of Canada negotiated the Canada-European Union free trade agreement secretly.
Facts:
The CETA negotiations have been the most open and transparent trade negotiations in Canadian history.
Throughout the negotiations, the Government of Canada kept Canadians informed and consulted as extensively as possible to ensure that the Agreement would meet the needs of Canadians.
During negotiations, the Government of Canada received valuable input from civil society groups, companies and industry associations from across Canada. Also, Canadian government officials actively consulted with business, civil society and other interested Canadians.
The Canada-European Union trade agreement was tabled in Parliament, along with the CETA Implementation Act.
