The full text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has been released, revealing all the provisions Canada must abide by in the new 12-member trade deal.
While a tentative agreement was announced in early October, TPP members have kept much of the document hush-hush until the New Zealand government posted the full text online Thursday (Nov. 5).
Business groups and the former Conservative government have been staunch supporters of the massive trade agreement between 12 Pacific Rim countries, saying it will give Canadian companies more access to markets like Japan and Vietnam.
But the deal also means ceding part of Canada’s domestic market for dairy to foreign producers. The government had promised $4.3 billion in compensation payments to dairy producers as well as $1 billion to mitigate potential job losses in Canada’s automaking sector as import tariffs are reduced.
Critics warned that under the agreement, Canadians could face fines or lawsuits from other countries for violating copyright laws. In a blog post published today, copyright expert Michael Geist noted an earlier leaked version indicated that decisions from other countries on blocking Internet content could have overruled Canadian law, but “the released text has been amended to limit the provision to domestic court rulings ensuring that only Canadian court rulings would apply.”
Critics have also raised concerns that lengthening patent provisions will make pharmaceuticals more expensive for consumers.
While Japan had been pushing for an increase in raw log exports from Canada, Canadian restrictions on the number of raw logs that can be exported were protected in a side-agreement between the two countries.
The TPP still needs to be ratified by all the member countries. Negotiations were finalized by the former Conservative government just two weeks before being swept out of power by the Liberals on October 19. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who took office yesterday, has said he supports free trade and the Trans Pacific Partnership, but has criticized the secrecy of the negotiations and said that Parliament will debate the issue and Canadians will be consulted.
@jenstden
