From June 3 to July 31, 2024, Global Affairs Canada sought public input on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) as part of a general review of the treaty mandated in all 11 member countries.
This CCPA submission to that consultation responds to the last of the government’s four leading questions:
“Are there existing provisions in the [CPTPP] that would benefit from revision or updating? Do you have suggestions to improve and/or modernize the Agreement, including to address emerging issues such as digital and green economy, supply chain resilience, inclusive trade, and innovation?”
Specifically, the CCPA submission recommends:
- Aligning the investment chapter with the binding obligations in the Paris Climate Agreement
- Updating the CPTPP to protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and facilitate trading relationships with, between, and among Indigenous Peoples
- Balancing procurement market access with the right of governments and government entities to use public spending to foster social inclusion and fairness
- Strengthening the labour chapter and incorporating a rapid-response mechanism for investigating and penalizing labour rights violations
- Removing or limiting the scope of the digital trade chapter
- Removing the intellectual property rights chapter or permanently deleting the suspended provisions related to patents
- Creating a central hub for information and documentation from CPTPP committees and dispute settlement cases
About the authors
Stuart Trew
Stuart serves as director of the CCPA’s Trade and Investment Research Project (TIRP), which pools the expertise of academic, labour and non-governmental organization researchers to understand the impacts of trade and investment treaties and policy on the Canadian economy, public services, human rights and international relations.
Kyla Tienhaara
Noah Fry
Risa Schwartz
Risa Schwartz is a lawyer who specializes in international trade and investment law, international environmental law, and the intersections with the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Risa is an editor of Indigenous Peoples and International Trade: Building equitable and inclusive International Trade and Investment Agreements (Cambridge University Press, 2020) with Professor John Borrows. She was a member of the Indigenous Working Group for Indigenous Trade Policy during the CUSMA negotiations. You can reach her at https://risaschwartzlaw.com/
