Non-governmental organizations have lifted the veil of obscurity on the little-known General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). To counter the growing public opposition that has resulted, the WTO and OECD recently published two booklets trying to reassure citizens and governments about what they call GATS "scare stories."
International trade and investment, deep integration
(OTTAWA) Municipalities may face unexpected barriers in implementing the Walkerton Inquiry recommendations to protect drinking water and agricultural lands due to the federal governments approach to trade negotiations, according to a new study by the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
(OTTAWA) The desperate need for electricity in the U.S. is a powerful force behind the privatization of electricity in Canada, according to a new study released today.
Written by economist Marjorie Griffin Cohen for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the study -- "From Public Good to Private Exploitation" -- says that the U.S. drive for a continental electricity market is in danger of succeeding because of the lucrative revenues that are possible as increasing proportions of Canadian electricity goes to the U.S.
Written for professionals and citizens alike, this book provides a primer on a little-known agreement within the World Trade Organization, the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). It highlights the threats the treaty already poses and, using highly plausible scenarios, describes how it could undermine public education in the future. Trade policy specialists Matt Sanger and Jim Grieshaber-Otto dissect federal government efforts to reassure and mislead Canadians about the threats GATS poses to public education.
OTTAWA--This is the message of a paper released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The paper, From Deep Integration to Reclaiming Sovereignty: Managing Canada-U.S. Economic Relations under NAFTA, is authored by CCPA executive director Bruce Campbell.
Although Canada has vowed that its domestic social policies will not be compromised by its international trade obligations, it has also been a leading exponent of increasing trade liberalization in the services sector. Unless great caution is taken in the current WTO and FTAA negotiations, this ambivalence could expose many of our social programs to trade-driven privatization and commercialization.