CETA stalled for now

[grassfarmer]

Good news out of Europe - well done the Wallonians!
As my friend Jan Slomp states “Remember, Canada has traded with Europe for our whole history -- we do not need CETA for trade.”

[URL="http://www.nfu.ca/story/nfu-commends-wallonia-standing-firm-opposition-ceta"]http://http://www.nfu.ca/story/nfu-commends-wallonia-standing-firm-opposition-ceta[/URL]

[bucket]

Haven't followed this much but it seems that those wallonians stick together. ....imagine if Canadian farmers could do the same.

[tweety]

Perhaps Grassy you could explain why eliminating tariffs and increasing trade for Canadian farmers by 20 percent with the EU is a bad thing?

[SASKFARMER3]

I agree tweety, Please Grass Explain why stopping trade is a good thing.

[bucket]

I don't think the wallonions want to be buying seed every year for 75 bucks an acre and going higher which is all some of the trade deals have gotten Canadian farmers.

That and the threat of multi national companies the ability to sue the government if they don't get their way.

[SASKFARMER3]

The seed companies in Canada Did screw up with Canola and the Soy system will take Canola out.

[bucket]

And they will do it with every other seed as well because we allowed it to happen with canola.

Who do you think is the push for another class of wheat....forces farmers to buy new seed.


Does anyone think by buying new wheat seed ...it protects them from what mother nature threw at us this fall?

[grassfarmer]

If only it were as simple as eliminating tariffs and increasing trade Tweety. That's the fairy story you are being told - it takes some investigation to see what we are really being sold with CETA. Luckily there are some smart organisations working on this.
There is a good 6 point summary at: [URL="http://www.nfu.ca/issue/six-points-about-ceta"]http://http://www.nfu.ca/issue/six-points-about-ceta[/URL]

And take the time to follow the links at the bottom for more detailed information. To me it is about a loss of sovereignty, a further erosion of our rights with the power of control being handed to trans-national corporations. It could have been called the Serfdom Agreement instead of CETA.

For you SF3 - Imagine down the line with CETA approved a nameless land investment entity from Europe buys up some huge chunks of land in your part of SK and after a few years decides to sue the Cdn Government because things aren't working out so great for them. They have this right enshrined through the ISDS legislation within CETA. The case wouldn't be heard through the Cdn court system but rather though an appointed arbitration panel. I'm sure you would be really happy when your new neighbours are awarded a large settlement paid for by yourself as a CDN taxpayer.

You complain about how things are stacked against you now but you want to make it worse?

[Hopalong]

Hear the same opinions against CETA as were present to support Brexit which seems to be not progressing.
Latest Hillary Clinton suggestion is hemispheric trade pact, doubt that it will go anywhere but may be a way to differentiate from Trump on NAFTA.
Could be that worker union powers are declining to the point that they are not the same political support for protectionism that they used to be.
Hope that after U.S. election it can get back to supporting a GATT type international agreement.

[grassfarmer]

Brexit is proceeding and 100% going to happen, maybe just not happening the day after the election as some expected. I don't think anybody had actually thought through the complexity of the mechanics of unwinding Britain's membership of the EU.

[Klause]

I actually agree with Grassy on this.



Read the entire CETA agreement. It's an eye opener... and it i's not all about free trade and no duties as the media makes it out.

[Oliver88]

Looks like our trade minister has been brought to tears and went home because things didn't go her way.

Good thing we have a grown up doing our trade negotiations.

[bucket]

Kevin oleary basically said she was incompetent.

[sawfly1]

thanks grassy for the link.

the thing I heard , was the rules on generic drugs would get more restrictive,
along the lines of the way generic off patent chemicals are kept out of our market.

drive up prescription costs and put Canada's generic drug industry out of business .
can you imagine the cost to Canadians ?

you have to wonder , or it is pretty obvious who draws these things up.
and who the agreement is for.

certainly not for beef or pork producers, who can't fill the quota they have now.
I hardly think Europe will be importing tons of grain either.

for the liberals not to even look at this thing , shows their boss is the same as the conservatives.

and as Americans are finally waking up to corporate globalisation.
here we go again trying to sign away more sovereignty .

corporations not govt.s make the laws now.
and everyone sleeps thru it

[tweety]

Anyone else find it odd 500 million people in countries approved it, save for one little region who i am sure most of us have never heard about?

More to this story then the NFU has put on their website.