Public Forum at University of Toronto Launches TPP Day of Action
TORONTO, Sept. 15, 2016 /CNW/ – On Friday, Sept. 16, a blue-ribbon panel of experts will hold a free public forum at the University of Toronto on the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership, kicking off a TPP Day of Action.
Proponents of the TPP argue it is a once-in-a-generation trade deal that will create jobs and boost Canada’s economy. Opponents counter that it is far more than a trade deal – it is an unprecedented set of rules created to increase the profits of transnational corporations and grant them extraordinary powers to override governments that enact legislation in the public interest.
Canada’s Liberal government has called for extensive public consultation before deciding if it will ratify the TPP.
MAKING SENSE OF THE TPP is meant to be an informed contribution to the consultation process. It is sponsored by CWA Canada, the country’s only all-media union, Johnson McMaster Law Office, and the Trade Justice Network.
The panelists are:
- Prof. Gus Van Harten of Osgoode Hall Law School, author and expert on international investment law
- Jacqueline Wilson, counsel for the Canadian Environmental Law Association
- Jason Nickerson, humanitarian affairs adviser for Doctors Without Borders
The experts will explore how the TPP threatens national sovereignty, health care and the environment. The forum will examine the controversial ISDS provision of the TPP, which would grant foreign corporations the right to sue governments if they believe a government decision negatively impacts their potential future profits – something neither Canadian companies nor private citizens have the right to do.
The TPP Day of Action also includes a student info demo at the U of T (1 p.m. Hart House) and a ‘Rock Against the TPP’ concert (6 p.m. Opera House).
Attendance: FREE
Date: Friday, Sept. 16, 2016
Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: Grand Hall, Hart House, University of Toronto
SOURCE CWA-SCA CANADA
Media inquiries
Bill Gillespie
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