‘Privatization of everything is killing the planet’

Why should Newfoundland and Labrador be concerned about the Harper government’s secret free-trade negotiations with the European Union?


Because they could screw us to the wall.


The same Europeans nations that fished out/raped the Grand

Banks are negotiating a deal with the Government of Canada.


And no one reports to Parliament on the status of negotiations.


In other words, Canada is doing a back-room deal with a group of serial rapists.


How scary is that?

•••

Gus Etegary drove home that point, as only he can, during a Town Hall meeting in St. John’s Wednesday night to publicize the perceived evils (the only documents available are leaked ones) of a Canada/EU free-trade deal.


An 8th round of negotiations over the so-called Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement is planned for July 10th in Brussels.


The Council of Canadians, along with CUPE, held the Town Hall (part of a national tour) to warn how such a free-trade deal would be “bad for Canada.”


The Harper government may be about to give the EU access to natural resources such as fish, minerals and water, essentially privatizing them.


The raw material would be shipped to EU countries, made into goods, and sold back to Canada, further weakening the country's manufacturing sector.


Not to mention opening up Canada's $100-billion government procurement market, and waving goodbye to the "buy local" concept.


Multi-national companies could take over our world.


The cost of prescription drugs could also jump by $2.8 billion a year.


The EU reportedly wants major extensions to pharmaceutical drug patents, which experts predict will dramatically increase the price of drugs.


Here’s a quote from Paul Moist, national president of CUPE: “Our country is worth fighting for. We can’t leave it to secret negotiations.”


And a quote from Etchegary: “Foreigners will effectively be taking control of the Grand Banks.”


What's left anyway.


Maude Barlow, national chair of the Council of Canadians, described CETA as a “grab for Canadian resources.”


She said such a deal would remove export restrictions on raw fish, and give access to EU foreign countries to buy up fishing licences.


Said Barlow: “This model is wrong for the world. Privatization of everything is killing the planet.”

•••

The federal New Democrats, led on the trade front by critic Robert Chisholm, are keeping a close eye on Canada/EU free-trade talks.


I've asked him to keep a closer eye on East Coast fish stocks.


It should be an interesting fall in the House of Commons.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

Sue Kelland-Dyer attended the Town Hall, sporting a seal-skin purse.

Said Sue to Etchegary: “She (the seal from which the purse was made ) isn’t eating cod anymore.”


All the more for foreign fleets.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Ryan - good article and I like how you support Nl. However, I think your friend Gus is "flying a flag of convenience". His job in the 70's and 80's - and tip my cap he was good at it - was to vacuum the sea floor with the same kind of trawler technology the Europeans use. My point is that you could be much more effective if you would focus on things within our boundary of control. Picking "uncle ottawa" or "foreigners" to blame when some, albiet perhaps a smaller percentage, is slef infliceted by "the correct flag" is like farting against thunder.
Nice sound, but much ado about nothing. And, more importantly, does not lead to any substance in terms of fixes.
Please do not reincarnate Don Jamieson.

Regards
June 30, 2011 at 8:25 PM
Ruby said…
Ryan, I'm one of your constituents, and I'm not happy with your use of the rape analogy here.

To compare overfishing to rape shows that you just don't get the impact and effect that sexual assault has on women and men all across Newfoundland and Labrador.

For that matter, It's also lazy writing.

Cut the bombast and focus on making things better for St. John's South/Mt Pearl.
July 1, 2011 at 1:18 PM
Jason Sullivan said…
Hey Ryan, GREAT article. I've been reading your blog for awhile now and have been following your political career aswell. I am a fishermen myself and rapist does not even justice to what the foriegners have done and continue to do to the grand banks. I was very relieved when you got elected because I really believe you are the only person that is passionate enough about the fishery to save it. Keep up the good work and don't mind those stiffs giving you a hard time obviously they have no idea about the topic.
P.S could you please address the concern of the merchants purchasing many of the fishing licenses in NL that should belong to the fishermen.

Thanks, Jason Sullivan
July 7, 2011 at 10:48 PM
Jason Sullivan said…
Hey Ryan GREAT article. Serial rapist is a perfect word to describe what foreign overfishing has done and continues to do to the grand banks. Please disregard any flak you have been getting about using the word from those knobs that obviously know nothing about the destruction and hardship that overfishing has caused NL. I have been reading your blog for sometime now and was pumped when you got elected! I am a fisherman myself and I truly believe that you are the only one that is either bit interested in saving the fishery from complete ruin. If you get time could you also review the problem of merchants buying up all the fishing licenses that are supposed to belong to the fishermen. Keep up the good work!
July 8, 2011 at 8:51 AM
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