“The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership is an affront to democracy and a threat to economic equality. It will create a private court system for foreign investors, giving them the right to sue democratically elected governments. And it will rig the Canadian economy in favour of powerful corporations. It is an outright betrayal of workers. It will do nothing to stop climate change, and it will certainly exacerbate income and wealth inequality.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
Trade
May 2, 2018
“The ongoing NAFTA negotiations present a unique opportunity for Canada to pursue a new model for more equitable, socially just and sustainable trade." — Larry Brown, President, National Union of Public and General Employees
April 19, 2018
A clear victory for provinces to regulate the economy in the public interest.
January 24, 2018
“This is a bad deal for Canadian workers, a bad deal for Canadian families, and a bad deal for the Canadian economy. There’s absolutely no reason why Prime Minister Trudeau should be endorsing this trade agreement.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
November 10, 2017
“Canadians have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the TPP, so the Prime Minister has no public mandate to support it,” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
September 21, 2017
“A bad agreement with good labour rights is still a bad agreement.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
July 19, 2017
“Regarding the labour provisions, it’s a step in the right direction to see that the U.S. government is promoting core ILO standards such as the right to collective bargaining. And the proposal that labour and environmental standards should be enforceable is also a positive development. But the other language makes the burden of proof too high, and the scope too limited. No labour violation complaint would ever be successful if violations of labour rights must be proven in a ‘sustained or recurring’ manner, and the environmental provisions offer no objective standards to enforce. And all these obligations should not merely apply in a manner affecting trade or investment.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
May 2, 2017
“The TPP is about strengthening the rights of corporations at the expense of citizens, workers, and the environment. The costs of ratifying the TPP far outweigh any small benefit that may be gained. -- Larry Brown, NUPGE President
February 15, 2017
CETA was passed with no evidence whatsoever of any benefit arising for the people of either the EU or Canada. CETA is good because it is good, and it is good because it is good. One can hear more sophisticated reasoning in almost any kindergarten class.
Ottawa (15 Feb. 2017) — The CETA Scorecard stands at Multinational Corporations 1, the People 0. But the game isn’t nearly over.
February 9, 2017
“Last federal election Canadians voted overwhelmingly against policies that fuel income inequality. Now a federal government advisory council is making recommendations that fly in the face of what Canadians voted for.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President.