STRASBOURG, 8:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m. ET) -- The Toronto Sun (and other Sun newspapers) report this morning that, "Canada and the European Union have entered the sixth round of trade talks this week for what could be the largest free trade agreement since NAFTA."
"But critics from both sides of the Atlantic are protesting outside the EU Headquarters in Brussels to voice their concerns the deal will be neither good for the environment nor the economy."
"Several Canadian and European groups are protesting the talks this week, including the Canadian Union of Public Employees. According to the Council of Canadians, opening up trade with Europe would wreak havoc on the environment by increasing European investment in Alberta's oilsands. Also, so called investor-to-state dispute provisions in the deal would allow oil companies themselves to sue the Canadian government if they try to impose stricter environmental rules that cut into oil profits."
"‘The economic benefits of CETA have been over sold and the environmental costs ignored by the Canadian and European governments,' stated Stuart Trew, the Council of Canadians' trade campaigner, in a news statement. 'The trade deal on the table leaves little room for badly needed climate change policies. In fact it will undoubtedly increase greenhouse gas emissions from mining, energy and transportation. Without a major re-write, Europeans and Canadians must reject CETA.'"
"The Council of Canadians is calling for the trade talks to be postponed to allow for a public debate."
The article is at http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2011/01/18/16938231.html.
For more on the Council of Canadians intervention in Brussels and Strasbourg this week please go to http://www.canadians.org.
Brent Patterson, Director of Campaigns and Communications, Council of Canadians
www.canadians.org/ceta
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