[All] Proposal for draft resolution re: CETA

[Louisette Lanteigne]

Hello everyone

Below is a correspondence that I've sent to the Waterloo Catholic and public school boards as well as my city and regional council members regarding a draft resolution to help protect municipalities from the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement 
(CETA). This act is part of a nation wide campaign that is endorsed by both CUPE and the Council of Canadians.

Please review the following correspondence below and I would like to propose that GREN as an organization, formally endorse the draft resolution by way of a formal letter to be sent to our municipal leaders in Waterloo Region.

There are websites below that GREN members can reference for further information.

Thank you kindly for your time.

Louisette Lanteigne
__________________________________________________________


--- On Fri, 1/21/11, Louisette Lanteigne <butterflybluelu at rogers.com> wrote:

From: Louisette Lanteigne <butterflybluelu at rogers.com>
Subject: Proposal for draft resolution re: CETA
To: karen.scian at waterloo.ca, Catherine_Fife at wrdsb.on.ca, brenda.halloran at waterloo.ca, SStrickland at regionofwaterloo.ca, JMitchell at regionofwaterloo.ca, fr.robert.hetu at sympatico.ca
Date: Friday, January 21, 2011, 9:13 PM

Hello Hon. Mayor Halloran, Councilors, Ms.Fife and Rev.Hetu

Currently, if the proposed Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement 
(CETA) is signed, it will expose our communities to legal challenges on 
local, environmental and ethical purchasing strategies and will be a 
serious threat to local democracy and our public services in Canada. 

For example, if municipalities or the school boards support buy local programs, or ban bottled 
water, CETA  will give multinational companies the 
right to sue municipalities for hindering their business. 

The
 EU is demanding full access to sub-national purchasing and contracting in
 Canada. That means giving multinational corporations access to our 
municipalities, school boards and publicly-funded academic institutions,
 health and social service entities and municipal water systems.

In
 the attachment is a 23 page report produced by solicitor Steven 
Shrybman outlining how municipalities will be affected by CETA.

There
 are a growing number of municipal councils taking action 
now. The Union of British Colombia Municipalities (UBCM) recently passed
 a resolution brought forward by the District of Logan Lake and City of 
Burnaby. The draft resolution as supported by CUPE and the Council of 
Canadians is below and  I would like to request that our 
municipalities and/or the Region as well as the school boards support the following resolution:




CETA Draft Resolution

BECAUSE the government of Canada and the European Union
 have been negotiating a trade agreement known as the Comprehensive 
Economic and Trade Agreement (the “CETA”); and


BECAUSE the European Union and European corporations 
are insisting on full access to procurement by sub-national governments -
 including municipalities, school boards, universities, hospitals and 
other provincial agencies - which could significantly reduce or 
eliminate the right to specify local priorities when public money is 
invested in goods, services or capital projects; and


BECAUSE Canadian municipalities have expressed growing 
concerns with trade agreements and their potential impacts on municipal 
programs and services and local autonomy; and


BECAUSE unfettered access to Canadian municipal 
procurement by European corporations may encourage privatization and 
reduce economic development options for local communities; and


BECAUSE the provincial and territorial governments have been actively involved in negotiating CETA with the European Union:


THEREFORE the [Name of Municipal Association] WILL REQUEST:

a briefing from the Province of Ontario on the scope and content of trade negotiations with the European Union;
the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to provide sector-by-sector 
analysis of the potential impacts on municipal functions and powers of 
the procurement regime that the European Union is seeking;
the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to urge the government of 
Canada not to provide the European Union with access to sub national 
government procurement; and
that the provincial government negotiate a clear, permanent exemption for local governments from CETA.
If you could address this issue with your respective councils and boards, I would greatly appreciate it. If a request for this motion requires further action on my part, please inform me of the required protocol I'd be glad to assist. 

For more information on this subject you may visit the following website:

http://cupe.ca/ceta-toolkit

Thank you kindly for your time. 

Louisette Lanteigne
700 Star Flower Ave.
Waterloo Ontario
N2V 2L2
519-885-7619
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