TRURO, NS – An impending trade deal between Canada and the European Union poses a huge threat to all levels of government in Nova Scotia.
CUPE Nova Scotia President Danny Cavanagh says, “With the House of Assembly set to open on March 29, Premier Dexter needs to explain to citizens exactly what is being negotiated as part of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Europe.
“If, as a panel of experts suggested this week in Halifax, procurement powers for local governments are part of that deal, it would eliminate any flexibility those governments have in awarding contracts to local or even provincial companies. In other words, ‘buy local’ goes right out the window,” he says.
“As one dramatic example of this,” explains Cavanagh, “leaked documents about how the trade talks are proceeding, show that Canada and the provinces have failed to protect drinking water and wastewater services from those procurement rules.
“This would open the door wide to privatization of these public services. Under the CETA agreement foreign companies would have the right to challenge both the process and the terms of covered procurements - creating a significant risk of legal action for public authorities.”
Says Cavanagh, “It’s time for the government to put an end to the secrecy and let the people of Nova Scotia know what’s on the table and what’s off the table as part of the CETA trade talks.”
For more information, please contact:
Danny Cavanagh
CUPE Nova Scotia President
(902) 957-0822 (Cell)
John McCracken
CUPE Communications Representative
(902) 455-4180