Group items tagged

CETA will result in higher drug costs for Canadians: study

While we still don’t know all the details of the CETA, one thing is clear: the agreement will seriously impact the ability of Canadians to afford quality health care,” concludes Dr. Lexchin. Ottawa (05 Nov. 2013) - The Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) will result in significantly higher drug costs for Canadians, says a study released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

It is time for Canada to lead in re-evaluating what type of trade agreements are needed for this century.

By HOWARD MANN PUBLISHED : Wednesday, March 9, 2016

While the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) text was in long-term legal scrub, it had taken a back seat to discussions over the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) concluded by the Conservative government during the last election campaign. The TPP has attracted vocal opposition from very diverse sources in Canada, including major innovators, labour unions and organizations focused on achieving sustainable development. With the release now of the final CETA text—the trade agreement between Canada and the EU—new debate is needed on it as well.

The trade and investment deal being negotiated between Canada and the European Union puts public health care services at risk of privatization

The CLC analysis shows how the Canadian government has failed to protect public health care services in three main ways: Canada is relying on unclear language in CETA (and NAFTA and the GATS) that may not cover Medicare, given the privatization that has already crept in to areas of public health care Canada has not negotiated a blanket exemption for Medicare in CETA, and CETA gives private European health corporations the power to challenge any expansion of Medicare, or the end of any health care privatization.

if CETA is signed, NAFTA provisions will mean that American corporations will be entitled to the same powers and benefits as European corporations. This effectively ends the  minimal protections for public health care negotiated under NAFTA.

Edited by:  Scott Sinclair Stuart Trew Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood

September 25, 2014

This report demonstrates in detail how the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) deal is unbalanced, favouring large multinational corporations at the expense of consumers, the environment, and the greater public interest. This international study, involving experts from Canada and the EU, is the first independent analysis of the completed CETA text, which was leaked in August 2014. It analyzes some of the CETA’s most controversial chapters as exposed by a series of leaks in August. They include assessments of the agreement’s impacts on intellectual property rights for pharmaceutical products; investment protection, investor-state dispute settlement and financial services regulation; infrastructure procurement and buy-local food policies; public services, and many other areas.

by Graham H. Cox — last modified Aug 29, 2014

Trade justice activists are calling for the full text of CETA to be officially released (full text of CETA have been leaked) to allow for open and democratic debate by Canadians before the negotiations are finished. We are also calling for the investor state provisions to be removed. There is no way to “build a better” Investor-State Dispute Settlement process. These processes are fundamentally flawed, and have one goal: transfer power away from governments and to multinational corporations.

Canadian unions affiliated to Public Services International, the global union that represents 20 million public sector workers world-wide, say their strong objection to the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) stands despite recent backroom changes to the investment provisions in the trade deal.

Media ReleaseApril 14, 2016

Ottawa, Canada and Berlin, Germany – A new video is set to spark debate on CETA (the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) with the deal on the verge of a vote this year in the European Parliament, where opponents hope it will be defeated. Today, the Council of Canadians, in partnership with the European Initiative Stop TTIP, is launching CETA: Lessons from Canada, a five-minute animation. Using a technique known as "handimation," the short video gives a comprehensive background on the controversial deal, known to many as TTIP 1.0.

CETA Threats to Public Health Care in Canada

September 24, 2014

A technical summary of CETA released by Canadian trade negotiators in October 2013 revealed the deal's potential to substantially increase drug costs by extending patent protection for new drugs two years beyond the 20 years currently provided, delaying the introduction of lower-cost generic drugs.

The deal will also allow drug companies to sue Canada using a legal mechanism known as investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), which relies on private arbitration tribunals rather than domestic courts. This also has the potential to inflict heavy costs. Using ISDS-type provisions in the North American Free Trade Agreement, Eli Lilly sued Canada for $500 million in June 2013 over court rulings invalidating patents on drugs for schizophrenia and hyperactivity.

CETA and pharmaceuticals: impact of the trade agreement between Europe and Canada on the costs of prescription drugs Joel Lexchin123* and Marc-André Gagnon4

Globalization and Health 2014, 10:30  doi:10.1186/1744-8603-10-30

On a per capita basis, Canadian drug costs are already the second highest in the world after the United States and are among the fastest rising in the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the European Union (EU) and Canada will further exacerbate the rise in costs by: • Committing Canada to creating a new system of patent term restoration thereby delaying entry of generic medicines by up to two years; • Locking in Canada’s current term of data protection, and creating barriers for future governments wanting to reverse it; • Implementing a new right of appeal under the patent linkage system that will create further delays for the entry of generics.

Toronto Star Sun Jun 21 2015

Pharmacare for all, Editorial June 10 Congratulations for your support of a very old policy proposal to reform a still very limited Medicare. It was in 1959 that a small interdepartmental committee was set up by Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas after he announced that the government was going to proceed with Medicare. I am one of two remaining members of that committee, which among other things recommended pharmacare. In the final 1962 policy, pharmacare remained a commitment for the future - one that was not picked up by the Lester Pearson government.

The position of Ontario and other provinces to discuss pharmacare is a step forward for several reasons. However, existing realities present problems in achieving this kind of agenda. One is the need to engage Ottawa as a significant participant. Currently on the contribution side the feds provide a mere 2 per cent of the costs of medications for veterans, First Nations and the military. It is the provinces, individuals and employers that bear the burden. There are no concrete federal changes on offer

The day before the Canadian government hopes to clinch its Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Europe at the Sept. 25 summit, opinion remains sharply divided on its cost implications for numerous medicines marketed by European pharmaceutical companies. CETA is the most ambitious trade deal ever between Canada and Europe, and pharmaceuticals are Europe’s most valuable category of exports to Canada.

February 23, 2015

The Council of Canadians congratulates our European allies for collecting 1.5 million signatures of Europeans who want "the institutions of the European Union and its member states to stop the negotiations with the USA on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and not to ratify the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada."

Wednesday, May 4, 2016 The Canadian Labour Congress and the European Trade Union Confederation are uniting to call for five changes to the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

Labour, environmental, Indigenous, women’s, academic, health sector and fair trade organizations from Europe, Canada and Quebec representing more than 65 million people are demanding that Canada and the EU stop negotiating an excessive and controversial investor rights chapter in the proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

endorsed by more than 70 organizations

October 10, 2015

On October 9, the NDP released its full party platform. On the issue of 'free trade', or specifically for us the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the platform only says, "The NDP will also set a new standard for open, transparent trade negotiations, which will ensure that we always get the best trade agreements possible for Canadians."

December 10, 2014

The Globe and Mail editorial board commented earlier this week on two reports about provincial drug plans for seniors. According to the newspaper, the corporate-friendly C.D. Howe Institute report argued "to base coverage on income, so those with the least resources – whatever their age – will get their drugs paid for", while the more progressive Institute for Research on Public Policy "favours full and universal coverage of drug costs [and] a central agency to buy drugs, thus generating huge discounts from bulk purchases."

and the $36 billion that Harper would cut from health care (Mulcair says he would cancel this cut, Trudeau has not indicated a position on this yet).

Trudeau has indicated his support for CETA, but the NDP is still developing their position on the agreement. While Mulcair has encouraged the European Union not to ratify CETA if it includes an investor-state clause, NDP trade critic Don Davies maintains that while his party does not believe the investor-state dispute settlement provision is needed, "it is only one component of a trade deal and we assess them as a whole."

There would be the need for a strong civil society movement to hold a coalition government accountable to the public interest and to push it to better positions on pipelines, 'free trade', health care, water protection and more.

Canadians and Europeans set to oppose Harper's CETA

August 21, 2014