We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, March 18, 2016

TPP will be toothless for environmental protection: [Canadian] study

Click here to access article from bilaterals.

This brief article serves as an introduction to a 3200 word report (PDF).
As the debate heats up over whether Canada should ratify the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a new study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) highlights the agreement’s serious shortcomings in protecting the environment.

“Far from being a milestone for environmental protection, as claimed by the U.S. and Canadian governments, the TPP will not safeguard or promote effective environmental protection measures,” says Jacqueline Wilson, legal counsel at the Canadian Environmental Law Association and author of the study Bait-and-Switch: The Trans-Pacific Partnership’s Promised Environmental Protections Do Not Deliver.