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EU deal no good for us

Any endorsement of the agreement signed between Canada and the EU is premature and misguided, reader says.

To the Editor,

Any endorsement of the agreement signed between Canada and the EU is premature and misguided. It sings the praises of a treaty whose text is not finalized, therefore unknown, and it lauds the benefits of an agreement that furthers the protection of large investors at the expense of local, regional and provincial control over contracting for services.

In addition, it sets water up as a commodity to be bought and sold on the “open” market, ensuring that a layer of profit will be added to the cost of what should, by rights, be publicly managed.

Those who have benefited from the FTA and NAFTA will do well under this agreement. Those who have suffered from the offshoring of jobs, environmental degradation, increasing inequity and lack of action in moving to some semblance of sustainability will see their welfare further eroded, along with the value of a vote in a state hog-tied by investor-state regulations stemming from “free” trade agreements.

Dan Schubart,

Port Alberni