NAFTA renegotiations bring opportunity and uncertainty
Shortly after the US election in November 2016, the Trump administration announced it would push to make sweeping changes in a number of key policy areas affecting both the United States and other nations.
One of those areas is the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In August 2017 the terms of the trilateral trade deal signed in 1994 by Canada, Mexico and the United States were opened for a series of high profile renegotiations for the first time ever.
"For the past 24 years, big business and investors have reaped the benefits of trade and economic growth through NAFTA with little prosperity shared by workers," said AUPE Vice-President Mike Dempsey.
"Well-paying jobs in Alberta have been undermined and lost by the trade deal, but on the bright side, renegotiations bring with them the prospect of making much-needed reforms to benefit workers.
"There''s an opportunity now to modernize NAFTA to strengthen labour protections and make them subject to trade sanctions," said Dempsey. "In addition, there''s hope human rights practices can be improved and better environmental protections agreed to within the main agreement."
Another opportunity that comes with these talks is to eliminate the controversial Chapter 11. This section gives special rights to investors, individuals and corporations, allowing them to sue governments when a government''s actions break NAFTA rules, regardless of the reasons - even if it''s the result of attention to sensitive environmental and social concerns.
Dempsey said this section of the deal has been challenged by a number of bodies and should not be part of any new agreement.
However, there is another, more concerning side to these renegotiations: the possibility of making the deal worse.
"Opening NAFTA puts public services and procurement policies, which set rules around the gaining of goods and services through a bidding process, under threat. Labour and environmental protections could also be at risk," Dempsey said.
"Change in these areas may expose sectors like health care and education to private investment, lead to the harmonization of guidelines, and impact the ability of governments to create good jobs and protect the environment, as well as to protect the health and safety of all Albertans.
"As renegotiations continue into January, any proposed changes that may harm our province, public services and workers must be condemned."
AUPE is participating in roundtable discussions with Alberta Labour to help inform government as it advocates for the province''s interests on these renegotiations with the federal government.
"We will continue to watch as renegotiations develop and will push the province to call for changes that benefit our members and the Albertans they proudly serve every day," said Dempsey.