Canada-EU trade deal puts profit before the public good - by Paul Most and Maude Barlow

There is little wonder left why the Harper government has been so secretive about the details of its ongoing “trade” negotiations with the European Union. The more we hear and see about the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the less there is to like.

After the recent leak of CETA documents, there is quite a bit to see. In fact, we have a good sense of where the trade-offs lie, and what the municipal and provincial governments will have to give up so Mr. Harper can have his highly imbalanced deal.

According to the leaks, Canada has tied a single issue – market access for agricultural goods like beef and pork – to the EU’s most important demands, including patent extensions for pharmaceuticals (contained in a broader intellectual property chapter), procurement and dairy supply management.

Mr. Harper’s message is clear: let more Canadian meat into your borders and we will give you most of what you want in these other areas. Even if this means more expensive health care, and our municipalities giving up the right to “buy local” when spending public money.

The EU is asking Canada to change its pharmaceutical patent regime to extend protections to brand name drug companies at the expense of generic competition. Delaying generic drugs by even a year or two will have huge financial consequences for our public health care system, and Canadians in need of affordable prescription drugs.

Read more: Canada-EU trade deal puts profit before the public good - The Globe and Mail

French fury at Economist’s ‘time-bomb’ warning - by Katharyn GILLAM

France’s minister of industry slammed famed British weekly The Economist after it ran a 14-page special report calling the country’s economy a ticking time bomb and the biggest threat to the euro currency’s stability.

The Economist has published “caricatures that are worthy of Charlie Hebdo,” minister Arnaud Montebourg told Europe 1 radio on Friday, referring to a French satirical magazine notorious for publishing a cartoon of a nude Prophet Mohammed in September.

In its edition set to hit news stands on Friday, the highly-respected British weekly warned that France’s high taxes on businesses were eroding the country’s competitiveness and that France was a bigger danger to Europe’s single currency than the debt-stricken countries of Italy, Spain and Portugal.

The Economist said both French leaders and voters were dangerously behind on much needed economic reforms and that a major blowback was on the horizon. “You cannot defy economics for long,” the weekly wrote, adding that “the crisis could hit as early as next year.”
The right-leaning magazine highlighted Europe’s strategic position in the Eurozone and its massive public sector that accounts for 57% of gross domestic product, the highest in the single-currency zone.

Read more: French fury at Economist’s ‘time-bomb’ warning - FRANCE - FRANCE 24