International trade and investment, deep integration
Despite the dramatic breakdown of global trade talks in Seattle in December 1999, sweeping negotiations are now quietly underway in Geneva to subject an ever-greater degree of democratic decision-making to oversight by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
These negotiations are aimed at expanding the General Agreement on Trade in Services (or GATS). The GATS is currently being re-negotiated behind closed doors in close consultation with international corporate lobbyists.
Despite the breakdown in global trade talks in Seattle in December 1999, negotiations are now underway at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to radically restructure the role of government worldwide--subjecting an ever-greater degree of governmental decision-making to oversight by the WTO.
In this book Steven Shrybman, the Executive Director of the West Coast Environmental Law Association analyzes the scope and influence of the WTO. He shows how its using its extraordinary powers to force governments--including Canada's--to change their policies to cater to corporate interests. Canada has already felt the impact of WTO rulings, most recently when our policy on split-run magazines was challenged.
OTTAWA--Contrary to repeated assurances from the Minister of International Trade and other federal government officials that Canada's health care system is protected from trade challenge under the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), a new study released today shows that the government has, in fact, recklessly exposed health care to the GATS commercial rules.