Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, and good morning.
Further to Mayor Corrigan's cited concerns for municipalities, I would like to say although he speaks specifically for the City of Burnaby, I believe that the City of Burnaby's concerns are shared by municipalities throughout our region, province, and country.
As Mayor Corrigan mentioned, as a director of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, an executive member of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, and past president of the Lower Mainland municipal government association, today I do not speak for these organizations, but my involvement in them over many years has given me some knowledge of our shared goals and objectives. This makes me feel confident in stating that most, if not all, share our deep concern about the implications for municipalities of implementation of this agreement, CETA.
It is at the local level, the municipal level, that we see and hear most directly the needs of all the individuals, workers, and businesses that are affected by trade agreements. It's here that we can directly interact to support the goals and the development of these businesses and address their needs.
The proposed CETA, and in fact all trade agreements developed by our federal government, diminish and sometimes completely remove those opportunities. In spite of these facts, we have no opportunity to stop or shape these agreements, and experience tells us that once they're in place, any amendments proposed to the federal government are rejected when they come before Parliament for review, regardless of the fact that everything from how we purchase most goods and services to the establishment of local economic development policies would be subject to new trade disciplines and possible court challenges under CETA.
Because of their many concerns, more than 80 Canadian municipalities have passed resolutions and motions against CETA. More than 40 municipalities are seeking a clear, permanent exemption from the deal. The UBCM has called for the exclusion of local governments from this agreement. The FCM has passed resolutions that they hope will enable local governments to be heard on this issue. In addition, municipalities across the country have opposed CETA's proposals, as proposed by local provisions.
The executive director of the Columbia Institute and policy analysts have noted—