Thank you.
I'm a business agent with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 37.
I just want to say I'm not against trade. There are pros and cons to any deal and the question is whether the pros outweigh the cons.
I'm going to tell you a story. I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s. The big talk at that time was the NAFTA deal. I think we'd all be naive thinking it's all positives and there are no negatives. There are pros and cons.
Recently, I've been studying for my MBA, so I'm observing today.
We're not the European Union, the largest trading bloc in the world; we're not it. The NAFTA agreement didn't work out the way we thought. Just ask our folks in the manufacturing sector. It didn't work out the way that we all thought it would work out.
I'm concerned for my family, concerned for our members, and concerned for our sovereignty. This is more than a trading agreement. I'm concerned with the labour mobility, chapter 12 specifically. There was no consultation with the Canadian building trades. Merit was consulted, which represents 1% of the industry. There is no “hire Canadian first” policy. I'm also concerned about higher prescription drug costs, food quality and labelling, and air and water quality.
I'm slightly disappointed in today, and I'll tell you why. I negotiate contracts for a living. I like to seek to understand and to be understood. There are times when I was frustrated, where there were people strengthening their positions. That's fine. But I expected consultation in the discussion. I'm just trying to understand.
I'm against this trade deal as it is. I would advise the government not to support this deal as it is.
Thank you.