Thank you. I am Teresa Doyle, a musician.
According to Global Affairs Canada's recent analysis, the TPP would increase GDP by a mere 0.127%, but not until 2040. We're gaining virtually nothing in this trade deal by giving away so much. In fact, there are few barriers to trade left in the world.
This is not an agreement about trade. It's an agreement about investment and it is a cash grab by the billionaire class.
This ISDS mechanism, in many countries, like Australia, they don't include it. Since 2011 they have no longer included it in their trade deals. Many Europeans are backing away from it. I don't understand why Canada is being so lax about this, because we are the most sued country in the world. That's prohibiting us to have our say in our own democracy and our own environmental and labour laws. It hamstrings democracy and environmental action on climate change.
Who stands to gain? It costs an average of $8 million to launch a suit under an ISDS. Of the companies that are suing governments, 90% are making in excess of $1 billion a year. This is a cash grab by the billionaire class and it has to be stopped in its tracks, because environment and democracy are not externalities.
We need to take a hard core look at all of the trade deals we've signed to see if they're actually working for Canadians, because when the Liberals gained power last year and threw out Stephen Harper, we expected a change in policy. We expect real action on climate, on trade, and democracy.
If you do want to take down an unfair tariff barrier, look at what Canadian musicians face. American musicians flood up here, and have done so for decades. We open our arms, no tariff, but for me to go into the United States, I have to apply for a visa at a cost of $450, and wait 120 days before I go in. There's one little tariff you could work on, but in the meantime, leave us our democracy.