Hi. I'm Susan Hirshberg. I am here as a private citizen, or perhaps as a mother, and I am against the TPP.
I'm sure that in other testimony there have been all kinds of things about the possible environmental impacts of passing this treaty. I'm sure there has been discussion of the social impacts and labour impacts.
I think the most defining issue of our time is climate change. As a mother, I watch my children growing up, and I know that what's out there with regard to climate change is an enormous challenge, both for Canada and for the world.
I know that the Government of Canada needs to be incredibly active to come up with a plan that can guide our entire society on how we deal with this issue. I think it is very clear that the TPP will interfere with our ability to engage in long-term planning as a country, as a society, and as a member of this world.
The four major killers caused by climate change are natural disaster, food and water scarcity, social unrest, and disease. Any one of those is a huge issue, and they all work together. It is absolutely imperative that our government maintain its ability for long-term planning in order to face this tremendous issue in the future, and the TPP will very much reduce that ability.
Thank you.