Volume 89 | Issue 8 | obiter-dicta.ca
The Definitive Source for Osgoode News since 1928
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
TRANS-PACIFIC
PARTNERSHIP
Some Areas of Concern
ê Photo credit: East Asia and Pacific Media Hub U.S. Department of State
-jameel lodhi
Jim Balsillie, former CEO of Research in Motion,
called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) “the
worst public policy decision in the countr y’s
history.” The TPP is a trade agreement between
Pacific nations to achieve regional trade integration. Canada officially joined negotiations
in 2012. The TPP has been subject to much controversy due to its expansive scope and lack
of transparency, resu lti ng i n much criticism
and public protest. A version of the text was
released on 5 November, 2015 for public consu ltation before Parl iament decides to rati f y
the agreement. While there is always room for
improvement in any law, the potential benefits
to Canada are great. Nations currently engaged
in negotiations represent 40% of the world’s
GDP and 800 million people. Given that both
Mexico and the US are participants in the negotiations, the T PP effectively supersedes the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
and Canada would be forced to ratify to avoid
deterioration in our trade balance should both
nations ratify the TPP. Below is a commentary
on the November draft and is restricted to the
following topics:
» continued on page 10
In this Issue ...
editorial
A Brave New Obiter Dicta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
news
Alan Kurdi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
opinion
Your not alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
arts & culture
Bob Dylan’s Ten Best Songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
sports
The year that was…in sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16