The USMCA not such “a terriffic deal for all of us”

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Donald Trump says that the new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), now called the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), is “a terrific deal for all of us.”1

But it certainly isn’t a good deal for people in Canada, because it would give corporations sweeping new powers to censor the web, and increase costs for education and lifesaving medicines by tens of millions of dollars.

It’s a copy and paste of some of the worst parts of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). That’s why we’re asking for your help to post ads like this where members of Parliament will see them, to demand they stand up to Trump and block his unfair, anti-democratic trade agreement.

<http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=owB4UmFWnI9u2VPSy5ogfA3EAEJH245k>

The new NAFTA rules may as well have been written by Disney. Copyright terms have been extended to 70 years past the death of the author, keeping cultural heritage out of the public domain and lining the pockets of studios for generations after their creation.2

Time and time again, the data shows these copyright terms do nothing to help independent creators.3 But the terms will cost taxpayers millions of dollars, significantly reduce access to Canadian heritage, and have the potential to significantly increase education costs that are already out of reach for most people.4

The U.S. didn’t even consult with Canada on these rules, but instead reached an agreement with Mexico and then threatened to leave us out altogether if we didn’t sign on.

Our trade representative may have folded to the U.S., but Canada’s government still has to sign on and ratify—and we can stop that from happening.

But in order to stop the new NAFTA, we have to make our voices public in an eye-catching way. We’re posting ads where they can’t be ignored by Parliament and Prime Minister Trudeau, and we’re lobbying to get Canada to reject this terrible NAFTA agreement.

Footnotes:

[1] President Trump announces ‘truly historic’ trade deal to replace NAFTA: USA Today <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ldmmO1zEJxZTAe7GMPEsig3EAEJH245k>

[2] New NAFTA could include tough intellectual property laws that Canada fought against in TPP: Global News <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=j4dBSEetGtohNWNm9o6IOA3EAEJH245k>

[3] Digital opportunity: review of intellectual property and growth: Gov.Uk <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2FQM5bc1fHCo%2FxK03AvH13A3EAEJH245k>

[4] NAFTA 2.0 and Digital Rights: The Good, The Bad and The Worst: OpenMedia <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=9jOu3yWRtzeyv14tVmi8Pg3EAEJH245k>

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