Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I second the motion and express my strong support for it. It has been placed before the House by my Civil Engagement group colleague, Senator Alice-Mary Higgins. I do not believe the Government is giving serious recognition to the impact the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, will have on all sectors of the economy and all citizens, both now and into the future. This is an issue that is exercising the agriculture sector, in particular small farmers. Small food producers are expressing real concern. The trade union movement and environmental groups are coming out in force and extremely worried about the rights of the workforce and the impact on the environment.

The proposed trade deal between the European Union and Canada is a new generation deal. To date, it has been negotiated in absolute secrecy and is shrouded in uncertainty. It is gaining traction as its harsh impacts begin to emerge and as a result is becoming increasingly controversial. For this reason, I call on all Senators, in particular my Fianna Fáil colleagues, not to vote unthinkingly with Fine Gael in favour of provisional application of the agreement. We need more time and information to consider the effects such a wide-ranging deal will have on all areas of public policy. As an ecologist and a Senator, the issue about which I am most concerned is that of the environmental effects of this trade deal. In existing trade deals such as the North American trade deal, NAFTA, existing laws can be overridden to the detriment of protections needed to safeguard countries and their citizens. In their efforts to protect citizens states have been sued by multinational corporations. Some two thirds of the cases taken under the NAFTA are taken against those who are trying to protect public health or the environment. The Canadian Government is facing a bill of $2.6 billion in lawsuits taken by US firms while it tries to regulate the use of additives in gasoline, oppose the introduction of fracking and control harmful pesticide use. As Senator Alice-Mary Higgins said, the energy company TransCanada is suing the US Government for $15 billion because of the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline. Some 60% of such cases are settled by plaintiffs and settlements can involve the cancellation or overriding of national law. Some 42,000 US companies operating in the European Union will be able to avail of the terms of the CETA even before completion of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP.

In Ireland the effect of a trade deal like this could be to overturn or even cancel much of the Government's agenda, even as it is being developed. For example, the Government's White Paper on energy is under consideration. One proposal contained in it concerns the promotion of community energy schemes such at the one in Templederry, County Tipperary. Such schemes could come under legal attack from foreign investors who are concerned about their profits over and above the concerns of rural communities in Ireland.

Farmers should beware. We could see the prospect of Irish products being priced out of the domestic market by imports of low quality beef and chicken bred on high hormone input chlorinated carcases, with poor animal welfare management. This flies in the face of real green origins. It disregards the toil of farmers who produce premium, quality products to give way to cheap and poor quality foodstuffs from Canada.CETA flies in the face of sustainable development and makes me extremely angry. As Senator Alice-Mary Higgins stated, those who oppose the deal do not oppose trade per se. There is, however, a limit in respect of sustainability, fair trade and quality, the terms of which should not be dictated to us by a trade deal that undermines sovereignty. CETA will undermine workers' rights, environmental protections and public standards. I ask all Senators to do the right thing for the common good and support the motion. We should hold off and await the outcome of the case before the European Court of Justice regarding the legal requirements for member states' ratification of EU trade deals.