There’s not much good news for health care if Canada signs TPP

If Canada signs the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement – pushed by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government and still supported by Justin Trudeau’s Liberals – we will likely never again be able to expand our public health care system, for example by implementing a national Pharmacare program.

The TPP has been sold as a “free trade agreement” among 12 Pacific Rim Countries but would be more accurately described as an investor-protection agreement. Under the TPP, foreign investors would have the ability to sue Canada if the federal or provincial governments tried to extend public health programs into services now provided by the private sector.

That would put Pharmacare in the crosshairs – and hand plenty of ammunition to the opponents of public services to claim they’re “unaffordable.” 

Basic health insurance coverage would be grandfathered under the agreement, but any weakening of its provisions by market-fundamentalist governments could not be put right.

Other negative impacts of being the TPP would include:

  • Longer periods during which drug patents are in force, making it harder and more expensive to introduce lower-cost generic drugs
  • Appeals of Canadian regulatory decisions, delaying approvals and reducing safety, by foreign drug companies.
  • Entrenchment of U.S.-designed NCLEX-RN exam, because it’s already in use in Canada
  • End of traditional access to temporary entry provisions to the United States for nurses and other health professionals 

The parliamentary committee studying the TPP is accepting public comment until October 31, 2016. More information on the process for providing a written submission can be found in the Guide for Submitting Briefs to House of Commons Committees. Written submissions should be emailed to: ciit-tpp-ptp@parl.gc.ca.

UNA members are encouraged to express their concerns about the TPP by contacting their Member of Parliament.

Parliament must still ratify the TPP before it can go into effect. 

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