By Mackenzie McDonald Wilkins, Trade for People and Planet
June 20, 2019
The debate around Trump’s NAFTA 2.0 is heating up. Mexico just ratified the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), leaving both Canada and the United States to follow suit. But, there are some major road-blocks in both countries that could delay or even derail the “trade” deal completely. In the US, we have to keep the pressure on House Democrats so they don’t succumb to the interests of Big Pharma, Big Ag, and the Fossil Fuel industry that are fighting hard for further deregulation under NAFTA 2.0.
Click here to call your representative to stop the USMCA and create a new model that puts people and the planet first! Click here to send them a message!
As a vote on NAFTA 2.0 looms, now is the time to organize for a true NAFTA replacement! This Sunday, labor unions and farmer organizations are holding what is expected to be the largest march and rally to date in the Replace NAFTA campaign!
The march focuses on Rep. Dingell in Iowa, but may include events elsewhere. If you have friends in Iowa or want to organize an event in your area, see Public Citizen’s Digital Took Kit to make organizing for the march easier. Also see our action resources!
And make sure to send a message and call your representative to oppose NAFTA 2.0!
With federal election season approaching in the US and Canada, the clock is ticking for NAFTA 2.0. In the US, this probably means ratifying the deal before the long August recess, just 17 legislative days away. This is possible, but would be extremely rushed. AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, currently on a NAFTA speaking tour, says that unions in the U.S., Mexico and Canada do not like the USMCA in its current form. If Trump tries to rush a vote on the current text, Trumka says, it will fail.
If the deal is delayed, we must make sure it comes up in the Presidential Debates. Sign this petition to debate moderators to ask candidates about trade!
While some Democrats are negotiating with the Trump administration, others, including Democrat presidential candidates, have come out strongly against the deal, saying that “Trump’s NAFTA Proposal needs stronger terms on labor, the environment, enforcement & new monopolies for Big Pharma must be eliminated.”
As we detail in our analysis of NAFTA 2.0, “USMCA is full of corporate tricks and treats. It not only maintains the worst aspects of NAFTA, but also includes new provisions to further empower transnational corporations. The new NAFTA would increase the cost of life-saving biologic medicines, roll back food safety and GMO regulations, and give new rights to the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies.”
Trump’s NAFTA 2.0 must be stopped so we can push for a real NAFTA replacement!
