Wellington joins 7 March national day of action against the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement
Opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement will again see people on the streets of Wellington and 21 other
towns and cities on Saturday.
"The potential selling out of our nation's sovereignty by signing up to the TPPA is bringing increasing numbers of
people onto the streets in protest", says Wellington TPPA protest coordinator John Maynard. The theme of the nationwide
protest this weekend is "TPPA: No Deal!"
Wellington City Councillor Sarah Free, NZ Council of Trade Unions secretary Sam Huggard and medical and health sector
representative Dr Gay Keating will be among the speakers at the protest starting 1pm at Lambton Quay's Midland Park and
marching to Parliament.
The TPPA will give foreign investors wanting to protect their profits the power to sue the New Zealand Government in
secretive international tribunals outside our own laws and courts. The Investor State Disputes Settlement provisions of
the TPPA will be a focus of the Wellington protest on Saturday.
While John Key likes to promote how clean New Zealand rivers are, would he be able to stop any attempt to frack for oil
under the Waikato River? The Canadian Government is being sued for $125 million dollars by US company Lone Pine after
the Government put a 12 month moratorium on fracking under the St Lawrence River.
While we are told that secrecy is necessary during the negotiation process 600 US corporate lobbyists are given access
to drafts of the agreement that the rest of us - including Parliamentarians - are not allowed to see. The TPPA is
clearly addressing the interests of large international companies against the interests of the citizens and the
democratic process.
Trade Ministers of the TPPA countries are to meet in April to try to finalise a deal that needs agreement by mid-year
for the TPPA to pass during US President Obama's presidency. There is huge pressure to make dangerous compromises in
order to end the negotiations.
ENDS