Baobab
Baobab's JournalPSI SPECIAL REPORT: The Trade in Services Agreement and the corporate agenda
TISA versus Public Services
http://www.asu.asn.au/documents/doc_download/546-psi-report-tisa-versus-public-services-28-april-2014
Written by Scott Sinclair, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives,
and
Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood, Institute of Political Economy, Carleton University
Acknowledgements:
The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance and advice of Larry Brown, Penny
Clarke, Marc Maes, Teresa Marshall, Daniel Poon, Oliver Prausmuller, Sanya Reid-
Smith and Stuart Trew. We also wish to thank Gary Schneider for his skilful editing.
Scott Sinclair also wishes to thank those officials who participated in confidential
research interviews in Geneva in early October 2013.
The authors also wish to acknowledge the ongoing support of colleagues in the Trade
and Investment Research Project of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
This report was commissioned by the Public Services International (PSI), but the
views expressed are not necessarily those of PSI. Daniel Bertossa from PSI offered
invaluable support and advice throughout the project.
Published April 28, 2014
by Public Services International
www.world-psi.org
Return to Sender: The impact of GATS "pro-competitive regulation" on postal and other public servic
Return to Sender:The impact of GATS "pro-competitive regulation" on postal and other public services
Jim Grieshaber-Otto and Scott Sinclair
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National_Office_Pubs/return_to_sender.pdf
Is it time for NPD testing of politicians Most of the worst disasters in human history were caused b
Neuroimaging can now detect narcissistic personality disorder, with a high degree of accuracy.
Its now possible to, by means of a simple test, prevent new Hitlers and Stalins from getting their start in politics.
Should we test all politicians before putting them on the government dole, and periodically retest them so any who slipped through could be caught?
Even if the cost of doing so was new Legislatures, new Supreme Courts, even new Presidents?
Bad medicine : trade treaties, privatization and health care reform in Canada
Bad medicine : trade treaties, privatization and health care reform in
Canada / Jim Grieshaber-Otto and Scott Sinclair
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National_Office_Pubs/bad_medicine.pdf
Contents
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................7
Summary ..............................................................................................................8
Chapter 1 Introduction .............................................................................17
Chapter 2 Key trade treaty rules and health safeguards ..........21
2.1 Introduction ....................................................................21
2.2 Key provisions, scope and safeguards ...................23
2.2.1
Provisions common to both
the NAFTA and the WTO ................................25
Most-Favoured Nation (MFN) and
National Treatment (NT) rules .....................................25
Rules on public monopolies
and state enterprises ....................................................27
Rules on government procurement ............................28
Rules on intellectual property rights ...........................28
2.2.2
Provisions unique to the GATS .........................29
Quantitative restrictions ..................................................29
Restrictions on domestic regulation ...........................31
2.2.3
Provisions unique to the NAFTA .................32
Restrictions on performance
requirements ....................................................................32
Minimum standard of treatment ....................................33
Rules on expropriation and compensation ..............33
34
CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES
Chapter 3
Examining recent reports on
health care reform............................................................... 35
3.1
3.2
3.3
The Mazankowski Report (December 2001) .......35
3.1.1 Introduction: Proposing radical change ......35
3.1.2 The Mazankowski Report on funding ...........36
3.1.3 The Mazankowski Report on
organization and delivery ............................38
3.1.4 Promoting health care commercialization
and privatization ............................................41
The Kirby Report (October 2002) .............................48
3.2.1 Introduction ...........................................................48
3.2.2 Service-based funding, hospitals and
private, for-profit delivery ................................48
3.2.3 Devolving responsibilities for health
services to regional health authorities ........52
3.2.4 Establishing a “Health Care Guarantee” ......55
3.2.5 Expanding insurance to cover catastrophic
prescription drug costs ...................................63
3.2.6 Expanding public insurance to cover post-
acute home care ................................................65
3.2.7 Expanding public insurance to cover
palliative home care .....................................67
3.2.8 Conclusion ...........................................................68
The Romanow Report (November 2002) ...............70
3.3.1 Introduction ...........................................................70
3.3.2 The Romanow Report’s vision
for medicare .......................................................70BAD MEDICINE: Trade treaties, privatization and health care reform in Canada
3.4
Chapter 4
3.3.3 Sustainability of Canada’s health care
system ..................................................................70
3.3.4 Expanding public health care insurance
coverage to include home care services ...72
3.3.5 Improving timely access to services .............73
3.3.6 Perennial debate: public vs. private ............76
3.3.7 Electronic health records ...............................83
3.3.8 Prescriptions drugs ...........................................86
3.3.9 Globalization and trade treaties ...................88
The Courchene paper (October 2003) ..................90
3.4.1 Courchene’s analysis of the Romanow
report ......................................................................91
3.4.2 Courchene’s analysis of the Kirby report ...94
Hazardous mixture: Trade treaties and health
care reform proposals .........................................................97
4.1 At odds: Trade treaty principles and
Medicare principles ....................................................97
4.2 Flashpoints in the health care reports ................99
4.2.1 Public-private partnerships (P3s) ..............99
4.2.2 Reducing the scope of public insurance
coverage ..............................................................104
4.2.3 Expanding private for-profit delivery of
publicly-insured services ................................107
4.2.4 Expanding private for-profit delivery of
services that are not publicly-insured .......112
4.2.5 More private for-profit health care delivery:
Market-based devolution; health care
guarantee; care groups ..................................114
56
CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES
4.2.6
4.3
4.4
Chapter 5
Telehealth .............................................................116
Unsafe practices: current health policies that
increase trade treaty risks ......................................118
4.3.1 Provincial approaches .....................................118
4.3.2 New federal approach: P3s are ‘in’ ................119
4.3.3 Examples of privatization at the provincial
level .........................................................................125
Looming challenges of even more expansive
trade treaties ................................................................135
4.4.1 GATS negotiations ............................................135
4.4.2 FTAA and other negotiations ........................139
4.4.3 Conclusion ...........................................................142
Towards healthy health care reform .....................143
5.1
5.2
Minimizing trade risks while avoiding
‘regulatory chill’ in health care reform .................144
5.1.1 Expanding Medicare coverage ......................146
5.1.2 Public, not-for-profit delivery ........................147
Relieving pressure on health: changing the
approach to trade treaties .........................................150
5.2.1 Changes to existing treaty commitments..151
5.2.2 Overhauling Canada’s trade negotiating
strategies ..............................................................152
5.2.3 Re-balancing the right to health and the
protection of commercial interests in the
international system .......................................154
Endnotes ..........................................................................................................156
Mass surveillance silences minority opinions, according to study
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/03/28/mass-surveillance-silences-minority-opinions-according-to-study/Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) : How to Recognize a Narcissist
http://www.halcyon.com/jmashmun/npd/Bernie Sanders Does His Own Laundry (and Grocery Shopping): Inside the Family Life of the Down-to-Ea
Bernie Sanders Does His Own Laundry (and Grocery Shopping): Inside the Family Life of the Down-to-Earth Democratic Candidate By Sandra Sobieraj Westfall and Tierney McAfeeIn the past year, everything and nothing has changed for Bernie Sanders.
The one-time Democratic dark horse has gradually become a top-tier contender for the presidential nomination, with recent polls in New Hampshire and Iowa showing him neck-and-neck with – or even leading – rival Hillary Clinton.
Yet in his heart and home the Vermont senator remains the same down-to-earth "Bernster" – as his son, Levi, lovingly refers to him – he's always been. And that much was plain to see when PEOPLE stopped by to visit Sanders and his family at his modest colonial home in Burlington, Vermont, last month.
http://www.people.com/article/bernie-sanders-family-home-life
Polluters Paradise: How 'investor rights' in trade deals sabotage the fight for energy transition
Polluters Paradise: How 'investor rights' in trade deals sabotage the fight for energy transitionDownload:
Polluters' Paradise
(pdf, 1.21 MB)
----------
Abstract:
"Avoiding catastrophic climate change is the defining challenge of our time. If we are to have a chance of preventing extremely dangerous levels of global warming, much of the world’s fossil fuels – oil, coal and gas – must be left in the ground, unexploited. Societies need to move to an energy system based on renewable sources like sun, wind and water. This colossal change will require strong action from public authorities. But their ability to introduce the right laws and regulations is severely constrained by a little-known but very powerful legal system. This international investment regime has ensnared many countries in its legal nets in the last decades.
Thousands of trade and investment agreements signed between countries allow multinational companies to sue governments if changes in policy – even in rules to protect the environment or fight climate change – are deemed to reduce their profits. By the end of 2014, there were 608 of these investor lawsuits known to be taking place within international tribunals. The costs of these suits weigh heavily on governments, in the form of hefty legal bills and weakened social and environmental regulations.
A growing number of investor-state lawsuits target government initiatives in the energy sector, ranging from the phase out of nuclear power to moratoria on environmentally-risky shale gas development (‘fracking’). As law firms make money each time that an investor sues a state, this encourages more and more corporate lawsuits: for example, over legislation in the renewables sector.
Despite the evident risk to energy transition, even more trade and investment deals are in the pipeline that would empower corporations to challenge strong government action on climate change. Amongst them is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), currently under negotiation between the EU and the US, and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada, for which ratification could start in 2016. Yet while big polluters are lobbying heavily for these deals, a growing movement is turning against the corporate power grab. Indeed, there is now more public scrutiny and debate about trade and investment agreements than there has been in years."
Download:
Polluters' Paradise
(pdf, 1.21 MB)
Average time to read:
20 min
ISDS
Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)
TTIP
CETA
Climate Justice
Energy democracy
Extractive Industries
Fracking
Greece, a crisis born of neo-liberal madness- Gérard Duménil: Cutting wages and social spending will
Gérard Duménil: Cutting wages and social spending will make the crisis worse
Dr. Duménil is one of the world’s foremost theorists of neoliberalism and economic crisis and is the author of numerous influential books, many of which have been translated into several languages. These include Capital Resurgent: Roots of the Neoliberal Revolution (2004) and his forthcoming The Crisis of Neoliberalism: from the subprime to the great contraction.
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