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Hon.EdFast
MinisterofInternationalTrade
105EastBlock,
HouseofCommons
Ottawa,ONK1A0A6
CANADA
Fax+16139969795
[email protected]
12May2015
An Open Letter to the Political Leaders of the Countries Negotiating the
Trans‐PacificPartnershipAgreement:
As current and former legislators with responsibility for making the laws for our
countrieswearegravelyconcernedaboutthepotentialfortheGovernmentofthe
UnitedStatesofAmericatoapplytheprocessknownas‘certification’totheTrans‐
PacificPartnershipAgreement.
IntheimplementingbillsofitsrecentpastFreeTradeAgreements(FTAs),theUS
government has included a requirement to withhold implementation of that
agreement untilthe othergovernmenthassatisfied the USunderstandingofthat
country’s obligations under the agreement by changing its laws, regulations and
procedures to satisfy the US demands. Until it has done so, the United States will
notcompletetheexchangeofletterswiththatcountry,whichisnecessarytobring
theagreementintoforcebetweenthem.
In past US FTAs, this has resulted in the United States extracting additional
concessions from countries, its officials drafting the other country’s laws,
agreementsgoingintoeffectatdifferenttimesfordifferentcountries,andlengthy
delaysintradepacts’implementationforsomecountries.
If applied to the TPP, this practice would infringe on the sovereignty of our
governments to determine the meaning and extent of the obligations they have
agreedtoandadoptedundertheTPP;itwouldimpugntheconstitutionalauthority
and responsibility of legislatures and lawmakers; and it would constitute
interferencebyaforeigngovernmentinthesovereigntyofourcountries.
Wethereforecalluponourgovernments:
i.
toensurethatanyfinalTPPcontainsaneffectiveprovisionthatwillprotectour
sovereign lawmaking authority from such external influence and affirm our
constitutional right to determine exclusively whether our government has
taken all the measures necessary to comply with the provisions of the
Agreementpriortoitcomingintoforce;and
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ii.
toresistanyattemptbyanotherTPPPartytoinfluencethedraftingofourlaws
prior to the agreement coming into force, recognising that a final agreement
wouldprovideanadequateandappropriateforumfordisputesettlementifand
whenanotherPartybelievesthatourcountry’slaws,regulationsorprocedures
donotcomplywithourobligationsundertheTPP.
Signedby
Australia
KelvinThomsonMP,DeputyChairoftheJointStandingCommitteeonTreaties,
AustralianLaborParty
SenatorPeterWhish‐Wilson,SpokespersononTrade,AustralianGreens
Canada
DonDaviesMP,CriticforInternationalTrade,NewDemocraticParty
ElizabethMayMP,Leader,GreenPartyofCanada
Japan
YukioHatoyama,formerPrimeMinisterofJapanandformerMemberofthe
HouseofRepresentatives
MasahikoYamada,formerMinisterofAgriculture,ForestryandFisheriesand
formerMemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives
MegumuTsuji,formerMemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives
SusumuSaito,formerMemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives
TomohikoMizuno,formerMemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives
HiroshiKawauchi,formerMemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives
KazuoTakamatsu,formerMemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives
TsutomuTakamura,formerMemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives
SeiichiroDokyu,formerMemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives
MizuhoFukushima,MemberoftheHouseofCouncillors,formerMinisterofState
forSpecialMissions,SocialDemocraticParty
TakashiShinohara,MemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives,formerVice‐
MinisterofAgriculture,ForestryandFisheries,ChairpersonofDietMember’s
CaucustoCautiouslyConsidertheTPP,DemocraticPartyofJapan
KatsumasaSuzuki,MemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives,formerSecretary
Generalof‘People’sLifeFirst’,DemocraticPartyofJapan
TakeshiMaeda,MemberoftheHouseofCouncillors,formerMinisterofLand,
Infrastructure,TransportandTourism,DemocraticPartyofJapan
KumikoAihara,MemberoftheHouseofCouncillors,DemocraticPartyofJapan
AkioFukuta,MemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives,DemocraticPartyofJapan
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TakakoSuzuki,MemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives,DemocraticPartyof
Japan
KaoruTashiro,MemberoftheHouseofCouncillors,DemocraticPartyofJapan
ToshioOgawa,MemberoftheHouseofCouncillors,formerMinisterofJustice,
DemocraticPartyofJapan
TeruhikoMashiko,MemberoftheHouseofCouncillors,formerVice‐Ministerof
Economy,TradeandIndustry,DemocraticPartyofJapan
EriTokunaga,MemberoftheHouseofCouncillors,DemocraticPartyofJapan
ShizukaKamei,MemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives,formerMinisterof
Transport,formerMinisterofConstruction,formerMinisterofStateforSpecial
Missions,Independent
TaroYamamoto,MemberoftheHouseofCouncillors,ThePeople’sLifePartyand
TaroYamamotoandFriends
TomokoKami,MemberoftheHouseofCouncillors,JapanCommunistParty
YoshikoKira,MemberoftheHouseofCouncillors,JapanCommunistParty
Malaysia
YangBerhormatTuanWongChen,PartiKeadilanRakyat,Memberofthe
MalaysianBipartisanParliamentaryCaucusonTPPA
YangBerhormatDrMichaelJeyakumarDevaraj,PartiSosialisMalaysia,Member
oftheMalaysianBipartisanParliamentaryCaucusonTPPA
YangBerhormatPuanNurulIzzahbintiAnwar,PartiKeadilanRakyat,Member
oftheMalaysianBipartisanParliamentaryCaucusonTPPA
Yang Berhormat Senator Tuan Syed Shahir bin Syed Mohamud, Parti Keadilan
Rakyat,MemberoftheMalaysianBipartisanParliamentaryCaucusonTPPA.
NewZealand
Hon Margaret Wilson, former Speaker of the House of Representatives and
AttorneyGeneral,NewZealandLabourParty
AndrewLittle,LeaderoftheNewZealandLabourParty
Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First, former Minister of Foreign
Affairs
HonTeUruroaFlavell,Co‐LeaderoftheMaoriParty
MaramaFoxMP,Co‐LeaderoftheMaoriParty
RusselNorman,Co‐LeaderoftheGreenPartyofAotearoa
MetiriaTurei,Co‐LeaderoftheGreenPartyofAotearoa
JeanetteFitzsimmons,formerCo‐LeaderoftheGreenPartyofAotearoa
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