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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 1 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 2 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 3
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