To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Tell Congress: Commit to Vote No on a Corporate Power Grab in the New North American Free Trade...
NAFTA gave vast new powers for corporations that make it easier to offshore jobs and attack the environmental and health laws on which we all rely. Deals like NAFTA give multinational corporations the power to sue the U.S. government in front of a tribunal of three corporate lawyers. These lawyers can order U.S. taxpayers to pay the corporations unlimited sums of money, including for the loss of expected future profits.
The multinational corporations only need to convince the lawyers that a law protecting public health, or the environment violates their special NAFTA rights. The corporate lawyers' decisions are not subject to appeal.
This corporate power grab is formally called Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS).
There is one clear litmus test to judge whether NAFTA or any agreement is designed to benefit people or if it has been hijacked by special interests to expand corporate power: Does the deal include Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS)?
The multinational corporations only need to convince the lawyers that a law protecting public health, or the environment violates their special NAFTA rights. The corporate lawyers' decisions are not subject to appeal.
This corporate power grab is formally called Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS).
There is one clear litmus test to judge whether NAFTA or any agreement is designed to benefit people or if it has been hijacked by special interests to expand corporate power: Does the deal include Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS)?
Why is this important?
The United States Trade Representative has pledged to wrap up the NAFTA renegotiation by years end (2017). We need to tell Congress now what a renegotiated NAFTA that puts people and the planet first before corporations looks like. Congress must say no to a trade deal that includes ISDS.