People Before Profit councillor Adrienne Wallace was left shocked and dismayed by the actions of local councillors who refused to support her motion calling for the controversial CETA Deal to be rejected by the government. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael united to vote down her motion while independent Cllr John Cassin supported it.
Speaking to the motion cllr Wallace said “If this deal is ratified it could have serious negative effects for Carlow. There has been outrage in the community recently due to proposals for massive renewable energy sites, including a 127 hectare solar farm near Ballon and Coillte’s proposal for seven 178-metre wind turbines on the slopes of Mount Leinster near an area of special conservation. Everyone is in favour of renewable energy but we have to find a mechanism that works cohesively with the community and local environment. However, that could be jeopardised by the CETA deal which is due before the government in February. If passed this deal will introduce a mechanism that will allow any corporation sue a government if it is seen to interfere with its profits via a mechanism called an “Investor Court.”
Cllr Wallace continued “Imagine if tobacco companies sued the Irish Government when we rightly introduced the smoking ban? This happened in New Zealand as a result of this trade deal. The deal will also hinder the fight against climate change as many positive environmental policies will inevitably affect the fossil fuel industry. This already happened in 2013 when Lone Pine Resources filed a €161 million damages claim against Canada over Quebec’s moratorium on fracking gas.”
Cllr Wallace concluded “97% of the deal relates to tariff free trade and most of CETA is already being applied. The provisions that make trade easier and allow people to work in Canada are already in operation. Ratification is primarily about the investor court system. It’s important to note that civil society groups from environmental activists to trade unions and the Irish Cattle & Sheep Association have all previously campaigned against th