Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Canadian minister exposes National’s political spin

22 May 2017

For immediate release

Canadian minister exposes National’s political spin on Hanoi TPPA outcome

Prime Minister Bill English and Trade Minister Todd McClay are spinning the outcome of Sunday’s meeting of the eleven remaining countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement in Hanoi for short-term electoral purposes, according to University of Auckland law professor Jane Kelsey, who has been monitoring international coverage of the meeting.

Todd McClay is reported in the NZ Herald as saying ‘We are very, very united’. But even he conceded there is no unity about implementing the TPPA before the end of the year, which was the NZ/Japan game plan.

The eleven ministers apparently agreed there needs to be a process – as they did when they met in Chile in March. And they agreed that this process needs to get them to a point they can agree on what to do together, which their leaders can then agree to as well.

‘In other words’, Professor Kelsey points out, ‘there is no agreement among countries on what should happen with the TPPA minus the US.’

Equally important, Bill English told Q&A that ‘there can't be any more changes’, other than some technical adjustments to allow implementation and make it easier for the US to re-join.

But only New Zealand and Japan appear to want the text to remain unchanged.

Canada’s trade minister confirmed to the Toronto Sun that the ministers are still figuring out what a revised trade plan would look like and this would have to be more than simply taking the US out of the deal: each country would have to re-evaluate its own trade needs in the absence of the US.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

The Toronto Sun quotes Canadian officials as stressing that ‘even the countries most enthusiastic about the previous agreement understand that it must be significantly altered before it can move forward.’

Bill English said on Q&A on Sunday that getting the TPPA implemented ‘can only happen if there isn't some renegotiation’. But he and Todd McClay know that other countries are demanding significant changes. ‘Why are they misleading New Zealanders by telling them otherwise?’ asked Professor Kelsey.

‘Misrepresenting the reality allows National to deny the need for further debate, including in Parliament, and to depict the opposition parties who are rightly criticising what is being dubbed the “zombie TPPA’ as damaging the national interest.’

‘This seems to be a cynical exercise in spin for short-term electoral purposes, knowing that any revised text would become public well after the election, if at all.’


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.