Trans Pacific Partnership – what you need to know

I suspect you’ll be hearing more from IPC about this shadiest-of-shady trade deals in the coming year. Here’s an excerpt from an EFF interview of Michael Geist which should give you an idea of why:

“(Geist): …[G]iven Canada’s late entry into the TPP process, the US was able to extract two onerous conditions that Prime Minister Stephen Harper downplayed as the “accession process.” First, Canada will not be able to reopen any chapters where agreement has already been reached among the current nine TPP partners. This means Canada has already agreed to be bound by TPP terms without having had any input. Since the TPP remains secret, the government can’t even tell us what has been agreed upon. Second, Canada has second-tier status in the negotiations as the US has stipulated that Canada will not have “veto authority” over any chapter. This means that should the other nine countries agree on terms, Canada would be required to accept them.For now, we’d encourage you to head over to EFF”

For more, head over to EFF and check out the full interview.

BCLA Campaign – Let Your MP Know How Important Libraries Are!

October is Library Month, and this year we’re asking you – yes, YOU! – to help us remind our government just how important libraries are to the civic and intellectual life of this country.

In response to the unprecedented and deeply troubling changes to Federal information policy in recent months, the IPC has organised a letter writing campaign to help you let your MP know how you feel about the issues – LAC, the closure of Federal libraries, the cancellation of the National Archival Development Program; the list goes on. There’s plenty to write about!

We’ve prepared a number of resources to help you get started, because nobody should feel that writing to their elected representatives is beyond their means or that they don’t have the power to make a difference.

To find out more, and to get involved, please check out the campaign website.

Thank you all in advance for supporting Canada’s libraries in this challenging time; it’s difficult to overstate what’s at stake. Please share widely.