Cindy Carr, (202) 495-3034 or cindy.carr@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Trump administration negotiators will again meet behind closed doors with representatives from Mexico and Canada to begin the fourth round of renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Nearly two months into the negotiations, the Trump administration still refuses to allow the U.S. public to see or comment on any textual proposals that could impact jobs, wages, and environmental protection, despite negotiators’ promise to finalize a deal by the end of 2017.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to travel to DC to meet with Donald Trump and the House Ways and Means Committee and discuss the renegotiation. Earlier today, the Sierra Club joined with nearly 40 other organizations to deliver 400,000 petitions demanding that NAFTA’s corporate rights and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) be eliminated from the deal during renegotiation.
In response, Sierra Club Responsible Trade Program Director Ben Beachy released the following statement:
"It is completely unacceptable that two months into NAFTA’s renegotiation, corporations have a seat at the table while people are shut out, with no real say in rewriting a deal that has impacted their jobs, wages, air, and water. If Donald Trump thinks that he can secretly continue business as usual to protect corporate polluters at the expense of workers and communities, he clearly wasn’t paying attention to the movement of millions that defeated the corporate-backed TPP.
“Any NAFTA replacement must stop protecting multinational corporations and start protecting the workers and communities across North America who have endured decades of damage under this raw deal. As corporate insiders make their way to today’s closed-door NAFTA talks, it’s hard to imagine that such change is what Trump has in mind.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.