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(Related details moved to bottom. Edited 2019-11-01)
SUBMISSION TO INTERNATIONAL TRADE
December 15, 2018
TO: House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade
c/o Clerk, Ms. Christine LaFrance CIIT < @ > parl.gc.ca
COMMITTEE CHAIR: MP Mark Eyking; VICE-CHAIR MP Dean Allison; VICE-CHAIR MP Tracey Ramsey;
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: MP Omar Alghabra; MP Colin Carrie; MP Sukh Dhaliwal; MP Peter Fonseca; MP Richard Hebert; MP Randy Hoback; MP Andrew Leslie; MP Karen Ludwig; MP Kyle Peterson; MP Terry Sheehan
FROM: Sandra Finley
(contact info)
Dear Members of Committee, International Trade
RE: Request for Input, Deadline December 28, 2018
I press upon you 3 recommendations, following this input:
You offer support to enable small and medium enterprises (SME’s) to expand into export markets.
You are aware that Agriculture Canada is in the same business. Reference APPENDED #2, screen shot:
Agri-food Trade Services for Exporters. . . . How can we help? We provide funding. We host companies at trade shows. We offer . . . Ministerial Trade Mission to China November 2018 . . .
Agri-food Canada promotes and supports export development of bottled water.
Reference APPENDED #1, Sector Trend Analysis – Bottled Water in China Feb 2017
EXCERPT:
Even though Canada exported over CA$168.8 million worth of bottled water products to the world in 2014, it had a large export gap with China, as most (76.1%) of Canada’s bottled water products were shipped to the United States. . . .
83% of Canada’s bottled water exports are from B.C. I live in BC.
Locally, we are just discovering the extent of withdrawal of water for bottling and export. I don’t need to tell you the reaction is anger.
- The Federal Government, through Agri-food Canada, funds, promotes and supports development of the bottling of water for export.
- The Federal Government, through International Trade, is targeting support to “Small and Medium Enterprise”.
We all know that in an economy that concentrates wealth, larger Corporations will purchase the SME’s. Transnationals make millions of dollars selling water.
Increasingly, we see China buying up land and enterprise in BC. I am reminded that the Chinese purchased Syngenta (Swiss ag-biotech (GMO)). The purchase price was an unheard-of US$43 Billion, just so we know how much buying power the Chinese have.
Whether it’s American, Chinese, Canadian water corporations, a combination, or NONE of the preceding that continue to export water from Canada, remains to be seen.
There is a history in B.C. of going to the mat to protect the environment. Haida Gwaii achieved final say over how and by whom resources will be extracted and used. Why would they do that? . . . Because our current economic model rewards destruction, with no thought for tomorrow.
Given
- Agri-food Canada is targeting the growth potential in the Chinese Market
- the Agri-food Ministerial Trade Mission to China, November 2018 (reference the screen shot appended)
- the Chinese business people arrived here
it is perhaps likely that we are looking at Chinese corporations, not the American or Canadian transnationals, on a cheap Canadian dollar.
But at base, the biggest threat is the Federal Government. The Federal Government is the expropriator, “in the business” of selling off water for export, for the large profits to be made.
You may not know about: (Los Angeles Times) 1991-03-22 Raining on Water Importer’s Parade: Drought: The latest series of storms may have doused chances that a Santa Barbara firm will get a large contract to import water from Fanny Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada.
EXCERPT :
Western Canada Water bottles Canadian Glacier water, the No. 2 imported non-sparkling water in Southern California. Perhaps more important, the firm is already licensed to ship 43,000 acre feet of water annually–licenses it initially sought for its bottled water business.
(One acre foot is equal to about 326,000 (U.S.) gallons of water.)
PATTERN – Governments in Canada quietly sign on for water export. Awareness grows, the shit hits the fan.
. . . the government of British Columbia reversed its water export policy and introduced a prohibition on the issuance of water export licenses . . .
Political controversy in Canada and the US caused the government to cancel the permit . . . (for water export)
Since Canada has taken a strong position against water exports . . . (back then)
The people who designed today’s scenario for export of water are from “Ottawa”. You don’t even live here.
- Our Glaciers are nearing their end. Peak flow is in the past. Do you understand those words?
“In the 1970s, they did an inventory on Vancouver Island and they counted about 170 glaciers, and I’d say there are five of what you could call glaciers left.” (2014) Excerpt from:
2014-05-22 Island glaciers will disappear in 25 years, scientist says, Times Colonist
- 12,000 acres purchased by American company. (It’s in vogue to sell off Crown Land, not only water.) Trees to be stripped off, ostensibly for cattle. Cattle place a huge demand on water supplies.
- Wells already running dry in summer time.
- People in Ottawa blithely go out, fund the SME’s, so the transnationals (through takeovers) can “expand” the market for water export, and leave when the party’s over.
The Committee on International Trade REQUESTS:
Submissions . . . include a separate list of recommendations you would like to make to the Government of Canada.
My recommendations:
- The Federal Government enact a prohibition on the export of water.
- Agri-food Canada has to DISMANTLE the entire program related to business development of water. They cease and desist now.
- Both Agri-food Canada and International Trade Canada be required, in every decision related to financial and other support to business enterprise:
to demonstrate that the subsidization by Canadian citizens is not, through a known characteristic of the economic regime (concentration of wealth), going to end up enriching select people, at the expense not only of Canadians, but of a precarious environment.
Thank-you.
Sandra Finley
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APPENDED #1, AGRI-FOOD CANADA ON BOTTLED WATER EXPORT TO CHINA, 2017
Sector Trend Analysis – Bottled Water in China Feb 2017
Conclusion
China’s demand for bottled water will continue to increase over the coming years, and their bottled water market is forecasted to almost double through 2019. Canadian bottled water exports to China have grown significantly over the last five years, although the supply gap is also growing. As such, there are significant opportunities for Canadian bottled water producers to expand in the Chinese market.
For more information
International Trade Commissioners can provide Canadian industry with on-the-ground expertise regarding market potential, current conditions and local business contacts, and are an excellent point of contact for export advice.
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APPENDED #2, SCREEN SHOT, AGRI-FOOD CANADA
Please go to:
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IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND TRADE DEALS & WATER EXPORT
Many of you know,under NAFTA for example, if Canada is shipping XY% of its fossil fuel production to the U.S., no matter what the domestic needs in Canada might be, we are obligated to continue to ship XY% of our production to the U.S. (Remember how percentages work: you might not notice 50% of abundance. 50% of 1,000,000 is 500,000. Whereas 50%, half your supply, in a situation of scarcity could be a threat to survival. 50% of 100 is 50; 50% of zero is zero.)
I think, if ever bulk export of water is allowed to start, Canadians have to maintain whatever the highest level of water export achieved was, to the U.S. . I don’t know whether such provisions exist in other of our trade deals besides NAFTA. I think we would know, if that was the case? ??
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POSTING RELATED TO THE ABOVE LETTER TO STANDING COMMITTEE:
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In Canada, there has been a BIG FIGHT to STOP bulk water export every time it raised its ugly head. The Council of Canadians has never stopped battling for protection of our water, educating people about the bottling of water, and helping out in local battles. Thankfully.
The export is happening in spite of everything, but through bottling.
We need to get back to a place where the Government is afraid to do water export. We’ve already gone too far down the wrong road.
You will notice in the Wikipedia info a U.S. Supreme Court ruling: Oklahoma state water laws validly barred state entities from selling water for out-of-state use.
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FROM wikipedia:
“Water Export” in Wikipedia is a bit dated, but:
Under “Alaska” (below), commercial export of bulk water:
This water would be used to assemble computer wafers by China’s relatively cheap labour force. Computer wafers require extremely pure freshwater.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_export
- During the 1990s, exporting water by ocean-going tankers was proposed to three Canadian provinces.[4] In 1991, Sun Belt Water Inc. of Santa Barbara, California, in partnership with Snowcap Waters Ltd., of Fanny Bay, British Columbia, was selected by the Goleta Water District, of California, to enter a contract to supply bulk water by marine tanker but the government of British Columbia reversed its water export policy and introduced a prohibition on the issuance of water export licences leading to an arbitration claim against Canada under Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement filed by Sun Belt Water Inc. in 1999. The arbitration remains unresolved.
- In 1999 Nova Group Ltd. obtained a permit from the Ontario government to export 600 millions litres of water annually from Lake Superior to Asia. Political controversy in Canada and the US caused the government to cancel the permit.[8]
Alaska
Since Canada has taken a strong position against water exports, some companies have shifted their focus to Alaska.[8] Alaska was the first jurisdiction in the world to permit the commercial export of bulk water, and has a large potential for water exports.[1] One scheme proposes transporting water from Alaska to China by tanker. This water would be used to assemble computer wafers by China’s relatively cheap labour force. Computer wafers require extremely pure freshwater. This makes the cost of desalination of saltwater prohibitively expensive, making schemes like this, that would not be profitable for domestic purposes, profitable for industrial purposes.[10]
Water exports within States in the United States
On June 13, 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously upheld lower court rulings in Tarrant Regional Water District v. Herrmann, holding that Oklahoma state water laws validly barred state entities from selling water for out-of-state use, via the Red River Compact among Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.[11]
Alternatives to large-scale water exports
In the short run, better allocation of resources and more efficient water conservation technology may keep demand for water in some countries under control. However, a water crisis may occur in the near future that would make bulk water export a more favourable plan.[citation needed]
The canals that would have to be constructed to transfer water require huge investment and operation costs. This would make the cost for consumers of the water expensive. In contrast, the technology needed to desalinise seawater has improved dramatically and has an acceptable cost for urban markets. Whether or not pressures for large-scale water exports continues to increase depends mostly on future advances in desalination technology. If the cost of desalination drops enough, it will be cheaper to generate freshwater from saltwater than to import freshwater from another country. The cost of desalination is currently less than US$1 per cubic meter. The World Water Commission has suggested that desalination will become the favoured method of procuring drinking and industrial-use waters. However, the need for extremely pure water for particular industrial uses would still require freshwater imports.[10]
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UPDATE
January 8, 2019
Water Export, In follow-up to submission made,
I signed up to receive the Report of the Standing Committee on International Trade when it is published.
Jan. 7, from the Clerk for the Standing Comittee:
In response to your questions, I should say that no firm deadline has been set for the tabling of the report on Small and Medium Businesses and Trade.
The best way to make sure you don’t miss it when it will be published is to subscribe to the Committee’s newsletter. You can choose what you want to subscribe to.
Here is the link: https://subscription.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/Newsletter
UPDATE AUG 25, 2019
As far as I am aware, a Report of the Standing Committee on the consultation into Small and Medium Entreprises (SMEs) was never issued. /S
CONTACT INFO, MEMBERS, INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMITTEE
(There’s a picture of them at: http://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/CIIT/Members)
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Start conversations – – do you support Export of Water (somebody makes huge profits). DO YOU KNOW . . . (info in this posting, for example).
If we don’t get the export of bottled water stopped, there will be bulk water export, in spite of some earlier successes at blocking it:
- See near bottom of FROM wikipedia (above). Very pure water is needed in some industrial processes. Industrial markets will pay more for the purer (Canadian) water; and they need it in bulk. For example, the manufacturers of computer wafers are overseas; that industry needs pure water.
- The enterprising people who want the water have too much money.
- As is obvious in my letter below to International Trade, the Federal Government is the major proponent of water export for profit. (And has been for a long time – – in approximately 1995, I attended a seminar for entrepreneurs (bulghur wheat business – – support “local” organic farmers, a superior food product, instead of importing mountains of rice). I was dumbfounded to hear Federal Government officials: if you want to make money, lots of it, get into the sale of water. Reiterate – – that was around 1995. The Agri-Food Canada programme to support the expansion of water export, details below, is only an extension of what has long been the case.)
YOU MIGHT:
Forward this request to others who are determined to stop the export of water from Canada.
People everywhere have to aggressively stop the profligate use and degradation of the water that supports all life in their land.
No amount of exported water can ever satisfy; it will only prolong for a short while what is completely unsustainable, whether here or there.
Water export is not a solution; it can only lead to a worsening of the current situation, even if it creates profits for a few people, and revenues for Governments.
In my particular submission, I wanted to make clear to the International Trade Committee members that BOTH
- Agri-food Canada AND
- International Trade
work together to provide funding, expertise, and other support services for businesses that want to export water from Canada.
People in Chilliwack and Hope BC present other issues very effectively in:
2016-09-19 & 2018-04-12 Chilliwack chapter wants Nestle to “stop profiting from water”.
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At the very bottom of this posting: CONTACT INFO, MEMBERS, INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMITTEE
(There’s a picture of them at: http://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/CIIT/Members)
While the Report on the Input to the Standing Committee on International Trade is being prepared for Parliament, we can be emailing or phoning the Committee Members to ensure that the water export issue gets included in the Report. Our own MP’s and Senators also need to hear about water export. (See UPDATE above: as far as I am aware (I went on their mailing list to receive updates) the Report to Parliament was never issued.)
Without the effort today, we will be shrieking tomorrow.
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NOTE: The mailing address for the “Hill Office” of all MP’s shows as:
House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1A 0A6 (postage-free)
(No room or office number)
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INTERNATIONAL TRADE STANDING COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE CHAIR: MP Mark Eyking
Liberal
Constituency: Sydney Nova Scotia
Email: mark.eyking@parl.gc.ca
Web Site: markeyking.liberal.ca
Hill Office:
Telephone: 613-995-6459
Fax: 613-995-2963
Constituency Office:
500 Kings Road, Sydney, NS B1S 1B2
Telephone: 902-567-6275
Fax: 902-564-2479
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VICE-CHAIR MP DEAN ALLISON
Conservative
Niagara West
Email: dean.allison@parl.gc.ca
Web Site:deanallison.ca
Hill Office:
Telephone: 613-995-2772
Fax: 613-992-2727
Constituency Office:
4994 King Street Beamsville, Ontario L0R 1B0
Telephone: 905-563-7900
Fax: 905-563-7500
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VICE-CHAIR MP TRACEY RAMSEY
NDP
Essex, ON
Email: Tracey.Ramsey@parl.gc.ca
Web Site: traceyramsey.ca
Hill Office:
Telephone: 613-992-1812
Fax: 613-995-0033
Constituency Office
316 Talbot Street North
Essex, Ontario N8M 2E1
Telephone: 519-776-4700
Fax: 519-776-1383
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COMMITTEE MEMBER, MP OMAR ALGHABRA
Liberal
Mississauga Centre
Email: Omar.Alghabra@parl.gc.ca
Web Site: www.omaralghabra.ca
Hill Office:
Telephone: 613-992-1301
Fax: 613-992-1321
Constituency Office:
151 City Centre Drive Suite 400
Mississauga, Ontario L5B 1M7
Telephone: 905-848-8595
Fax: 905-848-2712
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COMMITTEE MEMBER, MP COLIN CARRIE
Conservative
Oshawa
Email: colin.carrie@parl.gc.ca
Web Site: https://www.colincarriemp.ca
Hill Office:
Telephone: 613-996-4756
Fax: 613-992-1357
Constituency Office:
57 Simcoe Street South, Suite 2B
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 4G4
Telephone: 905-440-4868
Fax: 905-440-4872
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COMMITTEE MEMBER, MP SUKH DHALIWAL
Liberal
Surrey, BC
Email: Sukh.Dhaliwal@parl.gc.ca
Web Site: sdhaliwal.liberal.ca
Hill Office:
Telephone: 613-992-0666
Fax: 613-992-1965
Constituency Office:
12992 – 76th Avenue, Unit 202
Surrey, British Columbia V3W 2V6
Telephone: 604-598-2200
Fax: 604-598-2212
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COMMITTEE MEMBER, MP PETER FONSECA
Liberal
Mississauga East — Cooksville
Email: Peter.Fonseca@parl.gc.ca
Web Site: www.peterfonseca.ca
Hill Office:
Telephone: 613-996-0420
Fax: 613-996-0279
Constituency Office:
918 Dundas Street East, Suite 303
Mississauga, Ontario L4Y 4H9
Telephone: 905-566-0009
Fax: 905-566-0017
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COMMITTEE MEMBER, MP RICHARD HEBERT
(Parliamentary Secretary — Non-Voting Member)
Liberal
Lac-Saint-Jean, PQ
Email: Richard.Hebert@parl.gc.ca
Preferred Language: French
Hill Office:
Telephone: 613-996-6236
Fax: 613-996-6252
Constituency Office:
197 St-Michel Blvd
Dolbeau-Mistassini, Quebec G8L 6A4
Telephone: 418-276-6066
Fax: 418-276-2667
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COMMITTEE MEMBER, MP RANDY HOBACK
Conservative
Prince Albert, SK
Email: randy.hoback@parl.gc.ca
Web Site: mprandyhoback.ca
Hill Office:
Telephone: 613-995-3295
Fax: 613-995-6819
Constituency Office(s):
79 – 11th Street West (Main Office) Prince Albert, Saskatchewan S6V 3A8
Telephone: 306-953-8622
Fax: 306-953-8625
211 Centre Street, PO Box 2969 Nipawin, Saskatchewan S0E 1E0
Telephone: 306-862-2203
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COMMITTEE MEMBER, MP ANDREW LESLIE
(Parliamentary Secretary — Non-Voting Member)
Political Affiliation:Liberal
Constituency:Orléans Map – Elections Canada
Province / Territory:Ontario
Email:Andrew.Leslie@parl.gc.ca
Web Site:andrewleslieorleans.ca
Preferred Language:English / French
Hill Office:
Telephone: 613-995-1800
Fax: 613-995-6298
Constituency Office:
255 Centrum Blvd, 2nd Floor
Orléans, Ontario K1E 3W3
Telephone: 613-834-1800
Fax: 613-590-1201
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COMMITTEE MEMBER, MP KAREN LUDWIG
Liberal
New Brunswick Southwest
Email: Karen.Ludwig@parl.gc.ca
Web Site: karenludwigmp.ca
Hill Office:
Telephone: 613-995-5550
Fax: 613-995-5226
Constituency Office:
69 Milltown Blvd
St. Stephen, New Brunswick E3L 1G5
Telephone: 506-466-3928
Fax: 506-466-2813
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COMMITTEE MEMBER, MP KYLE PETERSON
Newmarket — Aurora
Email: Kyle.Peterson@parl.gc.ca
Web Site: kpeterson.liberal.ca
Hill Office:
Telephone: 613-992-9310
Fax: 613-992-9407
Constituency Office:
16600 Bayview Avenue Suite 202
Newmarket, Ontario L3X 1Z9
Telephone: 905-953-7515
Fax: 905-953-7527
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COMMITTEE MEMBER, MP TERRY SHEEHAN
Email:Terry.Sheehan@parl.gc.ca
Web Site:tsheehan.liberal.ca
Hill Office:
Telephone: 613-992-9723
Fax: 613-992-1954
Constituency Office:
369 Queen Street East, Suite 102
Sault Ste Marie, Ontario P6A 1Z4
Telephone: 705-941-2900
Fax: 705-941-2903
BY EMAIL
FROM: Barb
Sent: December 15, 2018 7:25 PM
This reminds me of the exporting of raw logs. Well done Sandra