Trans-Pacific Partnership: 11 Things Harper Doesn't Want To Reveal

[MadX]

Stephen Harper's Conservative Government is entering into a secret Trade Pact with 10 other Pacific Rim countries. The implications of this deal are far reaching and not good for the average Canadian. Everything from internet freedom to the price of groceries could be affected by this deal.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/06/26/stephen-harper-tpp-canada_n_3492531.html

[bush_cheney2004]

Good move by PM Harper.....Canada has been living in the past on some of these issues and needs to join the game to diversify the economy and export dependence on the evil Americans. Nice to see that laughable CanCon rules would be first to go.

[carepov]

Stephen Harper's Conservative Government is entering into a secret Trade Pact with 10 other Pacific Rim countries. The implications of this deal are far reaching and not good for the average Canadian. Everything from internet freedom to the price of groceries could be affected by this deal.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/06/26/stephen-harper-tpp-canada_n_3492531.html

The average Canadian has benefitted greatly from the Canada-US free trade deal. Even the Liberals recognize this and support free trade because it helps middle-class Canadians.

There was similar fear-mongering in the 1988 election and AFAIK, none of the claims by those against free trade came through, and in fact Canada became a stronger country.

Why should I be concerned today when:

1. this deal is far less significant than the Canada-US free trade deal

2. trade liberalization has greatly benefitted the average Canadian?

[AlienB]

The average Canadian has benefitted greatly from the Canada-US free trade deal. Even the Liberals recognize this and support free trade because it helps middle-class Canadians.

baseless rhetoric. There is no evidence whatsoever this is the case. Canada's economy surged after WWII without freetrade.

While I do adcovate for open borders, this more profit for businesses less for government isn't in governmental interest, and it doesn't benefit the public necessarily. None the less it does benefit people who have secure jobs not in the manufacturing industry, in some cases agriculture.

Ex. its ok for service industry workers, business operators, and that is pretty much it. Everyone else looses job security.

Basically now instead of businesses paying the government borrows more money or raises taxes,.. not in the public interest, sorry try again. It is moving the buck that is all stop lying to people or deluding yourself.

The absence of free trade was called "income" something government can use without raping its public. While some goods may be good to get in others now can compete with Canadian brands at about the same price or slightly less. This basically legitimizes dumping which can be used to destroy local industries that won't start up again, this allows the drop and bait, that is we are stuck paying for foreign goods at higher prices because there is no wiggle room for start up locally.

None the less the train has left the station but atleast tell the public the truth, it is not in their interest to have their domestic enterprises destroyed. Having to get your goods from another country destroys self sustainability, and sovereignty.While there is a lot of crap that doesn't matter that could be let in with no adverse effects, loosing other industries is paralyzing because it neutralizes sovereignty or capacity because the country and its public becomes dependent on foreign products... it is a death spell.

Personally government is just used corruptly but it is still vital that international government protects peoples rights from corporate abuses, and ownership. We have to kill IP laws if we are going to survive foreign take over through corporate ownership. That is all there is to it, fascism/corporatism is not in the middle classes interest.

Government as a means to just control our culture that we pay for is nonsense. They deliver nothing else that can't be got for less from other countries. What are they needed for? Stopping goods they don't like? Stopping behaviour they don't like? They exist for the economy if they have no control of the economy they are deadweight.

Now its just a mechanism of murder for the corporate overlords economic intersts, none of those being Canadian?

MG it is not in the middle classes interest but it will happen because people allow idiots and elitists run the country..

The only way this will benefit the public is to nationalize the resource sector, kill IP controls, and end local corporate and business taxes completely to remove the unfair disadvantage by government taxation of local industry and not foreign producers..

Do you want Walmart to be the only employer in Canada? http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/retail-sales-is-no-1-occupation-for-men-and-women/article12850450/

Edited June 27, 2013 by AlienB

[Topaz]

The opposition parties are saying this will add another 3 billion added taxes for Canadians. Why? Well, like that bike owner that Harper had a photo-op for the Economic Action Plan....he said its going cause them to lose money and customers because he has to pay more for the bikes. He was really peeved with the Tories.

[bush_cheney2004]

baseless rhetoric. There is no evidence whatsoever this is the case. Canada's economy surged after WWII without freetrade.

Not baseless rhetoric....Canada's economy is integrated to and dependent on the U.S. economy for growth.

[MadX]

baseless rhetoric. There is no evidence whatsoever this is the case. Canada's economy surged after WWII without freetrade.

While I do adcovate for open borders, this more profit for businesses less for government isn't in governmental interest, and it doesn't benefit the public necessarily. None the less it does benefit people who have secure jobs not in the manufacturing industry, in some cases agriculture.

Ex. its ok for service industry workers, business operators, and that is pretty much it. Everyone else looses job security.

Basically now instead of businesses paying the government borrows more money or raises taxes,.. not in the public interest, sorry try again. It is moving the buck that is all stop lying to people or deluding yourself.

The absence of free trade was called "income" something government can use without raping its public. While some goods may be good to get in others now can compete with Canadian brands at about the same price or slightly less. This basically legitimizes dumping which can be used to destroy local industries that won't start up again, this allows the drop and bait, that is we are stuck paying for foreign goods at higher prices because there is no wiggle room for start up locally.

None the less the train has left the station but atleast tell the public the truth, it is not in their interest to have their domestic enterprises destroyed. Having to get your goods from another country destroys self sustainability, and sovereignty.While there is a lot of crap that doesn't matter that could be let in with no adverse effects, loosing other industries is paralyzing because it neutralizes sovereignty or capacity because the country and its public becomes dependent on foreign products... it is a death spell.

Personally government is just used corruptly but it is still vital that international government protects peoples rights from corporate abuses, and ownership. We have to kill IP laws if we are going to survive foreign take over through corporate ownership. That is all there is to it, fascism/corporatism is not in the middle classes interest.

Government as a means to just control our culture that we pay for is nonsense. They deliver nothing else that can't be got for less from other countries. What are they needed for? Stopping goods they don't like? Stopping behaviour they don't like? They exist for the economy if they have no control of the economy they are deadweight.

Now its just a mechanism of murder for the corporate overlords economic intersts, none of those being Canadian?

MG it is not in the middle classes interest but it will happen because people allow idiots and elitists run the country..

The only way this will benefit the public is to nationalize the resource sector, kill IP controls, and end local corporate and business taxes completely to remove the unfair disadvantage by government taxation of local industry and not foreign producers..

Do you want Walmart to be the only employer in Canada? http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/retail-sales-is-no-1-occupation-for-men-and-women/article12850450/

I agree, I don't see how a secret deal that benefits large corporations is going to help the average Canadian. If it is so helpful why are these meetings secret?

[MadX]

If this deal is so good for us, why is there not more transparency?

[Michael Hardner]

If this deal is so good for us, why is there not more transparency?

It's not surprising. Imagine politicians coming out and saying "this deal will decimate our dairy industry".

Economics is not understood at a deep level, so this would strike the populace as a bad thing - even if many more jobs were created in other industries. Canadians are risk averse, to my observation, and don't like to jump into such things...

[MadX]

good point but i think the truth should always be told. maybe the population needs to be better educated and informed of the risks and benefits. I'm not the brightest of them but I don't see this deal helping ordinary Canadians, This stuff about monitoring the internet kind of scares me. Imagine if Harper knew I helped manage a forum critical of his policies. I could be charged with treason and thrown in jail. This country is heading down a dangerous road.

[Michael Hardner]

good point but i think the truth should always be told. maybe the population needs to be better educated and informed of the risks and benefits. I'm not the brightest of them but I don't see this deal helping ordinary Canadians, This stuff about monitoring the internet kind of scares me. Imagine if Harper knew I helped manage a forum critical of his policies. I could be charged with treason and thrown in jail. This country is heading down a dangerous road.

I think that you are correct, however the location where communication happens is as important as the messaging and the type of feedback that is allowed.

Hearing economic policy from an election stump, given to a crowd of partisan wellwishers during a campaign won't cut it. Anybody who participates in a forum must be able to accept basics in order to participate - basics such as the fact - FACT - that any trade agreement threatens to eliminate jobs and that that is a good thing in many cases.

[Wild Bill]

Yep! A Prime Minister of Canada has deliberately chosen to make an international deal that will screw all Canadians and drive them into bankruptcy!

I can't see what reward Harper would get for doing this so I guess it is all just because he is a BAD MAN!

Since he is not a left wing politician, obviously it must be because he ENJOYS seeing Canadians suffer! The Left has a monopoly of caring for their fellow man, after all.

What other explanation could there be?

[hitops]

Stephen Harper's Conservative Government is entering into a secret Trade Pact with 10 other Pacific Rim countries. The implications of this deal are far reaching and not good for the average Canadian. Everything from internet freedom to the price of groceries could be affected by this deal.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/06/26/stephen-harper-tpp-canada_n_3492531.html

It's not secret if you know about it.

The huffington post will always post articles critical of free trade, whether it is good or bad.

[hitops]

baseless rhetoric. There is no evidence whatsoever this is the case. Canada's economy surged after WWII without freetrade.

While I do adcovate for open borders, this more profit for businesses less for government isn't in governmental interest, and it doesn't benefit the public necessarily. None the less it does benefit people who have secure jobs not in the manufacturing industry, in some cases......

This manifesto is like so many others.....just sticking your head in the sand pretending it's still 1950. It's not, the world has changed, and trying to 'protect' your own industries is just robbing Peter to pay Paul. These are two ways to do this, both are just increasing costs for Canadian consumers. The first way is you can subsidize them, which means increasing taxes and using that money to lower prices for consumers. This is basically the same as if I stole your wallet then bought you lunch and wanted you to thank me for it. The second way is simply preventing the trade, which means Canadians will pay more for the locally produced goods.

Both ways increase costs, which produces economic drag. We already pay way more for food than Americans because of this nonsense. You can't keep the same economy forever, if you try it will just stagnate. A healthy economy is one where some jobs are lost while others are gained. The cheaper cost of goods means lower costs, which means more money left over to buy other things or hire other people. It's not actually a loss, it's shifting money around and because it's much more nimble and requires less administration, it's more efficient and there is less loss to waste.

But hey every single Canadian job is important RIGHT NOW and should be preserved IN IT'S PRESENT FOR FOR ALL ETERNITY. So therefore we should also go back and forbid dishwashers in restaurants, because it will create lots of dishwashing jobs right? Hey maybe we should just ban cherries and oranges while we are at it, force everyone to eat only Canadian food right?

Economics is not understood at a deep level, so this would strike the populace as a bad thing - even if many more jobs were created in other industries. Canadians are risk averse, to my observation, and don't like to jump into such things...

Great so we should ban telephones because American companies make them, and cause job losses for hard working Canadians in the telegraph business.

Edited July 18, 2013 by hitops

[Michael Hardner]

Great so we should ban telephones because American companies make them, and cause job losses for hard working Canadians in the telegraph business.

I have no idea how you got that from what I posted.

[hitops]

I have no idea how you got that from what I posted.

From Canadians being risk averse. We can't embrace shifts in the workforce because God forbid somebody loses a job.

[Michael Hardner]

As I said, it should be a prerequisite to discussing these things to agree that job reductions will happen.

[AlienB]

Not baseless rhetoric....Canada's economy is integrated to and dependent on the U.S. economy for growth.

BS

Canada did fine without free trade after WWII.. your indicators are not direct indicators.. Canada could have traded with someone else.. AND THE US WOULD STILL NEED THE PRODUCT.. THEY'D BUY FROM CANADA ANYWAY.. and they wouldn't have easily have taken over the Canadian economy.

Your chart is just lines not reality.

If you don't know Canadian Oil Sands production ramped... that is why trade revenue increased.. that is all.. the difference is US got it for free. Canada would have made tons BECAUSE THE US NEEDS IT ANYWAY. The Federal Gov would have made tons off of US oil refiners.

There would also have been more long term development of Canadian industry for manufacture and refining as a result of an absence of free trade.

Its not if the economy develops it is HOW the economy develops and who controls it... guess what it wasn't in Canada's interest to do so.

You are just showing yourself as out of touch by suggesting that a chart shows such a complex thing.

Edited July 18, 2013 by AlienB

[Michael Hardner]

Canada did fine without free trade after WWII.. your indicators are not direct indicators.. Canada could have traded with someone else.. AND THE US WOULD STILL NEED THE PRODUCT.. THEY'D BUY FROM CANADA ANYWAY.. and they wouldn't have easily have taken over the Canadian economy.

Your chart is just lines not reality.

If you don't know Canadian Oil Sands production ramped... that is why trade revenue increased.. that is all.. the difference is US got it for free. Canada would have made tons BECAUSE THE US NEEDS IT ANYWAY. The Federal Gov would have made tons off of US oil refiners.

There would also have been more long term development of Canadian industry for manufacture and refining as a result of an absence of free trade.

Its not if the economy develops it is HOW the economy develops and who controls it... guess what it wasn't in Canada's interest to do so.

You are just showing yourself as out of touch by suggesting that a chart shows such a complex thing.

The chart sure does show the interrelation between Canada and the US. The 'complex thing' is trying to analyze how we would do as an isolated economy - including garnering investment, guaranteeing growth and so on...

The idea that Canada did well after WW2 means that trade agreements aren't necessary - I'm trying to figure out what the point is there. Is that it ?

[AlienB]

This manifesto is like so many others.....just sticking your head in the sand pretending it's still 1950. It's not, the world has changed, and trying to 'protect' your own industries is just robbing Peter to pay Paul. These are two ways to do this, both are just increasing costs for Canadian consumers. The first way is you can subsidize them, which means increasing taxes and using that money to lower prices for consumers. This is basically the same as if I stole your wallet then bought you lunch and wanted you to thank me for it. The second way is simply preventing the trade, which means Canadians will pay more for the locally produced goods.

Both ways increase costs, which produces economic drag. We already pay way more for food than Americans because of this nonsense. You can't keep the same economy forever, if you try it will just stagnate. A healthy economy is one where some jobs are lost while others are gained. The cheaper cost of goods means lower costs, which means more money left over to buy other things or hire other people. It's not actually a loss, it's shifting money around and because it's much more nimble and requires less administration, it's more efficient and there is less loss to waste.

But hey every single Canadian job is important RIGHT NOW and should be preserved IN IT'S PRESENT FOR FOR ALL ETERNITY. So therefore we should also go back and forbid dishwashers in restaurants, because it will create lots of dishwashing jobs right? Hey maybe we should just ban cherries and oranges while we are at it, force everyone to eat only Canadian food right?

Great so we should ban telephones because American companies make them, and cause job losses for hard working Canadians in the telegraph business.

Actually you are wrong you are advocating for "middlemen" . Also your suppliers are foreign and the retail point is foreign. Those are capital flights and not in any Canadian interest. If Canadians do not refine and sell their own product they are slave laborers with no sovereignty.

While export is great and importing products that can't be made in Canada is obvious... importing goods that could have been made in Canada with an unemployment rate of 7% (those looking for work as opposed to those who are not employed) is just not good economic policy.

It makes sense to buy what you can't make yourself.

Working for foreigners and being dependent on them is not advancing sovereignty Canada is worth trilions why the hell would you just give it away?

It means less revenue and more taxes.. .that is it. Canada as a government at all three levels of governmental administration are in debt.. then you give the land away, and sell off the people to foreign corporations.. to sell foreign product.. it is economic idiocy.

Edited July 18, 2013 by AlienB

[carepov]

AlienB,

You wrong about trade.

-Trade is not a zero sum game, it is win-win

-Trade creates inter-dependancies between parties. This is excellent for at least two reasons. First it is more efficiecnt and allows for specialization. Secondly, it makes it much less likely for the two parties to fight violently or go to war.

-Canada is not giving away anything. Try to find any OECD country that has been more successful economically in the last 25 years compared to Canada.

-"It makes sense to buy what you can't make yourself." No, not if you can buy it from someone else cheaper and use the savings to produce something of greater value.

[hitops]

Actually you are wrong you are advocating for "middlemen" . Also your suppliers are foreign and the retail point is foreign. Those are capital flights and not in any Canadian interest. If Canadians do not refine and sell their own product they are slave laborers with no sovereignty.

Capital flies both ways. That's what trade is. You aren't actually helping anybody by insisting that capital source x stay in Canada, because the result is that capital source y doesn't come to Canada.

While export is great and importing products that can't be made in Canada is obvious... importing goods that could have been made in Canada with an unemployment rate of 7% (those looking for work as opposed to those who are not employed) is just not good economic policy.

It makes sense to buy what you can't make yourself.

Yes of course it does, if you can buy it for 1/2 of what you can make it for. That frees up other local capital for other things. That's like insisting that your kid in medical school spend 4 hours per week cleaning his car. It makes no sense, he should just spend 10 min and $20 at the carwash for them to do it for him, because the rest of that time is more usefully directing his labor into learning medicine/studying. Your picture of the world economy is a bunch of equal villages. It is nothing like that, nations do very different things, and continue to change what they do as time moves on. You should also move on.

Working for foreigners and being dependent on them is not advancing sovereignty Canada is worth trilions why the hell would you just give it away?

It means less revenue and more taxes.. .that is it. Canada as a government at all three levels of governmental administration are in debt.. then you give the land away, and sell off the people to foreign corporations.. to sell foreign product.. it is economic idiocy.

That paragraph has no meaning. Every country is dependent on others for trade, welcome to the 20th century. Once you get there, you can join the 21st eventually as well. There are no people being sold. People benefit when we sell things to others, because they help in mining or making them. If Verizon buys into our telecom market, that means cheaper prices, which means more money left over for people, which means they buy other things or hire more people, which means other new economic activity.

You economic perspective is utterly myopic. When some jobs leave, others come. When we try to protect some, we destroy others. Trying to shape the economy from the government, is just moving around the deck chairs, it's not actually creating anything. It's unfortunate that you and so many others can't see this. The economy you understand is the monopoly board version. It's way more complicated than that.

Edited July 18, 2013 by hitops

[Wild Bill]

Methinks AlienB has an academic POV of how trade works. Academics tend to either be unaware of or ignore important details that derail their argument.

Let me give an example. Once upon a time transistors had not yet been invented. The standard of electronics was vacuum tubes. They were what made your radios and televisions work. They were produced by the millions every year. They were a perishable product, in that they would eventually burn out, like lightbulbs. This meant a constant replacement market.

There was a big Westinghouse factory right here in my home town of Hamilton that employed 3500 people and made hundreds of thousands of vacuum tubes every year, if not more.

Now of course today the standard is the transistor and its successor, the integrated circuit. Still, most folks would be surprised to know that vacuum tubes never totally died out. Most guitarists will not use a transistor amp if you put a gun to their heads. Audiophiles pay thousands of dollars for home hifi setups. In the audio world, a strong market exists that prefers the sound of vacuum tubes.

There are nearly a BILLION U$ dollars a year of vacuum tubes made and sold!

These tubes are made in China, Russia and some eastern European countries. There are no factories in Canada or the USA.

Why? Because it is impossible to make them at a competitive price in our countries! We have things like WMHIS and other restrictions about "green" protections in how we manufacture things. Vacuum tubes have some parts inside that have chemical coatings. We also have higher taxes and safety laws that add to the cost.

Countries like China and those others have no such costs at all! They simply don't care!

Now, I am not at all suggesting that we should throw away all our labour and environmental protections in order to compete. Still, that doesn't change the stark fact that we can't compete!

Now, AlienB might suggest we put up trade barriers to foreign tubes and allow Canadian manufacturer(s) a protected market, so that they can sell us vacuum tubes at a profitable price. Unfortunately, that doesn't work either.

That was the thought behind McGuinty's idea of allowing only Ontario made electronic equipment to be used with solar power installations. A kind idea but totally a product of shallow thinking.

You see, like most things today, vacuum tubes are a "volume" product. They just can't be produced at anything less than a ridiculously high price without a high manufacturing volume.

Canada could never possibly buy enough vacuum tubes to reach such volumes. Even added to the demand from the USA it would be a hard go.

No, we live in a global economy. You absolutely have to have a global reach to your markets if you hope to have enough demand to enable you to compete.

I've heard that the "Ontario only" provision from the McWinty government has been rescinded. Not only did other countries laugh at the idea of paying so much more for Ontario solar equipment but they have taken Ontario to the WTO to settle the dispute. I haven't yet heard how that has worked out.

So I am afraid AlienB, your ideas just won't work. If you happen to be rich, you are welcome to try but don't expect much luck in finding investors to back you.

Edited July 19, 2013 by Wild Bill

[hitops]

Methinks AlienB has an academic POV of how trade works. Academics tend to either be unaware of or ignore important details that derail their argument.

Let me give an example. Once upon a time transistors had not yet been invented. The standard of electronics was vacuum tubes. They were what made your radios and televisions work. They were produced by the millions every year. They were a perishable product, in that they would eventually burn out, like lightbulbs. This meant a constant replacement market.

There was a big Westinghouse factory right here in my home town of Hamilton that employed 3500 people and made hundreds of thousands of vacuum tubes every year, if not more.

Now of course today the standard is the transistor and its successor, the integrated circuit. Still, most folks would be surprised to know that vacuum tubes never totally died out. Most guitarists will not use a transistor amp if you put a gun to their heads. Audiophiles pay thousands of dollars for home hifi setups. In the audio world, a strong market exists that prefers the sound of vacuum tubes.

There are nearly a BILLION U$ dollars a year of vacuum tubes made and sold!

These tubes are made in China, Russia and some eastern European countries. There are no factories in Canada or the USA.

Why? Because it is impossible to make them at a competitive price in our countries! We have things like WMHIS and other restrictions about "green" protections in how we manufacture things. Vacuum tubes have some parts inside that have chemical coatings. We also have higher taxes and safety laws that add to the cost.

Countries like China and those others have no such costs at all! They simply don't care!

Now, I am not at all suggesting that we should throw away all our labour and environmental protections in order to compete. Still, that doesn't change the stark fact that we can't compete!

Now, AlienB might suggest we put up trade barriers to foreign tubes and allow Canadian manufacturer(s) a protected market, so that they can sell us vacuum tubes at a profitable price. Unfortunately, that doesn't work either.

That was the thought behind McGuinty's idea of allowing only Ontario made electronic equipment to be used with solar power installations. A kind idea but totally a product of shallow thinking.

You see, like most things today, vacuum tubes are a "volume" product. They just can't be produced at anything less than a ridiculously high price without a high manufacturing volume.

Canada could never possibly buy enough vacuum tubes to reach such volumes. Even added to the demand from the USA it would be a hard go.

No, we live in a global economy. You absolutely have to have a global reach to your markets if you hope to have enough demand to enable you to compete.

I've heard that the "Ontario only" provision from the McWinty government has been rescinded. Not only did other countries laugh at the idea of paying so much more for Ontario solar equipment but they have taken Ontario to the WTO to settle the dispute. I haven't yet heard how that has worked out.

So I am afraid AlienB, your ideas just won't work. If you happen to be rich, you are welcome to try but don't expect much luck in finding investors to back you.

I seriously doubt AlienB has an academic POV, academics try to consider complex problems. This POV is that of somebody who has just enough knowledge to think they know something, and a political agenda. Results in simplistic, nonsense pseudo-intellectualism.

Real academics understand that when you pull an economic lever, 100 other dials and levers move as well, often counter-acting what you did. This point is missed by AlienB. You are right, protectionist policies are ultimately extremely short-sighted and just do damage in the long run. Exactly as if we had demanded that dishwashers be banned because they were made in other countries and displaced people who wash dishes.

The people who want us to have this huge manufacturing sector and force Canadians to buy only Canadian, without fail, simultaneously want a bunch of polices that directly sabotage having a manufacturing sector. For example we should build tons of cars (finished product) and also we should celebrate and support the unions that make it impossible to competitively build and sell cars. We should demand that our corporations create good paying jobs and we should also demand they pay on a taxation scheme that makes it unlikely they would hire high-wage labour. It's a contradictory belief system, but they do not get it. You can't have it both ways.

Edited July 19, 2013 by hitops

[Michael Hardner]

TPP is in the news again, and I think it's essential to have a good discussion on this. Already, I'm seeing on social media that people are quoting alarmist sources. Of course, the governments are at fault for this because they refuse to trust citizens of Canada to be adults.

If the government wants to pass complex and sweeping economic change, then they have to set up a forum for a public to be created. Perhaps it's too much to expect all Canadians to understand the TPP but certainly a representative public could discuss the pros/cons if they only published the details.

Official summary of TPP:

http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/tpp-ptp/why-pourquoi.aspx?lang=eng

CTV News Summary:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/what-the-trans-pacific-partnership-trade-talks-mean-for-canada-1.2489255

Downsides seem to be (aside from the usual economic adjustments) internationalization of Pharma patent laws and copyright laws but I haven't seen those quantified:

http://www.msf.ca/en/article/how-the-trans-pacific-partnership-trade-deal-will-put-essential-medicines-out-of-reach-for

People are going to want to discuss the TPP here, but I'd like to issue a challenge to those on both sides to help find an excellent discussion of experts on the issues so that we can see what they say.