For Immediate Release

Canada officially joins secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP); OpenMedia demands government come clean on proposed Internet restrictions

October 9, 2012 – Canada became an official signatory to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement today, as citizens express concerns about the deal’s negative implications for Internet openness and affordability.

Over 100,000 peopple and several ogaizations have spoken out against the agreement through the petition at http://StopTheTrap.net, with hundreds more signing every day.

The TPP—which has been negotiated behind closed doors since 2008—is a multi-nation trade agreement that contains provisions that criminalize everyday uses of the Internet, which threaten heavy fines for the average citizens online. OpenMedia.ca has learned about the proposed Internet restrictions from leaked documents.

Adding insult to injury, Canada joins the TPP not as an equal partner in the agreement, but as a “second-tier” negotiator. This means that Ottawa will have far less input into the agreement then others countries, such as the United States and China.

While industry and government have so far refused to divulge the actual process, sources  suggest that Canada will have to sign onto sections that have already been decided upon through 14 rounds of negotiations – without seeing the text in advance. Canada’s participation in the TPP talks will begin with the 15th round of negotiations, which take place December 3 – 12, 2012 in Auckland, New Zealand.

Under the TPP, Big Media conglomerates would have new powers to lock users out of their own content and services, provide new liabilities that might force ISPs to police online activity, and give giant media companies even greater powers to shut down websites and remove content at will. The agreement also threatens to give foreign conglomerates new powers to collect the private online information of Canadians.

These Internet restrictions would be cemented into place through international tribunals, which would sidestep Canada’s own judicial system.

“The TPP is simply undemocratic,” says OpenMedia.ca Executive Director Steve Anderson. “This is a slap in the face to Canadians—the TPP could allow media conglomerates to become the gatekeepers of Internet use in Canada. The government must come clean and reveal the contents of this secretive and extreme agreement.”

Canadians are joining over 113,000 citizens from around the world in speaking out against the TPP’s restrictions at http://StopTheTrap.net.

About OpenMedia.ca

OpenMedia.ca is a grassroots organization that safeguards the possibilities of the open and affordable Internet. The group works towards informed and participatory digital policy.

About the Stop The Trap campaign

The Stop The Trap campaign pushes back against the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, which contains restrictive binding provisions that could criminalize everyday uses of the Internet. It is supported by a diverse coalition of organizations and over 100,000 people from around the world who have signed the petition at http://StopTheTrap.net.

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