Summary Notes: Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) Statement on The Transpacific Partnership to Canada’s Committee on International Trade

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) recommends against Canada ratifying the TPP, asserting that climate change is a global health emergency requiring a low-carbon transition and the retention of 80% of fossil fuel reserves. CAPE expresses concern that TPP 'Technical Barrier to Trade' provisions and the use of investment lawyer tribunals to determine 'legitimate' public welfare objectives could prioritize trade over environmental health. Additionally, the document warns that the extension of pharmaceutical patents under the TPP would hinder generic competition and increase costs for Canadians and people worldwide.

• CAPE argues that addressing the health emergency of climate change requires a full-scale low-carbon transition and that at least 80% of economic fossil fuel reserves must remain in the ground.
• The TPP's 'Technical Barrier to Trade' provisions may prioritize trade interests over environmental health standards, with the risk that 'legitimate' public welfare objectives will be decided by investment lawyers lacking public health training.

APA

Howard, C. (2016). Summary Notes: Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) Statement on The Transpacific Partnership to Canada’s Committee on International Trade. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Executive-Summary-CAPE-Presentation-on-TPP.pdf

Chicago

Howard, Courtney. Summary Notes: Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) Statement on The Transpacific Partnership to Canada’s Committee on International Trade. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2016. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Executive-Summary-CAPE-Presentation-on-TPP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Howard |first1=Courtney |title=Summary Notes: Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) Statement on The Transpacific Partnership to Canada’s Committee on International Trade |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=22 September 2016 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Executive-Summary-CAPE-Presentation-on-TPP.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{howard2016summary, author = {Howard, Courtney}, title = {{Summary Notes: Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) Statement on The Transpacific Partnership to Canada’s Committee on International Trade}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2016}, month = sep, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Executive-Summary-CAPE-Presentation-on-TPP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }