Water and Water Services in CETA

Stuart Trew, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Key Points

Unless otherwise noted, all Articles, Annexes and Appendices referenced in this section refer to the August 2014 final version of the CETA text first leaked by German broadcaster ARD and now available at http://eu-secretdeals.info/ceta.

The treatment of water and water services in international trade agreements remains a controversial issue globally. Where trade and investment treaties like the CETA are designed to govern the supply of goods and services, and the regulation thereof, based on free-market principles, access to clean drinking water and sanitation is considered a basic human right by the United Nations, to be delivered by governments or other not-for-profit entities.

Read the full chapter in "Making Sense of the CETA" (pages 112-120)