The Daily Blog Open Mic Saturday 14th November 2015

1. Don’t forget to March for your rights today for TPP. Public and academics and experts are against it world wide.

   http://canadians.org/blog/who-director-general-criticizes-trans-pacific-partnership

   “The World Health Organization director-general has criticized the Trans-Pacific Partnership for its impact on drug costs.

   “Margaret Chan said she has “some very serious concerns” about the TPP and that, “If these agreements open trade yet close the door to affordable medicines we have to ask the question: is this really progress at all”. She added, “Can you bear the cost of $1,000 for a pill to treat Hepatitis C? Unless we get these prices down many millions of people will be left behind.”

   Council of Canadians health care campaigner Michael Butler has noted, “It is estimated that changes to patent protection for pharmaceutical drugs in CETA alone could end up costing our public health care system anywhere between $850 million to $1.65 billion annually. Our costs will increase for biologics under the TPP too. In 2010, biologics comprised over 14 percent of the Canadian pharmaceutical market and cost the Canadian health care system more than $3 billion a year; biologics are expected to grow to approximately 20 percent of the market over the next decade.”

2. TPPA national day of action

   14 November is another Nationwide Day of Action against the TPPA!

   The political tradeoffs have been done and the text has now been sent to Tokyo to undergo the ‘legal scrubbing’ process. As we expected there are very few trade benefits, while the deal gives corporates and foreign investors a lot of power to run roughshod over our democracy.

   But it hasn’t been signed, and the fight continues!

   Day of Action Events Saturday 14 November

   Kerikeri – 2:30pm at Kerikeri Library

   Auckland – 1:00pm at Myers Park

   Hamilton – 1:00pm by Cock and Bull Te Rapa

   Tauranga – 11:00am at Red Square

   Rotorua – 1:00pm, at the Village Green – Corner of Whakaue St and Memorial Drive

   Gisborne – 12.30pm, at Elgin Shops

   Palmerston North – 1:00pm, The Square

   Wellington – 1pm at Midland Park

   Nelson – 11am at 1903 Square – near the church steps

   Christchurch – 2pm, Cathedral Square

   Little River – 1pm, Craft Station

   Timaru – 1pm, Bay Hill Piazza

   Dunedin – 11am at the Railway Station

   Invercargill – 1.30pm – 3pm, Invercargill Library Meeting Room, TPPA Public Meeting

   http://thestandard.org.nz/tppa-national-day-of-action/

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