You dump your garbage on us? You have that vast wasteland north of you, big enough to hide Texas and France in, and yet you send it to Michigan? What?
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BETH GORHAM
1 hour, 24 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (CP) - Canada is jumping into a garbage dispute with the United States, much to the relief of Toronto-area politicians who'll be sitting on a mountain of trash if Michigan follows through on threats to stop taking it.
International Trade Minister Jim Peterson is telling U.S. officials pending legislation to ban foreign trash breaks free trade rules and Canada will challenge it, raising the spectre of another fracas between two countries already at loggerheads over softwood lumber.
Peterson has already complained to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Portman, saying Michigan legislation and proposals before the U.S. Congress giving states the right to restrict foreign trash contravene the North American Free Trade Agreement and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
There's been no official response from Portman.
And in a recent letter to Toronto Mayor David Miller, Peterson said Canada will mount a legal challenge if the U.S. legislation goes through.
But Ontario municipalities should mount aggressive lobbying efforts south of the border with key U.S. legislators, he said, since a challenge would take a minimum of eight to 12 months.
"Should the state of Michigan close its border to shipments of municipal solid waste from Canada, the government would vigorously defend our rights under the NAFTA and the World Trade Organization," Peterson wrote.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20051129/ca_pr_on_wo/us_cda_trash_2
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OK, so who do you think is going to win this one?
Uncle
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BETH GORHAM
1 hour, 24 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (CP) - Canada is jumping into a garbage dispute with the United States, much to the relief of Toronto-area politicians who'll be sitting on a mountain of trash if Michigan follows through on threats to stop taking it.
International Trade Minister Jim Peterson is telling U.S. officials pending legislation to ban foreign trash breaks free trade rules and Canada will challenge it, raising the spectre of another fracas between two countries already at loggerheads over softwood lumber.
Peterson has already complained to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Portman, saying Michigan legislation and proposals before the U.S. Congress giving states the right to restrict foreign trash contravene the North American Free Trade Agreement and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
There's been no official response from Portman.
And in a recent letter to Toronto Mayor David Miller, Peterson said Canada will mount a legal challenge if the U.S. legislation goes through.
But Ontario municipalities should mount aggressive lobbying efforts south of the border with key U.S. legislators, he said, since a challenge would take a minimum of eight to 12 months.
"Should the state of Michigan close its border to shipments of municipal solid waste from Canada, the government would vigorously defend our rights under the NAFTA and the World Trade Organization," Peterson wrote.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20051129/ca_pr_on_wo/us_cda_trash_2
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OK, so who do you think is going to win this one?
Uncle
Sure it would cause Toronto to pile knee deep in trash but it seems it's come to that to get people to reduce their consumption.
