Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has slammed the government as they publish legislation to pave the way for fully ratifying the CETA deal.
The Dublin MEP said:
“Legislation published by the government on Friday is attempting to sidestep the Supreme Court ruling that had previously blocked the full implementation of the CETA deal.
“There is nothing to be gained by fully implementing the CETA deal.
“We already enjoy free trade with Canada, the only outstanding part of the bill are the private investor or ‘corporate courts’.
“If the deal is fully ratified, it will open Ireland up to these corporate courts, courts that only big corporations can use, which give them the power to sue countries for what they call ‘loss of profit’.
“This will only make it harder to deliver on housing, climate and workers’ rights, even letting vulture funds, who drive the housing crisis, the power to sue Ireland if we tried to improve rental laws here.
“These courts have already paid out more than $100m to investors through these cases – that’s the position that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are hell bent on putting us in.
“They are using arguments about uncertainty in the Trump administration as a smokescreen to put us at the mercy of big corporations.
“TDs need to severely scrutinise the draft of this bill and stop the government from moving forward with this disastrous plan.”
On Friday, the Government published the General Scheme of the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2025 – an attempt to respond to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Costello v. Government of Ireland, which found that ratification of CETA was unconstitutional.
The Heads of Bill provides that investor-state awards shall be enforceable in the State by action of law or, by leave of the High Court, in the same manner as a judgment or order of that Court with the same effect.
