The early effects of CETA on energy and waste issues: socio-spatial insights across Canada
Résumé
In Canada, the federal, provincial including Nunavut and municipal governments are involved in the implementation of CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) which directly addresses local economic development under the market access and procurement provisions. This project examines the potential effects of CETA on environmental matters, with a special focus on waste and energy services. These are considered key targets in a complex and growing environment-trade nexus. Drawing on an original geographical approach, the study explores the effects of CETA on the definition of energy and waste as services and trade commodities. It questions the early spatial effects of the agreement at sub-central government scales and aims at understanding the potential formation of conflictual arenas around land-based resources sovereignty and governance, environmental justice and responsibility, especially when involving indigenous communities. A mixed quantitative and qualitative approach is currently used to assess the research objectives: text analysis on the CETA document and interviews with main stakeholders involved in the construction, study, and implementation of CETA across Canada as well as local communities. The research objectives are twofold: to map out the visibility, awareness, and perception of CETA across society in Canada regarding energy and waste issues, as well as evaluating the potential effects of CETA on energy and waste services. Our results will help us in constructing an analytical model to understand how trade and legal agreements affect strategic energy and waste flows between developed countries. This project is a Franco-Canadian research study led by the Ecole Normale Supérieure of Lyon (France) and the School of Environmental Studies of Queen’s University (Ontario). Started in 2018, it aims to inform decision-making leaders and main community stakeholders of the tensions raised by the intertwinement of environmental concerns, legislation and policies and the economic goals described in the CETA.