No mandate for the Canadian ACTA negotiators
Addendum: Following up with Trade reveals that there is a mandate, but it’s secret.
Back in December, MP Charlie Angus asked Canada’s Industry Minister Tony Clement for a copy of the mandate given to the Canadian negotiators attending the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) talks.
Suspecting that Angus was on to something, I sent in an Access to Information request asking for the mandate letter. I got a response today that I think may concern anyone following Canada’s role in the ACTA negotiations.
Please be advised that after a thorough search of our files, we were advised by department officials that a mandate in the form of a letter was never provided to the negotiators. We cannot comment on the statement made by MP Angus.
Anyone familiar with Trade Department procedures able to comment on this? Are negotiators typically provided with a written mandate? If so, does that mean that the ACTA negotiation is subverting normal process?
Click to see the whole Access to Information response
Addendum: Following up with Trade reveals that there is a mandate, but it’s secret.