A contentious vote on an EU-Canada free trade deal will be deferred until the New Year after two Green Party TDs indicated they would not vote with the Government on the issue.
The Green Party sought a postponement of a planned debate and vote on the EU-Canada Strategic Partnership Agreement, known as Ceta, which had been due to go ahead on Tuesday – despite Green cabinet ministers agreeing to support the deal last month.
A Government spokesman told The Irish Times on Monday night that the leaders of the coalition parties had discussed the issue and “reiterated their support for ratification”, but had decided to reschedule the vote to January to allow for a “longer and more considered debate”.
The motion to ratify Ceta was due to take place on Tuesday at 4pm.
I have written to leadership saying I can't vote for this motion and that delaying a vote is the least we can do to address issues.
Advertisement— Patrick Costello TD (@Costellop) December 14, 2020
Green Party TDs Neasa Hourigan and Patrick Costello told the party leadership they would not back the motion.
Mr Costello said delaying the motion was “the least we can do to address the issues”.
The Ceta trade deal between the EU and Canada removes most trade barriers on imports between both regions.
It has been ratified by some EU member states, however it has faced opposition in Ireland.
Critics of the deal have raised concerns over the investor court system, which will allow corporations to sue the Government for discriminatory practices and regulations that impact their profits.
Opponents of the deal also say it could harm workers’ rights and regulations brought in to tackle environmental problems.
The Green Party has campaigned against the deal for years.
Sinn Féin Senator Lynn Boylan had earlier on Monday accused the government of “sneaking through” the ratification of the Ceta trade agreement.
Speaking at Leinster House, she said: “Voting to ratify Ceta would be massively damaging to any hopes of tackling the climate crisis in a fair way.
“Just 100 companies are responsible for 71 per cent of emissions.
“Governments need to be challenging the power of corporations in order to fight the climate crisis.
“This trade deal would hinder that.
“Ceta would let companies sue the government, and Irish taxpayers, for billions if we brought in regulations to deal with all the environmental problems we face.
“The consequence is that the burden of tackling climate change lands on ordinary people while corporations go on polluting as they please.
“This trade agreement makes a mockery of a Just Transition and a Green New Deal.
“It also threatens the Government’s promise to ban fracked gas imports and puts in doubt the enactment of the climate emergency bill.
“This trade agreement is from another era.
“It was written before the Paris Climate Agreement and doesn’t reflect the scale of the climate crisis.
“There can be no place for private investor courts.”
