The Council of Canadians is a progressive

Progressive

Progressive is an adjectival form of progress and may refer to:-Politics:* Progressivism, a political ideology* Progressive Era, a period of reform in the United States Progressive is an adjectival form of progress and may refer to:-Politics:* Progressivism, a political ideology* Progressive Era, a...

 citizens' organization that advocates on behalf of its members across the country. Founded in 1985 to oppose the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the Council concentrates its advocacy around the core issues of fair trade

Fair trade

Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...

, public health care and the right to water

Right to water

- Introduction :The number of people lacking access to safe drinking water is 884 million and more than 2.6 billion miss a basic sanitation.When taken as human right, the right to water places certain responsibilities upon governments to ensure that people can enjoy "sufficient, safe, accessible...

, but has recently focused on what it calls the deep integration

Deep integration

Deep integration, as defined by Simone Claar and Andrea Nölke, means trade agreements which not only contain rules on tariffs and conventional non-tariff trade restrictions, but which also regulate the business environment in a more general sense...

 of Canada with the United States.

The Council of Canadians is chaired by Maude Barlow

Maude Barlow

Maude Victoria Barlow is a Canadian author and activist. She is the National Chairperson of The Council of Canadians, a citizens’ advocacy organization with members and chapters across Canada. She is also the co-founder of the , which works internationally for the human right to water...

, who is best known internationally for her work on water.

Internationally, the Council is recognized for its role in blocking the Multilateral Agreement on Investment

Multilateral Agreement on Investment

The Multilateral Agreement on Investment was a draft agreement negotiated between members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1995–1998. Its ostensible purpose was to develop multilateral rules that would ensure international investment was governed in a more...

, which would have allowed corporations to challenge national laws, even those related to environmental and labour regulations, if the laws hurt profits.

The Council publishes a seasonal magazine called Canadian Perspectives.

See also

• Deep integration
  Deep integration
  Deep integration, as defined by Simone Claar and Andrea Nölke, means trade agreements which not only contain rules on tariffs and conventional non-tariff trade restrictions, but which also regulate the business environment in a more general sense...
  
  
• Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America
  Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America
  The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America was a region-level dialogue with the stated purpose of providing greater cooperation on security and economic issues. The Partnership was founded in Waco, Texas on March 23, 2005 by Paul Martin, Prime Minister of Canada, Vicente Fox,...
  
   (SPP)
• TILMA
  Tilma
  Tilma may refer to:* Tilmàtli , outer garment* Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement...
  
  (Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement)