Trade agreements are often long, complex and unwieldy, but they have huge implications for the way our economies are run. As we stand on the brink of potentially having to negotiate a whole new raft of trade agreements outside of the EU, the need for politicians and civil society to ensure that these deals put human rights, environment and social protections, and democracy at their core, is more important than ever. And there’s much we can learn from trade agreements such as CETA - the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement – between Canada and the European Union. This is the sister deal of the better known TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) deal between the United States and European Union and, after years of negotiations, was due to have a ‘ceremonial signing’ on Friday 27th October. However, at the last minute, this had to be postponed because of objections raised by the Belgian regional Parliaments.

CETA has been opposed for many reasons. From the way it has been negotiated behind closed doors, to the impact it could have on food standards and workers’ rights. Perhaps most concerning is a clause that would allow powerful and undemocratic new corporate courts. These would allow foreign investors to start legal proceedings against a national government whenever investors perceive a violation of their rights. These complaints would be dealt with by international arbitration tribunals - completely bypassing national scrutiny.

It is these concerns that led the Wallonian and Brussels-region Parliaments to refuse to support CETA. They joined nearly 3.5 million Europeans who have signed a petition saying they don’t want the deal. Alongside many other MPs, I have also raised concerns: by writing to the government in 2015 and signing an Early Day Motion in Parliament in July of this year.

At the very last minute, after securing a number of guarantees, the Belgian regional Parliaments agreed to support CETA. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau then hopped on a plane to a ceremonial signing but the story is far from over.

The next step is for the European Parliament to agree to the deal. If MEPs vote yes, then large parts of the agreement could come into force provisionally before national parliaments have an opportunity to scrutinise. And there are many other hurdles that the deal has yet to overcome. One positive concession secured by the Belgian regional Parliaments was that the European Court of Justice will now have an opportunity to rule on whether CETA (and the corporate court mechanism in particular) is compatible with European law – this is something my colleagues in the European Green party have long been calling for. Also, importantly, national Parliaments will still have to agree to the deal and I’ve added my name to a motion calling for a debate and vote here in the UK.

It’s vital that those of us interested in creating more equal and healthy societies, as well as defending our social and environmental protections, scrutinise and challenge deals like CETA. Over the coming months and years I’ll be working alongside organisations like Global Justice Now to make sure that the voices of the hundreds of constituents who’ve lobbied me about this trade deal are heard. And I’ll be working hard to make sure any future trade deals to which the UK is a partner meet ambitious new standards on everything from workers’ rights to transparency.

PS. I’ve just added my name to a new Early Day Motion calling on the government to ensure Parliament has the fullest opportunity to debate, vote on and amend trade and investment deals. Why don’t you ask your MP to do the same?