Privatizing the public distribution of fresh water is not on the table in the negotiations to reach a trade agreement with Europe, says a senior Yukon government official.

Stephen Rose of the Department of Economic Development said last week talks between Canada and the European Union are focused on removing barriers to trade.

"There is nothing in the agreement that would require the municipalities to privatize the provision of public services,” Rose said in an interview. "That is just not on the table. There is no requirement to privatize.”

An agreement would give foreign countries access to contracts for the provision of goods and services, but the value of work at which municipalities would have to entertain bids from Europe would be quite high, he explained.

Rose said he's not sure exactly how far down in detail the agreement would drill, whether it might affect things like the European ban on the purchase of Canadian seal fur, for instance.

Besides, said the department's director of policy and planning, even if he did know, he's wouldn't be in a position to discuss the details of the talks, for reasons of confidentiality.

Rose said this is the first time the federal government has included the territories and provinces in negotiations to reach a trade agreement with a foreign country.

Their direct involvement marks the next generation of international trade agreements, he added.

Rose said negotiations began in October 2009 and the federal government wants to wrap them up by the end of the year.

There was, he noted, a Yukon government representative in Brussels last week for negotiations.

Canada has been clear that once discussions are complete, the document will be available for review by the public before it's signed off, he said.

All international trade agreements need approval by the House of Commons, Rose noted.

Concern was raised at the March 19 city council meeting by two women. They cited issues being echoed across Canada about the impact the trade agreement could have on municipalities.

There's a concern it will open the front door to the private corporations which control fresh water distribution and waste water management in Europe, Tory Russell and Susan Gwynne-Thompson told members of council.

They said there's uncertainty regarding how the agreement would affect municipal purchasing policies.

And they invited city council to look into why 45 municipalities across Canada, including Toronto, Montreal and the Union of B.C. Municipalities have voted to be excluded from some parts of the agreement.

Russell and Gwynne-Thompson also provided council with a resolution they would like to see adopted.

The resolution calls upon the Yukon government to disclose what's being offered to the European Union in terms of access to municipal contracts and services.

It also asks that the city and the Association of Yukon Communities be free to choose what aspects of the trade agreement they will and will not be bound by.

City council is scheduled to discuss the resolution at next week's meeting.

While the Yukon and the other 12 jurisdictions are at the table, Rose said, it would be Canada's signature on the agreement.

Like other international trade agreements, it would be the federal government that ultimately decides what goes into the pact and who would be bound by it, Rose pointed out.

The Yukon government, he said, is not in a position to disclose the nature of negotiations, nor provide any assurances regarding who would be covered by the trade agreement.