> It took WikiLeaks to even let the public know of its existence. A trade deal was openly proposed in 2008.[0] Wikileaks did not leak specific provisions until

> It took WikiLeaks to even let the public know of its existence. A trade deal was openly proposed in 2008.[0] Wikileaks did not leak specific provisions until 2013. I think it's reasonable to expect democratic accountability, which requires transparency in some part of the process. That's compatible though with allowing a period of time where negotiators are allowed to work on drafts in private. Since legislators and the public are allowed to see the proposed agreement before ratification, I'm not as worried about the secrecy issue. There was even an openly publicized notice and comment period where citizens were encouraged to weigh in on the draft with any concerns by writing directly to USTR.[1] There are a lot of aspects of TPP I don't agree with, but the process wasn't quite as cloak and dagger as some have suggested. [0] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10491556 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&o... [1] http://www.flushthetpp.org/your-chance-to-officially-tell-the-ustr-what-you-think-about-the-tpp/ http://www.flushthetpp.org/your-chance-to-officially-tell-th...