Congressman Keith Ellison will host a forum July 1 on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership. Representatives of several organizations will discuss why they oppose this new free trade agreement.

The forum will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 1, at the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, 312 Central Ave., Minneapolis. Joining Ellison will be Jim Harkness of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Richard Ryan of the International Association of Machinists and Josh Wise of the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is the largest free trade agreement the United States has ever attempted to negotiate. Negotiators, who are conducting the talks in secret, are racing to reach agreement by an October deadline.

Many members of Congress, including Ellison, have protested that little information about the negotiations is being released and that President Obama will seek “fast track” authority, prohibiting Congress from making any changes to the agreement.