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TRADECanada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
On March 26, 2009, the Harper government introduced legislation (Bill C23) in the House of Commons to implement a Canada-Colombia free trade agreement. Like most free trade agreements, this deal was signed without consultation with the public, labour and civil society groups in Canada, who almost unanimously oppose it. Colombia has one of the worst human rights records in the world. There is no evidence that free trade could or ever has improved human rights and environmental protection, especially in Latin America where the experience has been of de-industrialization and growing inequality under free trade agreements. Despite an aggressive push from Harper to get the FTA through Parliament last year, the implementation legislation failed to pass, thanks to strong opposition in the House from the NDP and Bloc Quebecois, backed by equally strong public pressure. Bill C-23 fell off the order paper when Parliament was prorogued. But the second bill introduced into the current parliamentary session after the March budget was new FTA implementation legislation (Bill C-2), with promises from the Harper government to move it through quickly. It is crucial that we do not let this happen, and that the government conduct an independent human rights impact assessment before even considering this reckless new agreement. More » International Pre-Electoral Observation Mission to Colombia questions timing of Canada–Colombia Free Trade Agreement Read the summary, overview and report.The Canada-Colombia Project: An information source on Canada-Colombia relations by the La Chiva Collective Making a Bad Situation Worse: An analysis of the text of the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, by the Canadian Council for International Co-operation, Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers, Canadian Labour Congress and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Top Ten Reasons Why Canada Should Cancel Harper’s “Free Trade” Deal With Colombia, a four-page fact sheet from the Canadian Labour Congress Trading Away Human Rights: Why the EU-Colombia free trade agreement is a step in the wrong direction, a joint report of the Trade Union Congress, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Justice for Colombia, Unite, and Workers Uniting The Struggle for Survival and Dignity: Human rights abuses against Indigenous peoples in Colombia, a report by Amnesty International Canada-European Comprehensive Economic and Trade AgreementOpen Civil Society Declaration: On a proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union. Read and add your organization to this statement here »Open For Business: Privatization, not higher standards, the main goal of Canada-EU free trade talks, Factsheet, October 2009 Letter endorsed by civil society groups on the inadequacy of the government’s Canada-EU trade briefings, February 23, 2010 Trade tsunami
NEWS: Canada-US procurement deal expected in late-December » MEDIA: Show us the "Buy American" deal before signing it, demands Council of |
FEATURES
ACTION ALERT: We need more than business input on trade and procurement agreements [11-Feb-10] Council of Canadians and CUPE release leaked ‘Buy American’ agreement [10-Feb-10] Walk away from ‘Buy American’ deal, urges Maude Barlow in open letter to premiers [05-Feb-10] Harper says Bye to Buy Local The “Buy America” Boogeyman NAFTA’s Chapter 11: A threat to the environment and public policy, Factsheet, October 2009 Open For Business: Privatization, not higher standards, the main goal of Canada-EU free trade talks, Factsheet, October 2009 Say bye to buy local - A primer on trade deals impacting Ontario, October 2009 Link to the WTO Geneva international demonstration webpage. Hundreds of representatives of grassroots movements from all over the world will be in Geneva and then in Copenhagen this November to demand a radical change of direction: Saturday, November 28, 2009, 2p.m., Place Neuve, Geneva. Accord Ontario-Québec sur le commerce et la coopération : un mystère ! ATTAC Québec, 15 septembre 2009 Trade and Cooperation Agreement Between Ontario and Québec, September 11, 2009 A statement on public procurement No Payoff for Premiers in “Buy American” Fix, Canadian Perspectives, Autumn 2009 CBAN Briefing: WTO dispute over Genetically Modified Organisms: Canada, Australia, US vs European Union, July 20, 2009 ACTION ALERT: Hold Senate accountable for hasty passage of Canada-Peru free trade agreement Refusing to Adapt: Civil society statement on the the International Economic Forum of the Americas, a gathering of the world's financial and political elite which met in Montreal June 10 to 12, 2009 to discuss how countries can adapt to the new world order. VIDEO: CPAC's Prime Time Politics covers Maude Barlow speaking in Ottawa to outline hopes for this week's visit to Canada by U.S. President Barack Obama, February 17, 2009 (Starting at approx. 21:30 minutes) How worried are you about U.S. protectionism?, Steven Shrybman on Goldhawk Live, February 8, 2009 Will the US Blockade Newfoundland?, Steven Shrybman, The St. John's Telegram , January 24, 2009 ACTION ALERT: Yes, let's renegotiate or abrogate NAFTA! Obama Reaffirms Promise to Renegotiate NAFTA, Huffington Post, January 12, 2009 Obama and NAFTA, Foreign Policy In Focus, January 9, 2009 Why We Need to Fix NAFTA, Maude Barlow and John Cavanagh, January 1, 2009 Attempt to Convene Another Last-Minute WTO "mini-Ministerial" Collapses In the Midst of Global Recession - Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), Dec 12, 2008 G-20 Summit Call to Finish WTO Doha: Ignorance or Cynicism? - Public Citizen, Nov 15, 2008 Inside the WTO's Collapsed Deal - The Tyee, Aug 4, 2008 Canada Needs to Abandon Failed Model of World Trade Talks, says Maude Barlow - July 30, 2008 Canadians Reject McCain’s NAFTA Plea - Continental Movement for Renegotiation Grows - June 20, 2008, Ottawa Stop the Bush-McCain Agenda, Stop Unfair Trade - June 20, 2008, Ottawa VIDEO: The Council fights TILMA in Alberta Building a Diversified, Value-Added, Productive Economy (PDF) CAW Submission to the Government of Canada’s Competition Policy Review Panel, 2008 Democracy vs. Free Trade: Renegotiate NAFTA? Sounds like a good idea. Maude Barlow, March 5, 2008 NAFTA's legacy: the worst agreement we ever signed, Murray Dobbin, The Globe and Mail, March 5, 2008 Provincial trade barriers? What provincial trade barriers? Globe and Mail, Murray Dobbin, January 11, 2008 Victory! Well, sort of... Council welcomes NAFTA victory while decrying NAFTA rules, Canadian Perspectives, Autumn 2007 Suing over NAFTA (VIDEO) New Chapter 11 affidavit by Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada. Court upholds corporate rights under NAFTA - Read the November 30, 2006 decision and analysis. Revisiting NAFTA: Still not working for North America's workers
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On May 6, 2009, at a Canada-EU Summit in Prague, Prime Minister Harper launched negotiations on a new generation trade agreement with the European Union. Canadian companies, including large agriculture and financial firms, are looking for better access to the European market without having to meet different or stricter EU rules. European negotiators, on the other hand, are clearly after Canadian services contracts, including public services, with the aim of transferring the $22-billion our local governments spend annually on public priorities into corporate profits. An agreement with Europe would put pressure on provincial governments to increase privatization, including in areas such as water, transportation, child care and public health care. It's a lose-lose situation for the majority of people on both continents -- which is why we need to stop it before negotiations can conclude in 2011. 
Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow and Ontario Federation of Labour president-elect Sid Ryan write in the Toronto Star on November 27, 2009 that, "Unknown to most Canadians, our federal and provincial governments have been busy preparing for the next level of unregulated trade and investment agreements, all aimed at one thing: opening up 'subnational procurement,' which was left out of previous trade deals such as NAFTA." 
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