TRADE

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
Open 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
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. Read more »
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." Read more »
Oppose the Canada-US procurement deal
NEWS: Canada-US procurement deal expected in late-December »
MEDIA: Show us the "Buy American" deal before signing it, demands Council of
Canadians »

Say bye to buy local - A primer on trade deals impacting Ontario, CUPE Ontario and the Council of Canadians, October 2009
Say Bye to Buy Local - Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians, speaking at the Hamilton stop of the trade tour on November 19, 2009, organized by the Council of Canadians and CUPE Ontario. In three parts, Maude describes the current threats to buy local and other sustainability policies at the provincial and municipal level from new international and interprovincial trade agreements. Part I | Part II | Part III
Take Action for Fair Trade!
Here are some sample letters and motions that you can use to get better – and fairer – trade policies in your community. We need our municipal, provincial and federal governments to be innovative and responsive to the communities they represent, as well as the international community we are all part of. We need governments to recognize, like so many people already do, that many of the solutions to current environmental and economic crises are going to be local solutions.
Council of Canadians vice-chair Leo Broderick and trade campaigner Stuart Trew were in Geneva participating in counter-ministerial events and raising concerns about the impacts of the WTO agenda.
OWINFS statement: Abandon Doha - Confront the Crisis (PDF 56KB)
ACTION ALERT: Demand that Day support a "WTO Turnaround"
VIDEO: Compilation of the anti-WTO rally and march through Geneva, by Stuart Trew, Trade Campaigner at the Council of Canadians, November 28, 2009.
[02-Dec-09] WTO clings to sinking ship of trade liberalization at 7th Ministerial, says Council of Canadians
Find out how the expansion of “free trade” deals will drain needed stimulus from the Canadian economy, worsen the current crisis in manufacturing and interfere with provincial and municipal governments’ authority to provide and regulate local services. More »
The Council of Canadians along with concerned Albertans gathered at the headquarters of Petrolifera Petroleum on June 12, 2009 demanding the company cease all exploration and extraction activities in Peru until the Peruvian government ends its violent repression of Indigenous protesters and consult in good faith with Indigenous communities on their opposition to intensified development on their lands and the free trade agreements with Canada and the United States. More »
INTERPROVINCIAL INVESTOR RIGHTS ARE AN IMPRACTICAL JOKE:
New report reveals undemocratic trade plan for Canada, exposes threats to public services
March 31, 2009, just one day before the BC/Alberta Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) goes into full effect, the Council of Canadians launched a new report by expert trade lawyer Steven Shrybman concluding that TILMA, other similar agreements currently in development, and the recent changes to the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) will only further deregulate provincial policies that protect communities and the environment and threaten public services.
The report, titled 'State of Play: Canada’s Internal Free Trade Agenda’ provides an update on TILMA and the state of various trade agreements between Ontario and Quebec (OQEPA), Nova Scotia, New Brunswick (PARE) and Saskatchewan (so-called Economic Partnership with BC and Alberta) and challenges the need for these agreements in the first place. It was simultaneously released by the Council of Canadians on March 31 at press conferences in Halifax, Moncton, Ottawa, Toronto, Regina, Calgary and Vancouver.
Read the report here
The Council of Canadians has found that 77% of Canadians want the draft text of a sweeping new Canada-European Union trade deal made public before the October 14 federal election vote, in a poll conducted by Strategic Communications. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has reportedly decided not to release the draft text and internal study of the trade deal that is said to exceed NAFTA in scope, despite talks on the deal that will take place in Montreal just three days after the election. The poll also shows that 67% of Conservative voters believe that the draft text should be released right away. More »
Read the full poll results (PDF) »
Governments and big business have spent the last 15 years telling us that free trade is good for us. But Canadians know better.

What’s been a bonanza for big corporations and private investors has been bad news for the rest of us — and for the public good. Our resources and the environment are under threat. Our public services such as health care are being cut and privatized. Our jobs and the promise of a living wage are being steadily eroded.
The World Trade Organization (WTO), the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) all have influence on our economy, our society, our lives. Free trade agreements, negotiated in secret, represent a charter of rights for large corporations and they clearly undermine the ability of countries and citizens to govern themselves.
On the global stage, the Canadian government has become an important ally to the United States in pushing the flawed free trade model on unwilling countries around the world.
But we believe that a better Canada, and a better world, is possible.
- Our World Is Not For Sale The “Our World is not for Sale” (OWINFS) network is a loose grouping of organizations, activists and social movements worldwide fighting the current model of corporate globalization embodied in global trading system. OWINFS is committed to a sustainable, socially just, democratic and accountable multilateral trading system.
- G-20 Summit Call to Finish WTO Doha: Ignorance or Cynicism? - Public Citizen, Nov 15, 2008
- Behind the July Failure of the WTO Talks on Doha - Martin Khor, Director of Third World Network
- Financial Instability and the GATS Negotiations, by Ellen Gould
-
The BC/Alberta Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA)
- Another bad deal for Canada: TILMA, deep integration and the fight for local democracy, Backgrounder, September 2007
- Facing the Facts about TILMA - fact sheet, February 2007
- Tell your MP that Canada needs a better trade policy
In this section, you’ll find out how to promote fair trade in Canada, on the world stage, and in your community. Or contact us at inquiries@canadians.org or
1-800-387-7177, for more information.