Chapter activist Rick Arnold
The Council of Canadians Northumberland chapter was interviewed by Northumberland 89.7 FM about a recent gathering in Mexico City of civil society and labour activists who came together to talk about the imminent renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Chapter activists Rick Arnold and Bev Burke were at that meeting along with our trade campaigner Sujata Dey and numerous allies.
During the radio interview, Arnold noted, “Over 100 organizations from Canada, Mexico and the U.S. met in Mexico City May 25-27 to strategize around a peoples’ vision for a new trade arrangement for North America.”
He added, “The Tri-National Gathering of Social Organizations from the three countries involved some 400 participants and came up with a strong multi-point Declaration that provides a clear way forward for a trade agreement that would begin to reverse the toxic impact on the 99.9% of us who have been living under NAFTA for the past 23 years.” That multi-point Declaration can be read here.
He also noted, “The 17 organizations from Canada and Quebec that participated in this Mexico City Tri-National had an opportunity to meet together on May 25. They all agreed that on return home they would consult with their respective members and executives regarding the possibility of building a flexible multi-sectoral platform to promote sharing around educational materials and strategizing on future actions to build a fair and just trade arrangement to replace the current, toxic NAFTA.”
And Arnold highlighted, “My hat goes off to the Mexican organizers of this mega gathering in Mexico City for hosting a very timely and empowering event on a limited budget. They have set a high bar for those of us who may wish to hold a follow up Tri-National event in either Canada or the United States before the end of 2017!”
Further reading
Your guide to the upcoming NAFTA talks