Canadian opposition slams Colombia free trade deal

[Joanne98]

Canadian opposition legislators on Monday strongly criticized Ottawa for agreeing to the terms of a free trade deal with Colombia, suggesting it had only done so because the move would help US President George W. Bush.

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Reuters | Mon Jun 9, 2008

Canadian opposition slams Colombia free trade deal

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA, June 9 (Reuters) — Canadian opposition legislators on Monday strongly criticized Ottawa for agreeing to the terms of a free trade deal with Colombia, suggesting it had only done so because the move would help U.S. President George W. Bush.

The Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper unexpectedly announced on Saturday that it had reached a deal with Colombia and worked out agreements on human rights and environmental issues, both areas of concern to critics.

The news came as a surprise to a Canadian parliamentary committee that recently visited Bogota and was in the process of writing a report on whether an agreement should be signed.

"The Prime Minister has made no secret of his support for George W. Bush on Colombia — they’ve been quoting each other for months," said Navdeep Bains, the international trade spokesman for the official opposition Liberals.

"What I never expected was for the government to subvert the work of Parliament."

http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=12380

[PDJane]

1. They are right............

I am sincerely hoping that the electorate is smarter the next time around. Harper just .....well. Bush, but smarter.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Canadian trade deal with Colombia ignores union murders

Canadian trade deal with Colombia ignores union murders

Money for murder 'cooperation fund' included in the proposed agreement

Ottawa (10 June 2008) - Despite a growing number of organizations and individuals raising concerns about negotiating a free trade agreement with Colombia, the Harper government has gone ahead and tentatively signed a deal with the country's murderous regime.

Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson says in a statement on his department's website that the "agreement will expand Canada-Colombia trade and investment and will help solidify ongoing efforts by the government of Colombia to create a more prosperous, equitable and secure democracy."

The signing took place despite condemnation by many prominent Canadians and organizations of the continued killing of activists in Colombia, and repeated appeals to the prime minister to halt free trade negotiations with the brutal government that runs the South American country.

One of the most controversial aspects of the negotiations is a provision that would allow the Colombian government to pay a token monetary amount into a cooperation fund when a Colombian trade unionist is murdered.

Protest by four large unions

Four of Canada's largest public sector unions – with a combined membership of 1.1 million members across Canada – sent a jointly-signed letter to Harper on the issue. It said in part: "We are appalled to learn that trade union lives are being treated as tradable commodities in Canada's on-going negotiations with the Colombian government."

The letter was signed by the national leaders of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

More:
http://www.nupge.ca/news_2008/n10jn08b.htm

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Thanks, Joanne98. This trade deal is a despicable shame. Unforgiveable. Dirty treatment of the working class.