[mobglob-discuss] Psst. Heard about the secret free trade deal?

[Tom Childs]

.a compelling article here to continue the opposition of the neoliberal
trade agreements.
regards, tom

>>>-They limit the capacity of governments to provide public
services.<<<

http://www.rabble.ca/news_full_story.shtml?x=30476 

Psst. Heard about the secret free trade deal? 


Making a hemispheric agreement by stealth  
 
   
     
by Esperanza Moreno 
February 24, 2004 

For two years, Canada has been negotiating a major trade deal -
virtually in secret. The lives and livelihoods of millions of people are
at stake in the proposed Canada-Central America Free Trade Agreement
(CA4FTA) - and most Canadians don't even know about it. Our government
has failed to meet basic standards for transparency: There has been no
genuine consultation with the public, NGOs or parliamentarians, no
drafts of the agreement have been made public, and no details released
to parliamentarians. 

Why should Canadians care? 

First, the symbolism of the proposed deal is significant: it is a
building block for the much disputed Free Trade Area of the Americas
(FTAA). Unlike the CA4FTA negotiations, there has been much public
debate around the FTAA - so much so that the negotiations are stalling.
There are serious and well-founded critiques of the trade model proposed
in the FTAA, significant numbers of people throughout the hemisphere
reject the neo-liberal model, and many governments in the hemisphere
have started listening. 

Now, the U.S. and Canada are using small trade deals, like the CA4FTA
with Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, to make a
hemispheric agreement by stealth - isolating countries by making trade
deals in clusters. Is this the model of international relations
Canadians want? 

Second, the government has a stated commitment to consultation with the
Canadian public and civil society organizations. The Treasury Board has
a clear set of rules for consultation in policy-making, and the
Government of Canada has a written agreement with the Voluntary Sector
on good practice for policy dialogue. In various trade forums, Canada
has acted as a champion for openness and transparency in negotiations. 

After the Quebec City Summit of the Americas in 2001, Canada agreed to
release draft texts of the FTAA, seek public consultation and strengthen
parliamentary participation in cobbling together an agreement. The key
to open policy-making, according to the agreements and statements made
by the government itself, is access - access to information and access
to decision-makers. In the CA4FTA negotiations, the Government is not
keeping its commitment to Canadians: despite requests, Canadians have
not had adequate access to information, negotiators or decision-makers.


Third, and most importantly, the CA4FTA, and other agreements like it,
affect more than the permeability of border, trade volumes, tariff
barriers, duties and other esoteric jargon reserved for economists.
These agreements impact significantly on domestic political and economic
decisions, and on the lives and livelihoods of populations. 


-They restrict the ability of national governments to make policy for
paramount public interests. 

-They empower investors over democratically elected governments and
people. 

-They limit the capacity of governments to provide public services. 

-They affect workers' rights, the environment, human rights, women's
rights and indigenous rights. 

Increasingly, these agreements set the limits within which a country
can struggle for democracy, development, social justice and human
rights. 
And yet, the only people involved in the negotiations are trade
specialists, who admit repeatedly that they are "not the Minister of
Everything." Fair enough. So when an agreement will impact significantly
on issues beyond the expertise of those negotiating it, it seems obvious
to consult with specialists in other fields - fields like development,
human rights, environmental protection. These agreements are being sold
to Canadians as a means to development for the hemisphere. So why not
involve international development practitioners, analysts, scholars?
Many insist that in opening up an economy with trade liberalization will
lead to increased respect for human rights. 

So why not allow human rights experts to analyze the proposed agreement
and assess the extent to which this agreement, like others before it, is
likely to infringe upon Canada's international human rights obligations?


Given these impacts on the lives of Canadians and Central Americans it
is crucial that citizens are involved and informed of what is negotiated
in our names. We expect involvement in important decisions through
opportunities to voice our opinions and have them heard, and through our
elected representatives. We cannot participate in the decisions
governing our lives if neither we, nor our parliamentarians, have access
to information about major decisions - such as trade deals. We do not
know what is being done to protect labour, the environment and human
rights in the agreement. Human rights, food security, workers' rights
and women's rights are too important to be kept behind closed doors. 

Esperanza Moreno is Acting President-CEO of the Canadian Council for
International Co-operation.
 


--
Tom Childs - Audio/Visual Resources
Douglas College Library
New Westminster, B.C. Canada
T: 604 527-5713 - Library
T: 604 524-9316 - Lulu Island
E: childst at douglas.bc.ca 
U: BCGEU Local 703
W: http://www.globaljustice.ca 
   
     "There's no way to delay, that trouble comin' everyday."
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