The Canada-Colombia free trade agreement currently before the House of Commons Trade Committee has all of the elements of a fast-paced action novel.
In the last week alone, breaking news of a forged letter of support from Canadian activist Maude Barlow was distributed to all Liberal MP's and there were emerging allegations of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez's brother, Santiago, being directly involved in brutal murders by the government`s paramilitary forces. It should be enough to put the scandals around the agreement on pages of the nation`s newspapers.
So why are Canada's big corporate media refusing to pay attention and cover the issue?
Certainly the lack of coverage has not been for a lack of public interest. I have attended public meetings on Canada-Colombia FTA that have been held by local organizations throughout the country. Standing-room only crowds have come out. Canadians have come because they are interested in knowing the truth.
Thousands of letters and emails have come in to MPs' offices, particularly to Liberal MPs who have once again compromised on Canada's proud history of defending against human rights abuses to satisfy big business. Ten of thousands of Canadians have signed petitions. Few issues have galvanized the public as much, despite a near-total blackout from Canada`s corporate media.
The recent disclosures of direct involvement of Uribe's family in killings, the para-military thugs trained in their massacres, and murders of civilians at the Uribe family residence is something that should be front-and-center in a public, corporate media- permitted debate on this issue. The Conservative government has an official tough on crime stance. Yet, it is cozying up -- and providing a clear reward -- to one of the most brutal regimes on the planet. Not a single Conservative parliamentarian or commentator on Parliament Hill pointed out the obvious hypocrisy of rewarding a regime that has been so brutal in its treatment of its own citizenry and still maintains claims to be a proponent of human rights.
The lies of the Colombian government are widespread -- denying the abuses of their secret police, excusing the military killings of African Colombians and aboriginal Colombians, and pretending that labour organizers are killed in so called "love feuds." The lies are constant, unerring, and slick; yet the lies haven't been able to convince members of the US Congress that this new government in Colombia has any respect for human rights. Apparently, The Harper government and Ignatieff's Liberals are much more pliable.
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There is more to the Canada-Colombia FTA than meets the eye. It will continue to be a part of public debate for some time to come, despite Conservative and Liberal attempts to cut off debate and to shut out the public.
It's a shame that Canada's corporate media refuses to face the task of reporting on fundamental human rights issue that affects lives in Colombia and has ignited widespread public interest here at home.
Peter Julian is the NDP Trade Critic and a Member of Parliament for Burnaby-New Westminster.
Your article certainly lacks of research. It is definitely a shame as it is very deceiving considering the huge amount of wrong information you provide.
1. You say "...Colombian President Santiago Uribe's brother, Alvaro...: The President of Colombia is Alvaro Uribe, not Santiago Uribe.
2. You called the Government of Colombia as one of the most brutal regimes in the planet. Let me explain that Colombia is an old and well established democracy. The President and the Congresses are lawfully elected by the Colombian citizens. If you want to see brutal regimes in the planet you must turn your eyes from South America to other hemisphere. The Colombian Government has fought the guerrilla and it is evident that the improvement has been huge. You would have had to live in Colombia in the 80s and 90s in order to be able to compare with the current living conditions.
As of Human Rights, you will have to be also critical with the violations by the U.S. and the allied countries in other Countries. Even within the U.S. you see how Gov't officials violate human rights (i.e. The way an illegal immigrant was recently killed by an American police officer in Southern U.S.). Does that make the developed countries 'brutal regimes'?
3. With a bit of research you will find that many scholars and experts on international trade have explained that there is not direct link between regional trade agreement and social violence. FTAs are just used by the opposition and other actors as political tools, which are often manipulated according to their interests.
You will also need to evaluate the positive impact of free trade agreements on the evolution of the economy, although it is subject to the proper implementation/regulation by the signatory countries. Therefore, as many other writers have expressed, it would not be enough to say that FTAs have caused harm on Latin American economies. The import substitution model, which is the opposite to open economies, was disastrous for the Latin American economy in the 70s and 80s.
4. FTAs are NOT a reward for developing countries (i.e. Colombia). That is not the way the economics and politics work...Would you then say Canada rewarded Israel with a FTA for killing Palestinians? Neither the conservative government, nor liberal/NDP governments would sign an agreement with any other country if it was not beneficial for Canadians. CCFTA is very beneficial for our country in terms of international trade and opportunities for investment.
I could go on but I certainly lack of time!!! However, I believe critics should be more realistic and support their opinions with serious research.