Location
The fifth and final session of the Toronto Bolivia Solidarity (TBS) study group series, "Extracting Profits" will be held Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m.
This last session, will compare the Canadian-European Union Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) with the Bolivarian Alliance with the Americas (ALBA). Lisa Mantia and Paul Kellogg will discuss "Free Trade versus Fair Trade" by examining these two developments in trade politics.
ALBA – the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas - was launched initially by Venezuela and Cuba in 2004, and now encompasses eight nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, ALBA is an attempt to create an alternative to neoliberalism – to build a regime based on "fair trade."
CETA – the Canada-European Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement - is currently being worked out between Canada and the European Union. CETA is called a "free trade" agreement – but behind that name, comes an argument for policies based on privatization and de-regulation, with many negative implications for the people of Canada and Europe.
Three brief backgrounders on CETA can be found here:
https://sites.google.com/site/tbsmaterial/ceta
http://canadians.org/media/council/2011/06-Jan-11.html
http://canadians.org/trade/documents/CETA/CETA-1010.pdf
A short reading on ALBA is available here
https://sites.google.com/site/tbsmaterial/alba
Endorsed by Toronto Bolivia Solidarity, an OPIRG-Toronto Action Group, Council of Canadians-Toronto, Toronto Haiti Action Committee.
For more information: www.t.grupoapoyo.org - 416-686-7607
