CPTnet
28 April 2009
COLOMBIA URGENT ACTION: Stop Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement now; contact MPs, Ministers today



The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Colombia introduced to the Canadian Parliament on 29 March 2009, was signed before the results of the Standing Committee on International Trade had a chance to present its recommendations.  This committee recommended that the Parliament NOT to sign the Free Trade Agreement.

Canadian citizens still have time to act.  The FTA is before Parliament right now.  Call your MPs, opposition Trade critics, and the ministers responsible today.

For talking points see Ten Main Reasons to Oppose an FTA with Colombia (pdf.)

For additional information on the Standing Committee on International Trade report, see below.

Find your Member of Parliament: using your postal code, or by the name of your Member of Parliament.

Prime Minister Harper named Lawrence Cannon as Minister of Foreign Affairs (Telephone: (613) 992-5516; Fax: (613) 992-6802, and;

Stockwell Day as Minister of International Trade (Telephone:(613) 995-1702, Fax:  (613) 995-1154

Liberal: Scott Brison - International Trade critic, (Telephone: (613) 995-8231, Fax: (613) 996-9349, and  
Bob Rae - Foreign Affairs critic.(Telephone: (613) 992-5234, Fax: (613) 996-9607)

Additional contacts include:

*    Stephen Harper, HarpeS@parl.gc.ca, Prime Minister of Canada, Leader of the Conservative Party
*    Michael Ignatieff, ignatm@parl.gc.ca, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
*    Jack Layton, laytoj@parl.gc.ca, Leader of the New Democratic Party, NPD
*    Gilles Duceppe, DucepG@parl.gc.ca, Leader of the Bloc Québécois


Standing Committee on International Trade Recommendations to the Government of Canada

Recommendation 1:
The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada should not sign and implement a free trade agreement with the Government of Colombia until the Canadian government has taken into account the recommendations contained in this report, including those of the dissenting reports.

Recommendation 2:
The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada maintain close ties with Colombia without signing a free trade agreement until there is confirmation that the improvements noted are maintained, including continued improvement as regards displacement, labour law, and accountability for crime, and until the Colombian government shows a more constructive attitude to human rights groups in the country.

Recommendation 3:
The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada draw on the work of the organization Rights and Democracy to give an independent body the mandate to conduct studies regarding the impact on rights and the environment when it is negotiating economic agreements with countries at risk, as in the case of the agreement with Colombia.

Recommendation 4:
The Committee recommends that an independent, impartial, and comprehensive human rights impact assessment should be carried out by a competent body, which is subject to levels of independent scrutiny and validation; the recommendations of this assessment should be addressed before Canada considers signing, ratifying and implementing an agreement with Colombia.

Recommendation 5:
The Committee recommends that any trade agreement with Colombia ensure that separate deals on labour and the environment exceed the template of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in order to set a higher standard for future negotiations.

Recommendation 6:
The Committee recommends that any trade agreement with Colombia must be accompanied by legislated provisions on corporate social responsibility and reporting mechanisms to monitor the implementation of universal human rights standards by Canadian entities investing in Colombia.

Recommendation 7:
The Committee recommends to the Government of Canada (a) that any trade agreement with Colombia include a compliance and enforcement mechanism for both the environment and human rights, comparable to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) model, exceeding the template set by NAFTA; (b) that such mechanisms must be independent and objective, receiving adequate funding to complete their tasks and include a built-in inflation escalator; (c) that they should include a process that ensures public monitoring and input through such mechanisms as citizenship submissions.

Recommendation 8:
The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada develop new social responsibility standards for corporations as regards compliance with universal human rights standards. Non-compliance with these basic standards could lead to Canada imposing penalties on these corporations.

Click here to view the Standing Committee on International Trade's HUMAN RIGHTS, THE ENVIRONMENT AND FREE TRADE WITH COLOMBIA full report that was not taken into consideration when officials signed the FTA behind closed doors last spring.