Nanaimo, November 7, 2012 – Following recent public protests at the legislature and throughout the province, groups of local activists will rally in front of MP James Lunney’s Nanaimo office Wednesday (Nov. 7) at noon in protest of the new Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA).
The rally is in support of House of Commons opposition members who see this agreement as another example of Prime Minister Stephen Harper side-stepping the democratic process to push his free trade agenda without sufficient public awareness or consultation nor debate in the House.
“This particular agreement is worrisome because it will give Chinese corporations investing in Canada certain powers, including the right go before a trade tribunal if it feels its right to make a profit is interfered with. Foreign corporations will have more power in Canada than Canadians.” says Jordan Ellis of the mid-Island chapter of Council of Canadians. “Too, our hard fought for labour laws and environmental protection laws could be challenged if the Chinese think they are obstructing their business profits, such as we are right today seeing with Chinese labour in mines in Northeast B.C.”.
Fundamental democracy and Canadian sovereignty could be threatened. “With FIPA agreements rights of corporations supersede most others. Local councils, provincial governments and even our federal parliament will lose the right to pass laws in the general interest of the public. This is another example of the lack of transparency and full information disclosure by Mr. Harper, as it suits his purposes. There has been no public scrutiny by experts in international trade agreements or even basic right to debate by our elected parliamentarians.”
Binding dispute settlement under this FIPA would be decreed by a non-elected tribunal of three, two of whom would be from outside Canada.
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For more information contact
Jordan Ellis (revjellis@shaw.ca 729-9327) or
June Ross (jross12@telus,net 729-0185)
Rev. Jordan Ellis
revjellis@shaw.ca
250-729-9327