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Conservatives Renew Push for Free Trade Deal with Colombia

CONTACT YOUR MP

Stephen Harper’s minority government has introduced a proposed Free Trade Agreement linking Colombia and Canada, as one of the Conservatives’ legislative priorities in Parliament this spring.

The Conservatives are counting on Liberal party support to push this potentially disastrous legislation through debate and committee review.

It is crucial that we persuade opposition members to vote against this very bad and dangerous trade agreement. 

There is no justification for a trade deal that rewards a country with the worst human rights record in the Americas.  Trade unionists – men and women who, like Steelworkers here, represent their fellow workers on a daily basis – continue to be murdered. In 2009, 45 trade unionists were murdered, adding to the 2,700 that have been killed by paramilitaries in the last two decades.

The International Labour Organization reports that, over the last 10 years, 60 per cent of all trade unionists murdered throughout the world have met their fate in Colombia, making that country the most dangerous place in the world to be a labour activist, let alone a union member.

While the families of the murdered victims continue to seek justice and truth, Canada wants to reward Colombia with a free trade agreement.

The NDP and Bloc have pledge support against passage of the Conservatives’ proposed deal.

Steelworkers, and our allies, have stopped Canada-Colombia ‘free’ trade before. It’s time NOW to do it again.

Please contact your MP today. Click here to use our ‘contact your MP’ auto e-mailer.

Please take the time to contact your MP, especially if that person is a Liberal, and ask for their assurance that they will not reward state terrorism and that they will vote against this trade deal.

Tell them to uphold the previous recommendation of the all-party Standing Committee on International Trade for an independent, impartial and comprehensive human rights impact assessment before going ahead with any free trade agreement with Colombia.