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ACTION ALERT – 7 JUNE 2010 – Harper’s Colombia Trade Deal was fast-tracked through the Parliamentary Trade Committee with the help of some Liberal MPs. Please help us contact opposition MPs to keep their promise to assure the human rights are first protected before ratifying the deal.

NEWS FLASH – JUNE 7, 2010

Email your MP

Unfortunately, the Standing Committee on International Trade has moved to send Bill C-2 (Harper’s Colombia Trade Deal) back to the House of Commons for third and final reading. Despite our and others' request to Liberal members of the committee to respect their stated commitment to full and comprehensive hearings, they voted with the Conservatives on June 1st to support a motion by Conservative Gerald Keddy to stop hearing from witnesses and send it straight to the House to be voted on for passage. This fast-tracking is a big set-back to our attempts to have the bill delayed until there is a human rights assessment done.

Given this will be coming up for a Parliamentary vote very soon, please contact your Member of Parliament (particularly if your member is a Liberal) as soon as possible. Ask your member to do what they said they would do: refuse to pass this trade deal until after a full and through human rights assessment is done of the world’s most murderous country of trade union leaders.

There are only 15 sitting days left before the summer recess. This is a critical time and our goal remains to keep this legislation from passing without the necessary independent, third-party, comprehensive human rights assessment recommended by the trade committee in 2008.

You can email your individual Member of Parliament by going to the USW website (usw.ca) and using our “E-Lobby Your MP” button.

- To view USW’s National Director Ken Neumann’s letter to the Liberal MPs, please click here.

- To view USW’s National Director Ken Neumann’s letter to the NDP MPs, please click here.

- To view USW’s National Director Ken Neumann’s letter to the Bloc MPs, please click here.