We have heard that the
Government of Canada has pushed Bill
C-23, legislation to implement the
Canada Colombia Free Trade Agreement up
to the top of its order of business when
Parliament resumes on Monday, May 25.
Debate on the bill is set to begin on
Monday afternoon as part of the second
reading.
Amnesty International
Canada continues to be highly concerned
about ongoing, systematic and widespread
human rights violations in Colombia,
many of them in areas of economic
interest. In this context, it is deeply
troubling that Stephen Harper has failed
to comply with the recommendation made
by the House of Commons Committee on
International Trade that the
government commission a credible third
party human rights impact assessment and
address its findings before considering
implementation of the Free Trade
Agreement.
The NDP and the Bloc
Québécois are on board in supporting
this recommendation. To date, the
Liberal Party’s new leader Michael
Ignatieff has not shown a willingness to
join other Opposition MPs in pressing
the Conservatives to exercise due
diligence via a human rights study. A
recent Open Letter signed by many
prominent organizations and individuals,
including Alex Neve, Secretary General
of Amnesty International Canada (English
Speaking Branch) and his counterpart
Béatrice Vaugrante of the francophone
branch, called on Mr Ignatieff to make
such a study a precondition for any
Liberal support for the deal.
Disappointingly, the Liberal Party's
Trade Critic Scott Brison was quoted in
the press as dismissive and rejecting
the recommendation out of hand. We have
even heard disturbing statements coming
from Liberal leadership that the human
rights situation is much improved under
the Uribe government. Such statements
are no different than what the Harper
government has to say and deny the
realities documented in report after
report by Amnesty International.
I. What you can do
Since Colombia and the
FTA will be up for debate in the
House on Monday, it is very important to
write to your MP immediately, express
your concerns again, and make it clear
that you expect nothing less than that
there is no implementation unless and
until a third party human rights study
is undertaken, with the findings then
addressed in an adequate fashion.
How Liberals choose to
vote on this issue will likely be the
deciding factor. For this reason, it
is particularly important to express
your concerns to Liberal MPs and to
Liberal Party leader, Michael Ignatieff
(see contacts below). We have reason to
believe that some Liberal MPs, who have
heard from constituents, are trying to
shift the position of the Liberal
leadership.
Members of other
organizations and trade unions are also
mobilizing right now. It is a crucial
time to put human rights front and
centre in the debate and to ensure that
trade and investment policy is put to
the test to ensure it does not undermine
human rights. Your letters are needed
this weekend, if possible, ahead of
debate on Bill C-23 that begins on
Monday. If you are unable to find time
this weekend, please try to send a
message as early next week as possible.
[Please note: Background information can
be found at
http://www.amnesty.ca/take_action/action
s/colombia_impacts_trade_negotiations.php]
II. Possible sample
wording
Personal messages in
your own words work best but below is a
sample of a message sent to a Liberal MP
this past week.
Dear MP,
I live in your riding
and wish to share a matter of great
concern to me -- namely Bill C-23 to
implement the free trade agreement that
the Harper government negotiated with
the government of Colombia, a country
that has the worst human rights record
in the hemisphere and the second largest
number of internally displaced people in
the world, after Sudan. It also has a
reputation as the most dangerous country
in the world to be a trade unionist.
As the bill goes to
second reading, I believe it is
imperative that MPs take seriously the
recommendations made last year by
Parliament's Committee on International
Trade and ensure, at the very least,
that the Bill does not pass without an
amendment to ensure that a
credible, third party human rights
impact assessment is carried out and any
problems identified are addressed before
implementation.
To my mind, the crucial
question to be answered is why not an
independent human rights impact
assessment!
I cannot emphasize
enough the importance of this issue for
the members of my household. We will be
watching and listening carefully as to
what happens next.
III. Who to write to
1. Write to your own MP.
You can find contact information at
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/
HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC
2. Also write to Michael
Ignatieff, Liberal Party Leader at
IgnatM@parl.gc.ca and send a copy to
Liberal Members of the Standing
Committee on International Trade: John
Cannis, Scott Brison and Mario Silva at
CanniJ@parl.gc.ca;
BrisoS@parl.gc.ca and
SilvaM@parl.gc.ca
3. If you have time, you
may also wish to send copies to other
Liberal MPs
Andrews.S@parl.gc.ca;
Bagnell.L@parl.gc.ca;
Bains.N@parl.gc.ca;
Belanger.M@parl.gc.ca;
Bennett.C@parl.gc.ca;
Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca;
Brison.S@parl.gc.ca;
Byrne.G@parl.gc.ca;
Cannis.J@parl.gc.ca;
Coady.S@parl.gc.ca;
Coderre.D@parl.gc.ca;
cotler.i@parl.gc.ca;
Crombie.B@parl.gc.ca;
Cuzner.R@parl.gc.ca;
Damours.J@parl.gc.ca;
Dhaliwal.S@parl.gc.ca;
DhallR@parl.gc.ca;
Dion.S@parl.gc.ca;
Dosanjh.U@parl.gc.ca;
Dryden.K@parl.gc.ca;
Duncan.K@parl.gc.ca;
Easter.W@parl.gc.ca;
Eyking.M@parl.gc.ca;
Folco.R@parl.gc.ca;
Foote.J@parl.gc.ca;
Fry.H@parl.gc.ca;
Garneau.M@parl.gc.ca;
Goodale.R@parl.gc.ca;
Guarnieri.A@parl.gc.ca;
HallFindlay.M@parl.gc.ca;
Holland.M@parl.gc.ca;
Ignatieff.M@parl.gc.ca;
Jennings.M@parl.gc.ca;
Kania.A@parl.gc.ca;
Karygiannis.J@parl.gc.ca;
Kennedy.G@parl.gc.ca;
Leblanc.D@parl.gc.ca;
Lee.D@parl.gc.ca;
MacAulay.L@parl.gc.ca;
Malhi.G@parl.gc.ca;
Martin.K@parl.gc.ca;
McCallum.J@parl.gc.ca;
McGuinty.D@parl.gc.ca;
McKay.J@parl.gc.ca;
McTeague.D@parl.gc.ca;
Mendes.A@parl.gc.ca;
Milliken.P@parl.gc.ca;
Minna.M@parl.gc.ca;
Murphy.B@parl.gc.ca;
Murphy.S@parl.gc.ca;
Murray.J@parl.gc.ca;
Neville.A@parl.gc.ca;
Oliphant.R@parl.gc.ca;
Pacetti.M@parl.gc.ca;
Patry.B@parl.gc.ca;
Pearson.G@parl.gc.ca;
Proulx.M@parl.gc.ca;
Rae.B@parl.gc.ca;
Ratansi.Y@parl.gc.ca;
Regan.G@parl.gc.ca;
Rodriguez.P@parl.gc.ca;
Rota.A@parl.gc.ca;
Russell.T@parl.gc.ca;
Savage.M@parl.gc.ca;
Scarpaleggia.F@parl.gc.ca;
Sgro.J@parl.gc.ca;
Silva.M@parl.gc.ca;
Simms.S@parl.gc.ca;
Simson.M@parl.gc.ca;
pszabo@istar.ca;
Tonks.A@parl.gc.ca;
Trudeau.J@parl.gc.ca;
Valeriote.F@parl.gc.ca;
Volpe.J@parl.gc.ca;
Wilfert.B@parl.gc.ca;
Wrzesnewskyj.B@parl.gc.ca;
Zarac.L@parl.gc.ca
IV. What else can I
do?
If you haven't already
done so, please make sure to contribute
your face to our Photo Petition for a
third party human rights impact
assessment of the Canada Colombia Free
Trade Agreement. By
collecting photos, instead of signatures
like a regular petition, we're hoping to
make visible that people from different
communities and all walks of life are
very concerned about the human rights
situation in Colombia and want a third
party human rights study to make sure
the FTA doesn't make the situation
worse. You can read more at
www.amnesty.ca/colombia
(top item in the blog). All you have to
do is take a digital photo of yourself
against a neutral background, holding a
sign written in large letters with a
thick black marker indicating your
name, where you live and your occupation
(rather than institutional affiliation).
We’re asking people to take photos of
friends, family and colleagues too.
Please send your
photos to our campaigner Sarah Beamish
at
kaaotera@gmail.com
Thanks so much for your concern and your
activism. Together we can make a
difference!
