The Canada-Colombia "free trade agreement" is now on its way through the Canadian Parliament for ratification. The current ultra-conservative Canadian government launched the process of ratification, but it is supported by Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff; if other Liberals fall in line behind Ignatieff, this damaging agreement will be ratified. Parliament has 21 working days to debate the text of the agreement, which is quite similar to that of the US-Colombia FTA.

Without a doubt, ratification of the Canada-Colombia FTA would be used in Washington as a way to pressure the Obama administration and the US Congress with the argument "If Canada is willing to sign an agreement, the United States must do so too."

Canadians and Colombians are issuing urgent calls to join their struggle against their countries’ FTA. They tell us that support from people in the US is very important and highly appreciated. Thus we are working in direct coordination with social movements in Canada and Colombia, and strategies for supporting this struggle from the United States are quickly being fine-tuned. The effort must take high priority—it’s our last chance to oppose this FTA.

Remember, if the Canada-Colombia FTA passes, the way will be paved for the US-Colombia FTA and other pending agreements. Please contact us if you want to help.

In the coming days we’ll be in touch again with actions and letters so that you can speak out. For now, below you will find a March 31, 2009, letter sent from congresspersons in Colombia to their counterparts in Canada, urging a NO vote on ratification.

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Across the Americas
P.O. Box 268733 <— new
Chicago, IL 60626-8733
773-938-1036 (phone and fax)
http://www.acrosstheamericas.org
info@acrosstheamericas.org

Bogotá, 31 March 2009

International Trade Committee of the Canadian Parliament

Ottawa, Canada

The undersigned Colombian senators and representatives most cordially invite you to not approve the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed by the governments of Canada and Colombia.

In brief, there are two main reasons for our request:

Almost twenty years of “free trade” in Colombia show that such policies cause major damage to the urban and rural economies of our country, place the State in the service of powerful monopolies and transnationals, further concentrate wealth, and increase unemployment and poverty. In addition, the current international economic crisis and Canada’s experience spanning several decades show that “free trade” is also not positive for Canadian workers.

The FTA between Colombia and Canada may serve powerful economic interests in the two countries, but not their respective peoples.

Secondly, the U.S. Democratic Party is completely right in stating that the Colombian government headed by President Alvaro Uribe would not pass a human rights test, especially with respect to the violence against trade unionists and the impunity that the government enjoys. It is obvious that an FTA between Canada and Colombia will be used in the United States and Europe as a sort of absolution of the Colombian government in this regard. Is the Canadian government certain that it can issue such an absolution? How does that decision serve the Canadian people?

Instead of the FTA, parliamentarians from the two countries must seek the best means of establishing relations between our peoples.

Sincerely,

Signing Senators:
Jorge Enrique Robledo Castillo, Gloria Inés Ramírez, Luis Carlos Avellaneda, Alexander López, Parmenio Cuellar, Jesús Bernal.

Signing Representatives to the Chamber:
Germán Enrique Reyes Forero, Germán Navas Talero, Pedro Obando, River Franflin Legro, René Garzón, María Isabel Urrutia, Venus Albeiro Silva Gómez, Wilson Borja Díaz.

[signatures follow]