HAUT
The Liberals this week closed ranks with the Conservatives in passing legislation that brought two years of vigorous public debate to an end—and finalized a free trade deal alongside a new human rights agreement with Colombia that civil society leaders say lowers the bar on human rights.
“This new human rights agreement is empty. It does nothing to repair Canada’s sullied human rights reputation in the world,” said Gerry Barr, President-CEO of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC). “It also sets a limiting and therefore dangerous precedent for other trade agreements, including the one being currently negotiated between the United States and Colombia.”
The Liberal and Conservative endorsement of the free trade agreement (FTA) between Colombia and Canada was linked to a controversial side agreement with the Government of Colombia. The final version of this side deal—which is significantly different from what independent human rights groups were calling for—allows both the Canadian and Colombian governments to write their own human rights reports on the impacts of the FTA.
“Defending workers rights in Colombia is a death sentence,” says Canadian Labour Congress President Ken Georgetti. “48 of 100 union assassinations worldwide in 2009 took place in Colombia—almost half. Few if any of the perpetrators of these crimes are in jail. Ratifying the FTA now signals that Canada condones this vicious reality for Colombian workers.”
(From the Toronto and York Region Labour Council)
