ISDS Case Map
Colombia
Many Canadians may never know the difficulties of people resisting the military imposition of an economic model that is ultimately intended for the entire planet, or for 'our Mother Earth' as the indigenous peoples in Cauca call it. Many Canadians may not know the extent to which they are kept in the dark through the entrenched telling and retelling of the "Canada the good" mythology. It's time to wake up, eh?
What's the monetary value of a Colombian trade unionist's life? As it turns out, it depends on how many are killed in a given year since the potential fines the Colombian government will have to pay as penalty under its free trade agreement (FTA) with Canada whenever a union activist is killed is capped at $15 million. If this sounds like a sick joke I apologize, but this is in effect what the Canadian government actually negotiated.
Canadian opposition legislators on Monday strongly criticized Ottawa for agreeing to the terms of a free trade deal with Colombia, suggesting it had only done so because the move would help US President George W. Bush.
Canada said on Saturday it had wrapped up free trade negotiations with Colombia and reached agreement on related labor and environmental issues, but the deal could raise criticism from opposition lawmakers concerned about the Andean country's human rights record.
On May 5th, 2008 Canada's Trade Minister, David Emerson, proudly declared that Canada is "very close" to concluding free trade negotiations with Colombia. Canada's push into Colombia is part of its broader interest and growing economic influence in Latin America going back to the 1990s.
A concrete mixer. Crates of cauliflower. A Harley-Davidson. Chunks of cheese. President Bush used a White House lawn stacked with props yesterday to press Congress to approve free-trade pacts with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.
A group of Canadian MPs travelled to Colombia Monday to get a first-hand look at one of the hemisphere's most volatile countries before Ottawa finalizes a free trade deal with its government.
Parliament is currently debating whether to approve the still-undisclosed text of a future free-trade agreement with Colombia. Canada's expected gains are increased access for agricultural and mining goods, plus better legal protection for Canadian companies investing in Colombia. Colombian gains are rather small, however - concentrated on flowers and textiles, since 80 per cent of what is sold to Canada already enters free of duty.
The US Congress should pass the Colombian free trade agreement to help the Andean country reform and strengthen its economy and improve its democratic institutions, the World Bank said on Thursday.
Canada's Trade Minister David Emerson said he may soon complete a free trade agreement with Colombia, rejecting a plan by U.S. congressional Democrats to wait until the Latin American nation improves its human rights record.
