Olivia Chow, MP

Olivia Chow demands workers’ rights before corporate profits in Colombia

OTTAWA – October 9, 2009

Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity-Spadina, NDP):  Madam Speaker, Canada is a country that has standards, both for human rights and labour law. That is why I cannot support the proposed free trade agreement with Colombia. If Canada is to stand up for human rights and the protection of workers, we cannot sign a free trade agreement with a country where workers do not have basic freedoms.

The government believes that a free trade deal with Colombia is a good idea because of economics. Free trade, however, does not benefit everyone equally. Nobel prize winner, Joseph Stegler said last year:

Standard economic theory does not say that everyone will be better off as a result of trade liberalization, only that the winners could compensate the losers.

Free trade will not benefit the common people of Colombia.

The Canadian Council for International Cooperation reports that this trade agreement will have a significant impact on Colombia’s agriculture, which represents a significant portion of the country’s GDP. The proposed free trade agreement is standard, and Colombia stands to lose the most. Clearly, those who will hurt the most are those who are workers at the bottom of the ladder.

In Colombia, labour laws do not give workers basic protection. Their labour code does not meet the international labour organization’s minimum standards. I would expect that Canadians would be outraged if this were the case here in Canada. Why should Canada encourage trade with a country where workers’ rights are not valued?

Violence against labour organizers in Colombia is rampant. There have been 2, 685 union workers killed in the last 25 years. Due to impunity, 97% of these murder cases remain unresolved. It is not only that Colombians do not have basic workers’ rights, they are incapable of asking for them because their very lives are threatened.

Someone who recently came to Canada from Colombia and is living in Ottawa said:
Free trade means big countries like Canada versus small countries like Colombia, and as Colombia has no final products, industry is not well developed. Colombia has a lot of basic natural resources, so big, developed countries like Canada can take advantage of Colombia by getting cheap natural resources tax free. Then the natural resources are processed abroad, and for Colombia, it means that jobs are created outside the country. There is no benefit for the workers and the people of Colombia. Free trade with Colombia is a sophisticated way to take advantage of the people, and it is not a secret in Colombia that guerillas, paramilitary, the police and the drug dealers work together. You never know who is who and you never know who is honest.

This statement from the Colombian woman clearly demonstrates that violence affects day to day life. Here in Canada we take human rights for granted. We cannot forget that our actions affect what happens elsewhere, and that we have a responsibility to help our own economy without hurting the lives of others in a far away country.

As members of the United Nations, we have international obligations, and this legislation demonstrates that the government is not respecting those commitments.

Even the United States Congress rejected a free trade agreement with Colombia. American President Barack Obama has said:

We have to stand for human rights and we have to make sure that violence is not perpetrated against workers who are just trying to organize for their rights.

The government is only concerned about Canada’s economic interests, without regard to possible effects on the Colombian people. Colombia is not such a significant trading partner for Canada, but the benefits for Canada will not be significant enough to justify this trade agreement.

The Prime Minister has stated that it is a ridiculous idea to expect other countries to deal with their social, political and human rights problems, but I know many Canadians who feel that it is a more ridiculous position to encourage a trade system that does not uphold the rights of its own people.

In the past Canada has sanctioned irresponsible governments. We cannot turn back and imply that leaders can do whatever they want without consequences.