The Government of Canada is in discussions with the European Union to establish a new "Free Trade Agreement".
Just what we need another "Free Trade Agreement". Since the first agreement back in 1988 and every agreement since than we have seen manufacturing devastated. Are the Plant closures and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that have been lost not proof enough that "Free Trade Agreements" to not work.
CAW Local 88 has sent the following letter to Prime Minister Harper demanding that the federal government stop any plans of any future "Free Trade Agreements";
July 29, 2010
Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister Of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Re: No More Free Trade Deals-CETA
Dear Prime Minister Harper
I am writing this letter as the President of CAW Local 88. Our Local Union represents over 2,400 members and their families in and around Ingersoll, Ontario.
I write you to tell you that the membership of CAW Local 88 and CAW members from across Canada are concerned about the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) that is currently being negotiated behind closed doors with no input from Canadians.
As you are aware Manufacturing is a critical piece of our local economy, the surrounding community and Canada as a whole. In Oxford and the surrounding area we have seen the elimination of shifts, plant closures and layoffs.
From 1987 to 2009 manufacturing job loss in Canada is alarming, the Labour Force by Industry has seen the manufacturing base shrink by 5.1% from 16.6% to 11.5%. From August of 2002 to December of 2008 we have seen over 400,000 manufacturing jobs lost. The Auto Industry has still not recovered. Since the financial crisis Canada has lost 28,000 auto jobs.
In the first five months of the year Canada’s auto trade deficit grew to $7.5 billion, an increase of 30% over the year before. If the volume of imports continues at this pace we will set yet another record-level automotive trade deficit in 2010. This is one record that Canadians would not be proud of.
The North American Auto Industry has descended into its worst crisis yet-one that threatens its very existence. This crisis has been caused by globalization, by free trade agreements, by poor management and by a private financial system that put speculation ahead of production-and is now collapsing around us, dragging down real industries, like auto, with it.
For years the CAW has warned that the industry was on a path that could only end in economic disaster. Governments that worship free trade opened the doors completely to imports, abandoning the sensible principle (once enshrined in the Auto Pact) that companies must produce here if they want to sell here. And instead of actively supporting and nurturing the auto sector like other counties do (with investment, technology, and infrastructure); North America governments mostly took the industry for granted. We are the only continent in the world that tolerates the massive trade imbalances that are killing this industry. North America imports over 4 million vehicles every year (enough to keep 20 assembly plants running full tilt), yet we export hardly anything back the other way. It is time to level the playing field in foreign trade and stop signing free trade agreements.
We built a uniquely successful place for ourselves in a fiercely competitive global industry. We did it with the help of sensible trade rules (like the Auto Pact), pro-active government policy (to attract and support key facilities), and the hard, productive efforts of autoworkers. I and the membership that CAW Local 88 represents remember when the manufacturing sector of our country was strong and prosperous. This sector provided many good paying full time jobs and it is a shame that we have lost so many of these jobs because of free trade agreements
CETA is bad for Canada. Trade with Europe would be a good deal if it meant more good jobs and better social services. But like all “Free Trade” agreements, the CETA is not about that. It’s about boosting corporate rights, lowering environmental standards and weakening public services. CETA will threaten many aspects of our lives, from our public services, to our jobs and labour rights, our environment, our food and farmers’ rights, our culture, our public health care, our telecommunications, our water and resources-even our democratic rights.
On behalf of the CAW Local 88 membership and their families, I urge you:
• to stop any plans of future free trade agreements-we need fair trade agreements.
• to actively manage the economy-we need a leader that will make decisions not follow the ups and downs of the market.
• to actively be involved in the development of a new North American Auto Pact that will preserve Canadian jobs.
We look forward to seeing you standing up in the House of Commons supporting all CAW workers and specifically workers of CAW Local 88, along with all workers across Canada by voting “NO” to any and all free trade agreements.
Please provide a written response to the issues that have been raised in this letter.
I look forward to meeting with you on this important matter.
Yours Sincerely,
Dan Borthwick
President
CAW Local 88
Cc
Executive Board CAW Local 88
Gilles Duceppe, Leader of Bloc Quebecois
Jack Layton, Leader of NDP
Michael Ignatieff, Leader of Liberal
Dave MacKenzie, Oxford MP
Call your MP and express your concerns. It is your job that you are fighting to protect.
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