Fair
      Trade,
      Not
      Free
      Trade
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      Senate
      passed
      a
     
     
      motion
      on
      Friday,
      April
      6
      encour-
     
     
      aging
      professors
      to
      be
      flexible
      in
     
     
      their
      exam
      scheduling
      for
      students
     
     
      wishing
      to
      attend
      the
      Summit
      of
      the
     
     
      Americas
      or
      the
      People’s
      Summit
     
     
      activities
      on
      April
      19,
      20
      and
      21
      in
     
     
      Québec
      City.
      This
      motion
      was
      put
     
     
      forward
      by
      the
      student
      union
      so
     
     
      that
      students
      who
      are
      impassioned
     
     
      by
      ongoing
      free
      trade
      criticisms,
      or
     
     
      those
      who
      are
      inclined
      to
      find
      out
     
     
      more
      and
      get
      involved,
      may
      not
      be
     
     
      denied
      this
      opportunity.
     
    

    
     
      FTAA,
      WTO,
      MAI,
      IMF.
     
     
      What
      is
      this
      puzzling
      array
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      acronyms
      and
      legal
      jargon
      which
      is
      ©
     
    
   
   
    
     
      provoking
      a
      massive
      eruption
      of
     
     
      demonstration
      within
      civil
      society?
     
     
      Why
      are
      students
      and
      many
      other
     
     
      concerned
      citizens
      linking
      arms
      to
     
     
      barricade
      trade
      meetings?
      Why
      do
     
     
      these
      people
      make
      the
      time
      to
     
     
      protest
      and
      take
      the
      risk
      of
      physical
     
     
      assault
      and
      injury?
      The
      answer
      is
     
     
      both
      noble
      and
      simple:
      freedom.
     
    

    
     
      Next
      week
      in
      Quebec
      City,
     
     
      34
      heads
      of
      state
      representing
      every
     
     
      country
      in
      the
      western
      hemisphere,
     
     
      with
      the
      exception
      of
      Cuba,
      will
     
     
      gather
      at
      what
      is
      being
      called
      the
     
     
      Summit
      of
      the
      Americas.
      Amongst
     
     
      the
      summit’s
      proceedings
      political
     
     
      leaders
      will
      engage
      in
      negotiations
     
     
      of
      a
      Free
      Trade
      Area
      of
      the
     
     
      Americas
      (FTAA)
      Agreement.
      This
     
     
      agreement
      promises
      to
      be
      a
      geo-
     
     
      graphical
      extension
      of
      the
      North
     
     
      American
      Free
      Trade
      Agreement
     
     
      (NAFTA),
      as
      well
      as
      adding
      a
      new
     
     
      and
      broader
      scope
      of
      content:
      the
     
     
      addition
      of
      ‘services’
      to
      the
      trading
     
     
      table.
     
    

    
     
      There
      are
      several
      concerns
     
     
      to
      be
      brought
      forward
      by
      existing
     
     
      trade
      agreements
      as
      well
      as
      the
     
     
      hypothetical
      content
      of
      the
      FTAA.
     
    

    
     
      First
      of
      all,
      NAFTA
      has
     
    
   
   
    
     
      proved
      to
      be
      less
      than
      satisfactory
     
     
      in
      several
      regards,
      most
      notably
      in
     
     
      matters
      of
      environmental,
      health
     
     
      and
      labour
      policies.
      Within
      this
     
     
      agreement
      there
      is
      what
      is
      called
      an
     
     
      ‘investor
      state’
      clause
      which
      pro-
     
     
      tects
      corporations
      from
      unfair
      trade
     
     
      barriers
      and
      gives
      private
      industry
     
     
      the
      right
      to
      sue
      a
      country,
      a
     
     
      province,
      or
      a
      state.
      A
      good
      exam-
     
     
      ple
      of
      how
      disastrous
      this
      regula-
     
     
      tion
      has
      been
      is
      the
      case
      in
      which
     
     
      US-based
      Ethyl
      Corporation
      forced
     
     
      Canada
      to
      pay
      $19.3
      million
      in
     
     
      damages
      for
      lost
      revenue
      when
     
     
      Canada
      banned
      MMT
      (methylcy-
     
     
      clopentadienyl
      manganese
      tricar-
     
     
      bonyl).
      Perhaps
      even
      more
      alarm-
     
     
      ing
      is
      the
      fact
      that
      Canada
      was
     
     
      forced
      to
      drop
      its
      ban
      on
      this
      dan-
     
     
      gerous
      gasoline
      additive,
      a
      toxin
     
     
      known
      to
      attack
      the
      human
      nervous
     
     
      system.
      This
      example
      does
      not
     
     
      stand
      alone:
      time
      and
      time
      again,
     
     
      corporations
      have
      gone
      up
      against
     
     
      government
      regulations
      and
      consis-
     
     
      tently
      the
      public
      loses
      out.
     
    

    
     
      So
      imagine
      the
      situation
      if
     
     
      ‘services’
      become
      a
      tradable
      com-
     
     
      modity.
      This
      could
      pose
      a
      serious
     
     
      threat
      to
      many
      of
      the
      social
      pro-
     
     
      grammes
      we
      Canadians
      value
      as
     
     
      rights.
      For
      example,
      if
      such
      an
     
     
      “investor
      state’
      clause
      is
      attached
      to
     
     
      the
      trading
      of
      a
      service
      like
      educa-
     
     
      tion,
      then
      it
      is
      safe
      to
      assume
      that
      a
     
     
      for-profit
      corporation
      could
      sue
      our
     
     
      government
      for
      providing
      grants
      to
     
     
      public
      schools,
      claiming
      these
     
     
      grants
      are
      a
      major
      trade
      barrier.
      As
     
     
      taxpayers,
      we
      could
      be
      forced
      to
     
     
      fund
      a
      privately
      owned
      institution,
     
     
      leading
      to
      the
      demise
      of
      our
      public
     
     
      education
      system.
      This
      is
      foresee-
     
     
      ably
      a
      road
      to
      the
      destruction
      of
      our
     
     
      public
      post-secondary
      system,
      a
     
     
      system
      where
      private
      universities
     
     
      and
      colleges
      are
      already
      existing
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Freedom
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      competing.
     
    

    
     
      Until
      recently,
      the
      working
     
     
      texts
      of
      the
      FTAA
      agreements
      were
     
     
      to
      remain
      away
      from
      public
      scruti-
     
     
      ny,
      but
      it
      was
      announced
      on
     
     
      Saturday,
      April
      7
      that
      these
      texts
     
     
      will
      be
      released,
      although
      not
      in
     
     
      time
      for
      the
      Québec
      City
      meetings
     
     
      on
      April
      21
      and
      22.
      Until
      these
     
     
      texts
      are
      made
      public
      we
      must
     
     
      make
      our
      concerns
      known
      and
     
     
      remain
      skeptical
      of
      the
      democratic
     
     
      processes
      involved
      .in
      these
      deliber-
     
     
      ations.
      Any
      meeting
      which
      takes
     
     
      place
      behind
      concrete
      barricades
     
     
      and
      barbed
      wire
      would
      appear
      to
      be
     
     
      hiding
      something.
     
    

    
     
      There
      are
      many
      other
      areas
     
     
      of
      concern
      within
      these
      negotia-
     
     
      tions,
      all
      of
      which
      culminate
      to
      one
     
     
      chief
      concern:
      who
      holds
      the
      power
     
    
   
   
    
     
      when
      all
      is
      said
      and
      done?
      The
     
     
      answer
      may
      regrettably
      not
      be
      soci-
     
     
      ety
      as
      a
      whole;
      not
      the
      voter
      or
      the
     
     
      elected
      official.
      These
      agreements
     
     
      have
      the
      ability
      to
      move
      power
      into
     
     
      a
      corporate
      sphere
      which
      is
     
     
      accountable
      to
      no
      one.
      .
     
    

    
     
      Next
      week,
      everyone
      in
      the
     
     
      streets
      of
      Québec
      City
      will
      come
     
     
      with
      their
      own
      background
      and
     
     
      concerns,
      but
      all
      will
      come
      togeth-
     
     
      er
      and
      play
      active
      role
      in
      civil
      soci-
     
     
      ety
      activities,
      educating
      ourselves
     
     
      and
      speaking
      out.
      Democracy
      in
     
     
      action.
      Freedom.
     
    

    
     
      For
      anyone
      interested
      in
     
     
      attending
      activities
      in
      Quebec
      or
     
     
      local
      activities,
      or
      if
      you
      have
      any
     
     
      questions,
      concerns
      or
      comments,
     
     
      please
      contact
      me
      for
      further
      infor-
     
     
      mation
      at
      bmecarville@upei.ca.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ~The
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      1