News
      7
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Protestors
      fight
      Prime
      Minister's
      push
      for
      freer
      trade
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Jean
      Chretien
      feels
      that
      freer
      trade
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Source:
      The
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Varsity
      (University
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Toronto)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Richard
     
    
   
   
    
     
      McKergow
     
    
   
   
    
     
      necessary
      in
      this
      global
      world
     
    
   
   
    
     
      TORONTO
     
     
      (CUP)
      -
      While
      Prime
     
     
      Minister
      Jean
      Chretien
     
     
      was
      busy
      singing
      the
     
     
      benefits
      of
      free
      trade
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Taxation
     
     
      Continued
      from
      page
      6
     
    
   
   
    
     
      native”
      budget
      update.
     
    

    
     
      According
      to
      Jim
     
     
      Stanford
      -
      an
      economist
     
     
      and
      chair
      with
      the
     
     
      Macro
      and
      Fiscal
      Policy
     
     
      Committee
      and
      author
     
     
      of
      the
      alternative
     
     
      budget
      update
      -
      over
     
     
      the
      next
      five
      years
      the
     
     
      federal
      surplus
      could
     
     
      accumulate
      to
      a
      whop-
     
     
      ping
      $117
      billion.
     
    

    
     
      This
      could
      occur
     
     
      in
      the
      absence
      of
      any
     
     
      tax
      changes
      or
      major
     
     
      new
      programs.
     
    

    
     
      In
      Canada,
      the
     
     
      taxation
      system
      is
     
     
      intended
      to
      work
      on
     
     
      the
      principle
      of
      pro-
     
     
      gressive
      taxation
      -
     
     
      working
      to
      even
      out
     
     
      incomes
      over
      time
      by
     
     
      taxing
      high
      incomes
      at
     
     
      a
      relatively
      higher
      rate.
     
    

    
     
      However,
      accord-
     
     
      ing
      to
      a
      report
      by
      the
     
     
      Manitoba
      branch
      of
      the
     
     
      CCPA,
      when
      all
      taxes
     
     
      are
      taken
      into
      account
     
     
      Canada
      has
      a
      nearly
      flat
     
     
      taxation
      system
      with
     
     
      everyone
      paying
      a
     
     
      similar
      percentage
      of
     
     
      their
      income
      in
      taxes.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “This
      unbal-
     
     
      anced
      system
      has
     
     
      made
      the
      rich
      richer
     
     
      and
      the
      poor
      poorer
      -
     
     
      and
      the
      gap
      keeps
     
     
      growing,”
      claims
      the
     
     
      report.
      —
     
    

    
     
      The
      alternative
     
     
      budget
      update,
      pre-
     
     
      pared
      using
      an
      eco-
     
     
      nomic
      simulation
     
     
      model
      similar
      to
      the
     
     
      tederal
      governments,
     
     
      considers
      the
      various
     
     
      effects
      of
      economic
     
     
      growth,
      inflation
      and
     
     
      interest
      rates
      on
     
     
      components
      of
      the
     
     
      federal
      budget.
     
    

    
     
      The
      CCPA’s
      ©
     
     
      simulation
      confirms
     
     
      Ottawa
      should
      be
      able
     
     
      to
      announce
      and
      fund
     
     
      new
      investments
      in
     
     
      human
      services
     
     
      and
      public
      infrastruc-
     
     
      ture
      in
      its
      coming
     
     
      budget
      without
     
     
      significant
      tax
      in-
     
     
      creases.
     
    

    
     
      It
      is
      expected
     
     
      Martin
      will
      try
      to
     
     
      implement
      both
      tax
     
     
      cuts
      and
      increase
     
     
      spending
      in
      his
     
     
      upcoming
      February
     
     
      budget.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      the
      Americas,
     
     
      demonstrators
      chanted
     
     
      outside
      in
      the
      cold.
     
    

    
     
      Last
      week,
      the
     
     
      Toronto
      Convention
     
     
      Centre
      played
      host
      to
     
     
      the
      fifth
      Americas
     
     
      Business
      Forum.
     
    

    
     
      The
      meeting
     
     
      provided
      discussion
      on
     
     
      the
      Free
      Trade
      Area
      of
     
     
      the
      Americas
      (FTAA),
      an
     
     
      agreement
      that
      would
     
     
      see
      free
      trade
      between
     
     
      Canada
     
     
      and
      34
     
    
   
   
    
     
      good
      neighbours.”
     
    

    
     
      However,
      a
      small
     
     
      band
      of
      protestors
     
     
      outside
      the
      Convention
     
     
      Centre
      completely
     
     
      disagreed.
     
    

    
     
      “Bullshit,
      get
      off
     
     
      it,
      the
      enemy
      is
      profit!”
     
     
      they
      chanted.
      ‘
     
    

    
     
      “It’s
      an
      agreement
     
     
      not
      based
      in
      reality,”
     
     
      said
      Erin
      Hodge,
      a
     
     
      volunteer
      at
      the
      On-
     
     
      tario
      Public
      Interest
     
    
   
   
    
     
      understand
      that
      access
     
     
      to
      the
      market
      must
      be
     
     
      backed
      up
      by
      regimes
     
     
      that
      are
      fair
      and
      trans-
     
     
      parent.
      That
      is
      why
      we
     
     
      joined
      NAFTA
      with
     
     
      our
      two
      other
      North
     
     
      American
      Amigos,
      the
     
     
      United
      States
      and
     
     
      Mexico.”
     
    

    
     
      “That
      is
      why
      we
     
     
      hawe’a
      free
      trade
      agree-
     
     
      ment
      with
      Chile,
      and
     
     
      we
      invest
      such
      impor-
     
     
      tance
      in
      the
     
     
      launch
      of
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      South
     
     
      American
     
     
      countries
     
     
      by
      the
     
     
      year
     
    
   
   
    
     
      2005.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Both
     
     
      Marc
     
     
      Lalonde,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      rights
      violations
      ...’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “there
      have
      been
     
     
      thousands
      of
      deaths
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      insane
      human
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      b
     
    
   
   
    
     
      new
      run
      of
     
     
      global
      nego-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tiations.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Chretien
      says
     
     
      Free
      Trade
      is
     
     
      not
      an
      end
      in
     
     
      itself,
      but
     
     
      rather
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      means
      toa
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
     
     
      Forum
     
     
      chairman
      and
      a
      former
     
     
      minister
      in
      the
      Trudeau
     
     
      government,
      and
      Federal
     
     
      Minister
      of
      Trade
      Pierre
     
     
      Pettigrew
      met
      with
     
     
      approximately
      1,000
     
     
      business
      delegates
      from
     
     
      across
      the
      Americas.
     
    

    
     
      “Tt
      has
      been
     
     
      written
      that
      ‘good
      fences
     
     
      make
      good
      neighbours,”
     
     
      said
      Chretien.
      “[But]
     
     
      with
      the
      rise
      of
      a
      truly
     
    
   
   
    
     
      global
      economy,
      and
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      global
      village,
      it
      is
      clear
     
     
      that
      good
      bridges
      make
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Research
      Group
      and
     
     
      organizer
      of
      the
      dem-
     
     
      onstration.
      “It’s
      funda-
     
     
      mentally
      undemocratic.
     
     
      It
      tries
      to
      transform
      all
     
     
      laws
      to
      the
      approval
      of
     
     
      supranational
      agree-
     
     
      ments.”
     
    

    
     
      But
      Chretien’s
     
     
      hopes
      remain
      high
      for
     
     
      the
      FTAA.
     
    

    
     
      “Canada
      is
      in
     
     
      NAFTA
      because
      40
      per
     
     
      cent
      of
      Gross
      Domestic
     
     
      Product
      depends
      on
     
     
      trade,”
      he
      said.
      “We
     
    
   
   
    
     
      better
     
     
      economy
      for
     
     
      its
      participants.
     
    

    
     
      “[We
      want
      to
     
     
      work
      towards]
      building
     
     
      a
      better
      quality
      of
      life
     
    
   
   
    
     
      for
      our
      people,”
      he
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “We
      are
      also
      working
     
     
      together
      to
      strengthen
     
     
      democratic
      institutions,
     
     
      and
      provide
      for
      the
     
     
      wellbeing
      of
      our
      fellow
     
     
      citizens,
      consolidating
     
     
      democracy,
      improving
     
     
      quality
      and
      availability
     
     
      of
      social
      services,
     
     
      protecting
      the
      environ-
     
     
      ment
      and
      ensuring
     
    
   
   
    
     
      access
      to
      education.”
     
    

    
     
      But
      much
      of
     
     
      what
      Chretien
      said
     
     
      came
      under
      fire
      from
     
     
      activists.
     
    

    
     
      “In
      Columbia
      in
     
     
      the
      last
      decade,
      there
     
     
      have
      been
      thousands
      of
     
     
      deaths,
      and
      insane
     
     
      human
      rights
      viola-
     
     
      tions,”
      said
      Genny
     
     
      Santos,
      a
      volunteer
      for
     
     
      the
      University
      of
     
     
      Toronto
      OPIRG
      divi-
     
     
      sion.
     
    

    
     
      Santos
      took
      aim
     
     
      at
      Chretien’s
      claim
      that
     
     
      Ottawa
      is
      only
      inter-
     
     
      ested
      in
      negotiating
     
     
      with
      peaceful
      regimes.
     
    

    
     
      “In
      the
      results
      of
     
     
      NAFTA
      we
      can
      see
     
     
      increased
      sweatshop
     
     
      labour
      conditions,
     
     
      increased
      unemploy-
     
     
      ment,
      increased
      corpo-
     
     
      rate
      take-overs
      over
     
     
      indigenous
      lands
      and
     
     
      the
      only
      people
      that
     
     
      benefit
      from
      it
      are
      the
     
     
      elite,”
      said
      Santos.
     
    

    
     
      Chretien,
      how-
     
     
      ever,
      would
      say
      that
     
     
      opinions
      like
      Santos’
     
     
      are
      due
      to
      a
      lack
      of
     
     
      communication
      be-
     
     
      tween
      governments
      and
     
     
      activists.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      government
     
     
      has
      to
      make
      sure
      that
     
     
      the
      benefits
      of
      freer
     
     
      trade
      are
      better
      com-
     
     
      municated
      to
      those
     
     
      who
      fear
      it,”
      he
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      END