STORY posted on April 27, 2010 by dawn
A Criminal Farce in Parliament
Letter from Colombia: The Canada-Colombia FTA is a criminal deal
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Today, April 27th, 2007, as I was writing this note to a friend, the International Trade Committee of the Canadian Parliament (CIIT) was listening to "witnsses" with absolutely no legitimacy or credibility in a farse orchestrated jointly by the Canadian Government and it´s "Liberal Oposition".
The most illegitimate Government in the hemisphere (together with the one in Honduras) and the most criminal and corrupt regime imaginable, is being heard as a witness together with fabricated union "leaders" and representatives of other "sectors". Let me begin at the conclusion: what is happenning at the CIIT is an absolute, shameful farce. Democratic institutions are being used in order to put forward propaganda to cover up a criminal deal with a criminal regime, with criminal intent. Liars are given space at the most important institution of Canadian democracy with the intent to validate their lies. It has happenned, and now, those of you who have read this far will not be allowed to say (as others have) "we didn't know." If you would be kind enough to share this note with others, maybe it will become harder to say "I didn't know," when the time comes where saying this will not be an acceptable excuse.
My impression is that the CIIT Liberals and Conservatives alike are worried about these sessions as the reaction has been strong and many qualified witnesses are wanting to speak. Given that in the past, public pressure has worked and forced them to back down fron ratifying a most damaging agreement, the new strategy includes a much promoted visit by the Colombian Minister of Commerce. Mr Plata, fortunately for us, no matter how much they will try to build up (jointly, Libs, Cons) a media strategy and discourse predicting the positions and statements of the forthcoming witnesses, can only repeat the official lies.
At this stage, ratifying a FTA with Colombia is a criminal act of complicity with a criminal regime openly discredited and exposed. Plata represents a regime of assasins, drug traffickers, corrupt thieves and liars for which there is evidence everywhere. Evidence that every single Liberal and Conservative MP knows and understands. Evidence presented with such strength that it cannot be argued any further. Evidence they have heard on several ocasions at the CIIT, where the NDP´s Peter Julian and the Bloc Québecois have spoken and brought it out to the open. The mere fact that they are trying to throw perfume on something that stinks, demonstrates how low Canada has gone (Liberals and Conservatives). Hence, this is no longer a moment for only an act of solidarity with Colombia. It is, first and foremost, a turning point for Canada and Canadian history. If the agreement is ratified, Canada will have consciously and openly supported and become an ally of a criminal regime in order to guarantee profit for specific destructive interests (mostly mining).
The horrendous fact behind this truth is that the Canadian Government and parliament will expose a painful reality with which Canadians are going to have to live facing the world for generations to come: that they (the Conservative and Liberal parties) are at the service of criminal corporate interests and favour criminal regimes involved in these activities.
Under the circumstances, what they are intending to orchestrate with Mr Plata's visit and the manipulation of the CIIT sessions is a washover, a cover-up of the perverse truth of the CCFTA, to portray an accord for despossession and destruction on behalf of corporate criminals, as a trade agreement for commercial interests.
The CCFTA agreement will deny trade. It will destroy the environment. It will generate unemployment and displacement. It will promote illegal drug production and trafficking by forcing rural producers to survive where their legal crops become worthless. It will cause massive natural destruction, it is based on corruption. It will consolidate terror as a means for profit. It will further isolate Colombia from the world. All this is predictable, expected and known. This is not a trade deal, this is a criminal deal, maffia style, between criminals, for profit and terror at the expense of all of Canada´s history and the Canadian Parliament and Government at the service of the worst intentions and interests.
It is quite possible (and only fair) that one of the outcomes of this deal (that means almost nothing in terms of real trade for Canad) will be that this country, Canada, once the real intentions of this deal become exposed and known, Canada, will find it hard to engage in trade deals with other stronger economies who would not and should not trust the intentions and words of a country that has ratified a deal with criminal intent. Canada is causing itself grave damage as a trading partner with large economies as a result of this deal and will risk isolating itself in order to achieve benefits for (mainly mining) some sepcific sectors.
I would love a trade agreement with Canada and Colombia, and both countries need it for the benefit of our peoples. But this agreement being discussed and ratified now, is against trade in every meaningful and decent aspect including having to lie in order to ratify it. If what they (Government and Liberals) intend to prove were truth, we would (and the BQ and NDP) be supporting a FTA. We would need it if it would generate conditions for peaceful enhancement of wellbeing and protection of rights, freedoms and nature in both countries through trade, which is the oposite of what it will achieve.
These are sad times for Canada. Most Canadians, trusting their Government and oposition in parliament, oblivious, ignorant or gullible with regards to these matters, have not realized how far the legislators of their main political parties are willing to go and cover up, cheat, lie, and carry out whatever activities are required to grant private profit and against trade. In essence, they are presenting the CCFTA as the oposite of what it truly is.
Canada is in the process of making, by action and omission, a crucial decision for its own history and credibility in the world. Ratifying this falsely labelled free trade agreement and become accomplices to terror and crime for criminal profit under the false label "trade". While I send this note, the liars are speaking in Parliament, and those who invited them to deceipt Canadians, are pretending to listen carefully.
Toronto, April 27 2010
Manuel Rozental
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