Free Trade In The Americas: End The Secrecy
Quebec parliamentarians must demand a more transparent and accountable negotiating process of the proposed Free Trade Area of the America (FTAA), Warren Allmand, President of Rights & Democracy, said today.
Quebec, September 27, 2000 ? Quebec parliamentarians must demand a more transparent and accountable negotiating process of the proposed Free Trade Area of the America (FTAA), Warren Allmand, President of Rights & Democracy, said today.
The negotiations are going on in a vacuum without input from citizens of the hemisphere or elected officials. Not enough is known about the impacts of trade liberalization on social, economic and cultural rights, Mr. Allmand told the Quebec National Assembly Parliamentary Commission on Institutions, studying the proposed FTAA.
"Nine negotiating groups are meeting behind closed doors in Miami, drafting critical texts on investment, intellectual property rights and services ? including health and education ? meanwhile parliamentarians and citizens are excluded from the process and unable to respond in an informed manner," he said. There are indications that the final texts will not be made public until shortly before the Summit of the Americas in April 2001 to be held in Quebec.
Quebec parliamentarians also have a role to play to ensure that civil liberties and the rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are protected throughout the process leading up and during the Summit of the Americas, which will be held in Quebec City in April 2001.
"The heavy-handed security arrangements surrounding the Summit appear to be excessive," Mr. Allmand said. He agreed that special security arrangements are needed when 34 heads of state meet, but heavy police presence and almost routine use of pepper spray are counter-productive and provocative. "The vast majority are seeking to express their views peacefully at the summit."
All these questions touch on the fundamental issue of the human rights of citizens of the American hemisphere. "The international economic order we are living with today directly contradicts human rights principles, as illustrated by the growing gap between rich and poor both between and within countries," he said. Mr. Allmand pointed to a recent University of Toronto study, which found that income distribution has significantly worsened in most Latin American countries in recent years. The trend coincided with the application of economic reform packages including more open trade regimes, the dismantling of labour institutions and the scaling down of the public sector.
Mr. Allmand urged Quebec parliamentarians to push for more comprehensive studies on the impacts of the FTAA including a critical evaluation of the application of Chapter 11 of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and its effect on state sovereignty before further negotiations on investment take place.
Ensuring respect and enjoyment of human rights should be the objective of the FTAA: "The goal is not free trade, economic growth or lower tariffs... they are not ends in themselves. The end must be more access for more people to civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights."
The President of Rights & Democracy also said that Cuba should be integrated in the FTAA negotiating process. "It is obvious to any serious observer of Cuba that economic isolation has only made the situation worse and reduced the likelihood that Castro will loosen his grip on power."
