Oh How Can we Keep Silent? Canada’s Free trade Negotiations with Colombia

Colombia is home to the largest population of internally displaced persons in the world. It is the only country in the Americas currently in a state of internal armed conflict, which claims some 3,000 lives every year. Colombia’s government is currently mired in a complex political scandal which is bringing the current adminsitration of Alvaro Uribe’s relationships with paramilitary militias to the public fore. According to Amnesty International, these groups are responsible for the vast majority of the gross human rights violations ocurring in a war which has ravaged the country for the past 60 years. Colombia’s military has one of the worst human rights records in the hemisphere and Colombia maintains its place as the world’s leader in trade union official assasinations.

Church leaders and communities continue to be targetted by all armed actors involved in the war. In 2006, 68 cases of human rights violations, representing 223 victims and 289 aggressive acts, were registered by a project dedicated to documenting violations of human rights abuses suffered by Protestant Churches in the country. Just 2 months ago, a Mennonite Central Committee partner was attacked in a politically motivated assault, intended to instill fear and hesistancy in the hearts of those working to bring about Christ-centred social change in the country and a just peace for all.

Yet, the Canadian government has deemed Colombia and President Alvaro Uribe’s current administration – himself having been implicated in ties with illegal armed mercenary groups and drug cartels(Juan Forrero, Washington Post, “Colombia President Denies Ties to Paramilitary Groups”, April 20, 2007)– a prime destination for increased Canadian investment, having initiated free trade negotiations just a few weeks ago. This is the country where Canada’s newly proposed “Third Way” diplomacy will have its debut, proposing to demonstrate a new balance between the US-inspired free market capitalism and hard-line socialist policies of the Latin American Left. Canada’s brave entrance into the murky waters of human rights concerns amid the continued criticsm of the Uribe administration’s lack of ability to curb allegations of ties with paramilitaries, is even less responsible than the US House of Representatives. In turning a blind-eye to humanitarian concerns and a clearly-marked path of favouring Canadian business before Canadian ethical concerns, Harper’s new Foreign Policy agenda for the region is less concerned with human life than that of the United States House of Representatives. While the democratic US Congress has rejected ratifying a bilateral free trade agreement with Colombia until clear improvement in the government’s human rights record can be proven and ties with paramilitary groups are entirely severed, Harper has called the expectation of negotiations to be contingent on social and political justice “ridiculous”.(The Economist, “Saying no to Free Trade, July 18)

As Canada attempts to establish a new place for itself in the international scene, a laudable and necessary move, Canadians should be called to hold our government accountable for misguided initiatives that not only harm our international reputation but in fact demotes human security to secondary importance after corporate interests.

Who Benefits?
Canadian investment in the Americas is 3 times its investment in Asia. In the last 3 years, Canadian investment grew by 79% in the region, compared to an average of 15% in the rest of the world. In Colombia, Canadian investment is around USD$2 billion, mostly in the oil, gas, mining, and service sectors. It is the concentration of Canadian investment in the extractive industry in the country that generates a large part of the concern around the trade talks. Canadian mining companies are increasing in the country by an average of 1.4 companies every month and it is in the areas of the country where extractive industry companies are operating that some 75% of human rights violations take place. As a source within the foreign affairs department shared with The Star, (Allan Wooods, July 12, 2007) in negotiations with Colombia, “Canada will insist on non-binding references to corporate social responsibility,” further adding, “It’s just basically to raise the visibility of it (corporate social responsibility).” Currently, various foreign extractive companies are under investigation for employing paramilitary death squads in the protection of foreign business infrastructure, including the assasination of union leaders and death threats and forceful displacement of local communities to allow companies to freely explore resource deposits. Implementing references which are non-binding is certainly a questionable way to prevent serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, especially from a government which lauds itself as a World leader in respect for human rights and human security. It is clear that Harper is so desperately interested in raising Canada’s international profile, filling the gap left by the more US congress, not only jeopardizing US-Canadian relations, but also compromising respect for Canada in the international scene.

And corporate Canada will benefit. The concessions the Colombian government is handing out to foreign companies assure significant profit for the foreign firms, some guaranteeing up to 80% of royalties won in operations. The argument of more free trade deals bringing more development and even helping Colombia “renounce violence” as Harper brazenly suggested (Richard Foot, CanWest News Service, July 16) is truly troubling.

Aside from the increased threat of Canadian companies being complicit in human rights violations, the reality that highly subsidized Canadian goods – particularly agricultural – will begin to flood the Colombian market will make it nearly impossible for local Colombian peasant farmers to compete. Free trade itself is not necessarily the problem. The problem is that Canada enters the negotiations in an already semi-protectionist stance, unwilling to negotiate domestic subsidies, yet expecting Colombia to “free” up their trade barriers.

Unfortunately, more details on the deal cannot be divulged, since the negotiations are happening behind closed doors with little participation from civil society in either country.

What can we do?

The benefits and priveleges of being Canadian allow us to choose. We can choose our political leaders, we can choose where we buy our groceries, we can choose what church we will attend, and we can choose whether or not we witness prophetically to neighbours and policy makers.

As Christians we have less choice. We are called to live justly and peaceably, not only in our own communities, but with the family of God in the World. Jesus calls us to lead lives of truth; being honest with ourselves and our leaders about what free trade deals might really mean for a country in the midst of a war that our Prime Minister is choosing to ignore. We cannot ignore it. We cannot keep silent.

Pray
For Colombian churches as they continue to witness as SALT and Light in the darkness of violence and injustice.
For ourselves as we seek to be SALT and Light in our communities and in our country.
For negotiators as they continue to determine the terms of agreement for the FTA.

Learn
Visit the MCC Colombia Website (www.mcc.org/colombia) to learn more about the country and the exciting and sad things happening there.

Act
Write a letter to your Member of Parliament expressing your concern for Colombia and Canada’s new initiative of Free Trade in the country. Clarify that a free trade deal should NOT happen if not contingent upon a clear improvement in the government’s human rights record, a complete severing of government ties to Paramilitary groups, and a verification that the demobilization process is serving to bring peace to the country and not more violence. In addition, Canada and Colombia must assure that the agreement will be justly negotiated, keeping in mind the needs of the marginalized and needy in both countries.