EDI

Liberals roll over on
anti-free trade position

a here is really no doubt any more as to

hich national political party is opposed to
the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.
Only the New Democratic Party of Canada
has been firm in its outright opposition to
the FTA and as well, has called for a halt to
E the North American Free Trade Agreement
Negotiations.

On May 11 NDP Trade Critic Dave Barrett’s motion
to scrap the FTA was defeated by a Conservative and
Liberal Coalition vote of 167 - 30. The Liberals, led
by Jean Cretien, then put forward a motion that the
ee be renegotiated. It, of course was defeated 145-

Quite simply, the Liberal Party of Canada does not
want to scrap the FTA even though under it the coun-
try has lost nearly 25 percent of its manufacturing
jobs. Only the New Democrats stand alone against
the deal which is permanently ruining the Canadian
economy.

Barrett (MP from Esquimalt - Juan de Fuca) told
the House of Commons the FTA has “ripped the guts
and the heart of the manufacturing base in this coun-
try,” especially in Quebec and Ontario.

It remains a mystery as to why the Liberal Party,
which has its traditional support base in Ontario and
Quebec believes it can renegotiate a deal with the
Americans. Or perhaps its no surprise as NDP’ers
have always felt that there is little difference
between a Conservative and a Liberal when push
comes to shove.

A recent poll by Angus Reith and Southam News
surveyed Canadians and revealed that fully 66%
oppose the FTA and 73% say they believe Canada has
been hurt by it. Only 6% support the FTA and nearly
two-thirds of Canadians oppose the negotiation of a
NAFTA.

Hopefully when the next federal election comes
around next year, Canadians won’t suffer a memory
lapse and will remember what political party stood on
which side of the FTA and NAFTA.

RIA

Tough criminal laws needed
now to stop tree spikers

», eople who spike trees are criminals and the
laws should treat them as such. The B.C.
Government's recent recommendation to the
Federal Justice Minister Kim Campbell that
tough Criminal Code penalties be put into
place for tree spikers should be heard loud and clear
in Ottawa. (See story page ten).

We need specific Criminal Code Amendments to
deter and severely punish those on the lunatic fringe
that would drive or place metal spikes into a tree in
hopes that an innocent forest worker would have
their safety severely jeopardized. ‘

Politicians at all levels must not only pay lip ser-
vice against this crime, they must take a commitment
and follow up to ensure that tree spiking is severely

dealt with.

Loggers and millworkers go to work to face enough
natural hazards each day. They shouldn’t have to
worry about dodging tree spikes. Workers need help
to stop this barbarism.

LUIMBERUORKER

Official publication of 'WA-CANADA

RMAN GARCIA GERRY STONEY. . President
No) Editor NEIL MENARD, . Ist Vice-President
FRED MIRON. . 2nd Vice-President
WARREN ULLEY. . 3rd Vice-President
5th Floor, HARVEY ARCAND. . 4th Vice-President
1285 W. Pender Street TERRY SMITH. . Secretary-Treasurer

Vancouver, B .C.
V6E 4B2

BROADWAY e<@>>2 PRINTERS LTD.

1 GUARANTEE THIS
TRILATERAL FREE TRADE
AGREEMENT WILL JUMP START
THE ECONOMY, PROVIDE
HUNDREDS OF NEW BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITIES AND CREATE

THOUSANDS

Bush and Mulroney tiptoe around political
landmines on way to signing Mexican deal

American President
George Bush is now going
all-out for the completion
of a North American Free
Trade Agreement to be
signed by the three coun-
tries before the November
elections in the U.S.
However, he doesn’t want
to make it an election
issue and intends to wait
until 1993 to ratify the
Agreement.

At this point in time the
U.S.’s lame duck Congress
doesn’t want to risk the
rathe of American voters
either by ratifying a deal
until their elections are
over. In fact so many
Congressmen are so sensi-
tive about the issue that
they are putting on a front
of appearing to be against
the NAFTA.

In mid-May a majority
175 members of the House
of Representatives sup-
ported a resolution against
the deal. Fifty-seven of
these Congressmen jump-
ed on the anti NAFTA
bandwagon even though
they initially supported
Bush in initiating the fast
track approach to negotiat-
ing the deal.

Against this politically
charged backdrop south of
the border, our very own
Prime Minister Brian
Mulroney is playing the
NAFTA very low key.When
he paid a Washington visit
to George Bush in May to
give the U.S. president “an
earful” over trade friction
between our two countries,
Mulroney barely men-
tioned the NAFTA.

He is obviously aware
that polls are showing that
the majority of Canadian’s
don’t see any benefit in
signing a NAFTA.

Canadians are also now
opposed to the Canada-
U.S. Free Trade Agree-
ment, which has now cost
our country close to 25% of

its manufacturing base.

It’s no wonder that
Mulroney is tiptoeing to a
NAFTA and is keeping the
Canadian public complete-
ly in the dark. In March
his government offered to
show opposition parties
text drafts of the deal if
they swore to silence.

Even though the govern-
ment has shown NAFTA
drafts to the private inter-
ests of several business
sector advisory groups, it
refused to show the
Canadian public just what
were getting into.

NDP Trade Critic Dave
Barrett couldn’t get a copy
of the draft text until
March 24 when the Action
Canada Network came up
with one which it obtained
from another source. The
Mulroney government has
also ignored the pleas of
provincial governments
who have complained
about not being briefed or
consulted. The premiers of
Manitoba, Saskatchewan
and B.C. have said they’ve
all been shunned by the
Mulroney government.

There’s good reason for
the Mulroney government
to hide from the Canadian
public. It doesn’t want
Canadians to know how
fast the underlying pieces
of the NAFTA are follow-
ing into place.

Most of the 19 sectoral
working groups negotiat-
ing the deal have finished
their deliberations.

In Canada the Mulroney
government is looking at
opening up the oil and gas
industry to even further
foreign control. Mexico is
opening up its oil and
petrochemical industries
to foreign investment for
the first time in over 60
years.

Canadian National Rail-
way is now negotiating
route lines that will

stretch from Vancouver to

the Mexican Maquiladora

trade zone in hopes that .
B.C. will be a transship-

ment point between

Mexico and Asia.

In the draft of the treaty
obtained by Barrett,
NAFTA is shown to espe-
cially weaken environmen-
tal regulations. The draft-
ing treaty specifies that
future regulations and
health be drafted in the
least trade restricting way
as possible.

Meanwhile the 3000
mile border between the
U.S. and Mexico continues
to be of the most contami-
nated areas in North
America. The population
and industrial explosion of
the Maquiladora trade
zone has shown every
indiction that Mexico can’t
afford and is unable to put
pollution controls into
place. Wastes from elec-
tronic industries, chemical
manufacturing, and the
furniture industry are now
a serious threat to health
on both sides of the border.

Doing business the
NAFTA way means doing
business the U.S. way.
Canada is continuing to
lose its industrial base and
is becoming no more than
a resource and service
industry based economy.

The government’s own
advisory body Investment
Canada painted a realistic
picture in a 1990 study: “It
is easy for the critics of
free trade to point out
where job losses are most
likely to occur. Unfor-
tunately it is very difficult
for economists and indus-
try experts to state, with
any degree of confidence,
where job opportunities
will arise.”

LUMBERWORKER/JUNE, 1992/5