RENEWING DEMOCRACY
SIGNING OUR FUTURE AWAY
The Green Party is deeply concerned that the Canadian government's approach to international trade agreements will undermine our sovereignty and lock us into an economic model that is environmentally non-sustainable and socially unjust. These agreements have a dramatic impact on issues under Ontario jurisdiction. We need to take a stand now before it is too late.
NAFTA, FTAA, WTO, and many G7 summit proposals endorse a hierarchy of rights that puts the interests of corporations ahead of those of citizens. Corporations are given sweeping rights, while provisions for environmental protection, healthcare, worker rights, and higher education are either absent from or weak in these agreements. Worse, they could be (and have been) deemed unfair subsidies under the new laws.
Since we can't elect corporations, they should not be dictating our laws and social structures. The Green Party does not support international agreements that put profit ahead of democracy, people's health, and the environment. We will not cave in to big corporations at the first protest, nor will we participate in trade missions that sell Candu nuclear reactors to dictatorships. Taking a stand on core principles does matter — especially in politics.