Many issues of great importance require close examination before we vote this October 19th:
•Issues around the environment and sustainability hold great importance but, if an international corporation can sue Canada in secret trial by tribunal outside of our justice system, and without recourse to appeal, to overthrow Canadian government actions in response to these environmental issues, efforts by any level of Canadian government will be futile;
•Issues around the economy and employment hold great importance but, if an international corporation can sue Canada in secret trial by tribunal outside of our justice system, and without recourse to appeal, to overthrow Canadian government actions in response to labour, health and safety, business practice, etc. issues, efforts by any level of Canadian government will be futile.
Thus, the fundamental issue to address during this election has to be that of Canada’s sovereign right to govern ourselves as a free and independent nation, “The true north strong and free.”
The first question every voter should ask of every candidate for election to Parliament from each riding across our much loved nation should be, “Are you Committed to Canada’s sovereignty as a free and independent nation?”
•If an incumbent candidate who supports the current government answers, “Yes,” then the only possible follow-up question must be, “If you are committed to our sovereignty, why do you support a government that suborned Canada’s national sovereignty and continues to suborn?”
-This so-called loyal Conservative government negotiated in secret, then signed and eventually ratified the Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPPA) which goes far beyond simply providing for freer trade but, in effect, diminishes Canada to a resource colony of the Communist dictatorship in Beijing for the next thirty-one years. With the inclusion of the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provision, Chinese firms (which are merely arms of the Chinese Communist dictatorship) with investments in Canadian business now have the right to sue Canadian federal, provincial, and municipal governments in secret trials by tribunals outside of our justice system if new environmental, labour, health and safety, business practice, etc. law impinges on their investment. That is to say, Canada now has to clear such new laws, regulations, and court judgements with Beijing in order to bring them into effect.
-Similarly, this government participates in Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) secret negotiations and has signed other so-called free trade agreements, all of which include provisions for ISDS by which international corporations can turn to the International Centre for Settlement of Investor Disputes (ICSID) to sue sovereign nations in secret trials by tribunals outside of any national judiciary to overturn new law enacted out of a nation’s sovereign right to govern itself (fortunately pre-existing law as at signing an ISDS containing agreement cannot get attacked, but participating nations will have to clear such new laws, regulations, and court judgements with corporate head offices if they hope to remain safe from attack). This provision raises international corporations from the subjects of nations to, in effect, non-territorial kingdoms equal with or superior to no-longer sovereign nations while reducing nations to resource and labour colonies of those multinational corporations.
-For these actions Prime Minister Harper and those of his ministers involved in these negotiations should be called to answer to the charge of treason.
•If a non-incumbent candidate who supports the current government answers, “Yes,” then the only possible follow-up question must be, “If you are committed to our sovereignty, are you aware that the current government suborned Canada’s national sovereignty and continues to suborn?”
•If a candidate who does not support the current government answers, “Yes,” then a possible follow-up question would be, “If you are committed to our sovereignty, what are your thoughts on so-called free trade treaties Canada has already signed which include the sovereignty destroying ISDS provision and where do you stand with regard to Canada’s participation in TPP and the secret negotiations toward CETA, TTIP, and TiSA?”
-Instead of ISDS, Canadian operations of international corporations that find themselves at issue with our governments at whatever level should bring the matter to an open and public Canadian court within the Canadian judicial system for decision under Canadian law in the same way as Canadian corporations and Canadian citizens must do.
-If an issue exceeds the competence of Canadian courts, an international corporation should be required to publicly request its home nation government to pursue the matter in an open and public international court on a sovereign nation versus sovereign nation basis that clearly holds international corporations as subjects of sovereign nations and not equals with sovereign nations.
All readers of this item can feel welcome to share it and to link to it as widely as possible. Every Canadian voter needs to be aware of this fundamental issue as each prepares to vote in this critically important current federal election.
ReplyDeleteI asked. As this election campaign progressed, I asked my local candidates.
ReplyDeleteI placed the question on the campaign Facebook page for each candidate. My Conservative candidate did not clear my question to show on her page. My Liberal candidate let it show right away but never did answer. My NDP candidate eventually cleared my question to show on his page but did not answer. My Green candidate's Facebook page did not accept casual visitor comments, so I could not actually place the question there.
I sent each candidate the question by Facebook messaging, but none answered.
I attended a local all candidates meeting and submitted the question, but it was not selected among the many other questions to ask of the candidates. Immediately after, I took time to speak with candidates in person, giving each a copy of the question. The Conservative candidate had left immediately and I could not speak to her. The Green candidate took my question and shared in my concern for our sovereignty. The Liberal candidate accepted my question and my reminder that it was on her Facebook page and offered to read it and get back to me, but never did. The NDP candidate took my question and shared vague opposition to TPP.
I have followed my local candidates own postings. My Conservative candidate included postings extolling the virtues of TPP without ever addressing the matter of our sovereignty and the effect of ISDS. My Liberal candidate presented with many attractive qualities and dealt well with local issues of a federal nature, but never addressed TPP nor the other treaties under secret negotiation, never addressed ISDS, never addressed our national sovereignty. My NDP candidate also presented with many attractive qualities and dealt well with local issues of a federal nature, and opposed TPP without mentioning the other treaties under secret negotiation and made, at least, passing reference to concern for our sovereignty. My Green candidate definitely opposed TPP with focus on our national sovereignty, but as one of many issues to address rather than as the primary issue upon which all action on other issues depend; unfortunately he was weak in understanding local issues of a federal nature.
I really do not understand why our sovereignty did not take front and centre as THE issue in this election. The ISDS provision in the now, unfortunately, ratified Canada/China FIPPA, in TPP and CETA awaiting ratification, and in TTIP, and TiSA still under secret negotiation, permits international corporations to sue us in SECRET if we act on any of the many other issues in a way not to their liking, as though such corporations are equals with Canada as a nation rather than the subjects of nations. Conservatives extolled their trade negotiation without acknowedging nor defending their abrogation of our sovereignty. Liberals remained entirely silent. The NDP opposed TPP and its effect on specific Canadian industries without giving significant attention to the other pending deals nor to the attack on our sovereignty. Only the Greens actually addressed the danger ISDS poses against our sovereignty, but as one issue among the many rather than as the primary issue upon which all the others depend. Whether or not Canada should remain a sovereign nation, "the true north strong and FREE'" should have been the whole focus of this election.