The Toronto Star October 25, 1997
CANADIAN PARLIAMENT TO HOLD HEARINGS INTO THE
MULTILATERAL AGREEMENT ON INVESTMENT (MAI)
By Rosemary Speirs
OTTAWA - Trade Minister Sergio Marchi says critics have built "a
phantom" out of the closed-door negotiations in Paris for a treaty
governing the rules of foreign investment.
Bowing to demands for a public debate, Marchi has asked a parliamentary
committee to hold hearings on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment.
He hopes that....
This week, a subcommittee of nine MPs, headed by Liberal Bob Speller,
agreed to make hearings on the agreement a priority. Marchi is asking for a
report by December, which he says will help guide Canadian negotiator Bill
Dymond during the final talks in Paris next spring.
Canadians have about two weeks to make their voices heard.
MAI will drastically alter our communities, our country and the world.
Corporations will be allowed to sue governments, (municipal, provincial
and federal) for loss of profits if governments enact safety, environmental
or labour laws that limits a corporation's ability to compete internationaly.
Governments cannot sue corporations. The suit would be heard behind
closed doors, outside of Canada. The decsion would be binding. The
proceedings of the hearing would remain secret. There would be no
appeal.
Municipal, provincial and federal governments would no longer be able to
pass laws or to govern for fear of bankrupting lawsuits. Citizens would no
longer govern their own communities. Municipal, provincial, state and
federal governments would be governed by transnational coporations.
The Canadian government wants a report in 5 weeks! The deal will be
signed in six months! We will be locked in for twenty years!
Canadians need to participate in this process. Now!
===================== web sites ========================
MAI Internet Resource List ==========================
By the MAI-Not! Project, OPIRG-Carleton, 520-2757, fax 520-3989, e-
mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.flora.org/mai-not/
The Alliance for Public Accountability is helping us draft a campaign to
hold MP's accountable on the MAI:
http://www.magi.com/~hemccand/cca.html
OUR BEST PICKS
The entire text of the January MAI draft
http://www.essential.org/monitor/mai.contents.html
The text of the May 13th draft (under construction)
http://www.citizen.org/gtw/mainewte.htm
A comparison of the two drafts
http://www.citizen.org/gtw/maitextc.htm
MAI-Day! The Corporate Rule Treaty by Tony Clarke, Director of the
Polaris Institute http://www.islandnet.com/plethora/mai.html
ALL THE WEBSITES BELOW are linked to our site or these other
Canadian sites:
MAI-No thanks... comprehensive links to organizations, essays on MAI
and related issues http://www.islandnet.com/plethora/nomai.html The
National Centre for Sustainability, a new MAI information site
http://www.islandnet.com/~ncfs/maisite/
CANADA.................................
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/
Council of Canadians
http://www.web.net/~coc/
Citizens Concerned about Free Trade
http://web.idirect.com/~ccaft/
The Sierra Club Common Front on WTO
http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/trade-env/
U.S...........................................
People-Centred Development Forum (David Korten)
http://iisd1.iisd.ca/pcdf/
Multinational Monitor
http://www.essential.org/monitor/monitor_resources.html#other
Public Citizen (Ralph Nader)
http://www.citizen.org/
Global Trade Division of Public Citizen
http://www.citizen.org/pctrade/tradehome.html
The Preamble Collaborative
http://www.rtk.net/preamble/
Corporate Watch and TRAC, the Transnational Resource and Action
Center http://www.corpwatch.org/trac/about/about.html#advisor
Proponents of the MAI..........................................
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
http://www.oecd.org/daf/cmis/mai/mai.htm
The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/english/trade/backgr-e.htm
Other pro-MAI sites are linked to the "MAI? No thanks!" site
http://www.islandnet.com/plethora/mai-yes.html
(A more complete list with email and mail addresses will be released later)
The first part of the text of the May draft of the MAI can be found on the
web at: http://www.citizen.org/gtw/mainewte.htm
Other sites: http://www.twnside.org.sg/
http://csf.colorado.edu/sustainable-economicsc
