Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians has written a lot about water and NAFTA and water:
http://www.montrealmirror.com/2007/110107/news2.html Longtime national chairperson of the Council of Canadians, Barlow is in Montreal this week on a tour for her latest book, Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water, in which she details the three crises affecting freshwater stocks today: environmental degradation, commercial exploitation and unjust distribution. According to the United Nations, water-borne diseases kill three million people a year, mostly children. Just last week, the UN Environment Programme published a report warning of a dramatic decline in freshwater stocks over the past two decades, concluding that unless serious action is taken, environmental damage could pass unknown points of no return. As populations and economies grow, particularly in the developing world, shortages of freshwater are expected to become even more acute, fuelling armed conflict and increasing disparities between rich and poor. As disturbing as this Mad Max/Waterworld vision of the future is, Barlow says that many corporations would welcome such a scenario, seeing an opportunity for profit. Last year, we put something like 200 billion litres of water in plastic bottles worldwide, she says. Its another step in the process of commodifying water and letting us think that it doesnt matter if the water coming out of the tap is clean, because what the hell difference does it make? You can always buy itif youre rich, of course. Consequently, Barlow is calling for a Blue Covenant based on conservation, justice and democracy. Water should not be allowed to be expropriated for profit by anyone, and it should not be denied to anyone because they cant afford it, she says. Although Canadians are often said to have 20 per cent of the worlds supply, the actual amount of renewable freshwater in Canada is about seven per cent of the world total, according to Environment Canada. But that hasnt stopped our less aquatically endowed neighbours to the south from coveting it. Critics like Barlow assert that, under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), water is considered a commodity, although governments, wary of the potential consequences, have been reluctant to initiate bulk export. NAFTA cant force you to start exporting water, Barlow says, but as soon as anyone does it for commercial purposes, the provisions of NAFTA kick in and you cannot place restrictions on it. In April, the federal government denied media reports that Canada was involved in negotiations with the U.S. and Mexico over water exports. Despite those assurances, and promises contained in the recent Throne Speech, Barlow isnt convinced. The Harper government has been terrible on global warming, so Im certainly not holding my breath expecting them to be wonderful on this. At the international level, though, Barlow sees more encouraging signs for her covenant proposal. Its beginning to work its way through the UN, she says. My worry is that the destruction is happening so exponentially fast that we wont catch it in time. Maude Barlow --- Paul Phillips <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Actually, there may even be a more important reason > why Canada should > reopen NAFTA and that is the question of water. It > is a matter of public > record that American business and government are > eyeing Canadian fresh > water to solve the growing water shortages in the > US. Water was supposed > to be exempted from free trade commoditization in > NAFTA but it was not > explicitly excluded and Canadian experts believe > that Canada can not > protect its water supplies from a NAFTA challenge. > (Apparently, the > water protection was in the original draft but it > mysteriously > disappeared in the final version. Some have > suggested this might not be > unrelated to the fact that Canada's chief negotiator > was on the board of > a corporation formed to export bulk water to the > US.) Since Canada > itself is already facing the prospect of water > shortages itself and are > already exporting massive amounts of 'virtual water' > to the US in the > form of tar sands oil, it is absolutely imperative > that we protect our > current supplies since, as the water experts are > wont to observe, "water > flows to money". > > Paul Phillips > > ken hanly wrote: > > Many Canadians would be quite happy to re-open > NAFTA > > as Obama and Clinton suggest. Laxer gives some of > the > > reasons for doing so. > > > > http://www.jameslaxer.com/blog.html > > > > Obama and Clinton Have a Point: Lets Take a Hard > Look > > at NAFTA > > > > Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have been > squabbling > > over which of them is more serious about standing > up > > to Canada on the shortcomings of the North > American > > Free Trade Agreement. In her last ditch effort to > > seize victory from the jaws of defeat in Ohio > (well > > know the result tonight), Clinton has been > accusing > > Obama of talking tough to hard hit workers while > > reassuring Ottawa that hes only kidding. > > > > Neither of these candidates is remotely > pro-Canadian. > > As a border state senator, Hillary Clinton has > been > > happy to bash Canada for its supposedly lax > security > > whenever that suits her. Not that we should be > > surprised that the Democratic front runners could > care > > less about Canada. Thats normal, despite the > > dewy-eyed proclivity of some Canadians to seek > > salvation from American politicians. > > > > We ought to be thankful though to Obama and > Clinton > > for insisting on the renegotiation of NAFTA if > either > > of them reaches the White House. > > > > Canadians have pressing reasons for taking a hard > look > > at NAFTA. > > > > <snip> > > > > Thanks Barack and Hillary, for putting NAFTA back > on > > the agenda. In our own national election, which > cant > > come too soon, Canadians ought to put the issue > front > > and centre. > > > > Blog: http://kenthink7.blogspot.com/index.html > > Blog: http://kencan7.blogspot.com/index.html > > _______________________________________________ > > pen-l mailing list > > [email protected] > > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > > > > > > > > > -- > Paul Phillips Professor Emertus, Economics > University of Manitoba Home > and Office: 3806 - 36A st., Vernon BC, Canada. ViT > 6E9 tel: 1 (250) > 558-0830 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > Blog: http://kenthink7.blogspot.com/index.html Blog: http://kencan7.blogspot.com/index.html _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
