Few Canadians have heard of FIPA, the Canada-China Foreign Investment Protection Agreement.
from Leadnow.ca
In two weeks, Prime Minister Harper could pass the most secretive and sweeping trade deal of a generation.
This deal would pave the way for a massive natural resource buyout and allow foreign corporations to sue the Canadian government in secret tribunals, restricting Canadians from making democratic decisions about our economy, environment and energy.
Most Canadians have never heard of FIPA, the Canada-China Foreign Investment Protection Agreement, because Prime Minister Harper is trying to sneak it through without a single vote or debate in Parliament.
Canadians have a right to determine our future, but this agreement will undermine our democratic rights and lock us into an inescapable path of foreign-ownership and resource extraction until at least 2040.
The Canada-China FIPA is set for automatic approval on October 31 unless we get the word out now that the Harper Conservatives are trying bypass Parliament and sneak this deal by Canadians. That’s why we partnered with SumOfUs.org on this campaign. If enough of us raise our voices now, we can create a massive public outcry to stop this devastating deal in its tracks.
The Canada-China FIPA is set for automatic approval on October 31 unless we get the word out now.
Alongside this deal, the Harper government is trying to speed through the sale of Nexen, a major Canadian oil and gas company, to the Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), one of China’s massive state-owned oil companies. The $15 billion-dollar Nexen takeover will open the floodgates to a wave of foreign buyouts of Canada's natural resources.
If FIPA passes, a Chinese company can take over Canadian resources and then sue Canadian governments — provincial or federal — in secret, if the government does anything that threatens the company’s profits.
Any Canadian law or government decision — even ones that protect Canadian jobs, our environment, our economy and our families — could be fought in secret tribunals outside of our legal system. Arbitrators unaccountable to the Canadian public would have the power to award billions in damages to foreign corporations if we do anything that hurts corporate profits, like improve environmental standards or slow down the export of cheap, unprocessed resources.
Time is running out. We have two weeks before FIPA is set to pass into law, and the Nexen takeover could be approved at any time. Canadians, including many Conservative MPs, oppose the Nexen takeover, and Prime Minister Harper has just asked for a 30 day extension to regroup. We need a massive public outcry now.
Please go to the Leadnow site and send your version of this letter:
Dear Prime Minister Harper,
I am concerned about the CNOOC-Nexen takeover and the Canada-China Foreign Investment Protection Agreement (FIPA).
These agreements would pave the way for a massive natural resource buyout and allow foreign corporations to sue the Canadian government in secret tribunals, restricting Canadians from making democratic decisions about our economy, environment and energy.
Canadians have a right to determine our future, but this agreement will undermine the democratic rights of Canadians and lock us into an inescapable path of foreign-ownership and resource extraction until at least 2040.
I call on you to reject the Nexen takeover and the Canada-China investment deal. Let’s start over with a national conversation that brings Canadians together to make responsible choices about the wisest long-term stewardship of our natural resources.
About Leadnow.ca
Leadnow.ca is an independent advocacy organization that brings generations of Canadians together to achieve progress through democracy.
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