Posted: Monday, 5 October 2009

The Canadian Labour Congress sent a letter to Liberal Trade Critic Scott Brison strongly critiquing Brison's recent comments in the House of Commons on human and trade union rights in Colombia. The House of Commons is currently debating Bill C-23, Implementing Legislation for the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Letter:

Honourable Scott Brison, M.P.
Liberal Trade Critic
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Dear Mr. Brison:

Your recent statements in the House of Commons (Sept. 14 and 29) do a great disservice to the Liberal Party of Canada, to the House of Commons and to the valiant people of Colombia who are struggling to create a more just society for themselves and their families.

The conclusions you express about human rights in Colombia, after a four day visit to a complicated country, are at best partial and closely resemble President Uribe´s well-oiled public relations efforts. Your comments fly in the face of virtually every human rights monitoring organization, Colombian and international, who have been watching the human rights situation in that country, with dismay, for decades.

Your statements rightfully point out abuses committed by illegal armed groups, such as the FARC and narcoterrorists, but you fail to recognize the growing body of evidence about the links between the narcoterrorists-former paramilitary and rearmed groups with the Colombian government and Congress.  Nowhere in your statements do you attribute any wrongdoing, crimes or violations to the government, nor do you note that the steps taken by the government to end impunity have been fragile and insufficient.

I particularly want to set the record straight regarding your brief statement on the International Labour Organization. The CLC has represented the Canadian labour movement at this tripartite United Nations body for many years. At the most recent ILO Conference (June 2009), the Committee on the Application of Standards, once again, called on the Colombian government to provide information on its labour rights violations. This fact indicates that the terms of the Tripartite Agreement, which resulted in the setting up of a permanent representation in Bogota, have not been effectively fulfilled. The Colombian government must, therefore, present proof of concrete results before the 2010 Conference, otherwise it will once again be placed on the list of the 25 countries with the highest rates of non-compliance of Convention 87 on the Right to Freedom of Association.

With regards to the labour side deal being the most robust treatment in the world of labour rights in trade agreements, I beg to differ. There are free trade agreements which have incorporated labour provisions into the main trade agreement, and which offer the same mechanisms of dispute resolution as other trade and investment matters, i.e. trade sanctions, not fines, for violation of workers rights.

There are just too many distortions, misrepresentations and outright misinformation in your statements to refute each one. I am attaching a new well-researched CLC brief which I hope will help you to develop a more balanced approach - an approach which your fellow MPs deserve, not to mention Canadians at large.

Mr. Brison, I believe you owe your fellow MPs from all Parties in the House of Parliament and the Canadian people an apology for misleading, inaccurate and biased ideologically-based statements in order to promote the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Sincerely, Hassan Yussuff
Secretary Treasurer

c.c. Officers and Assistants
Executive Committee
Michael Ignatieff, MP, Leader of the Opposition
Hon. Bob Rae, MP, Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee
Hon. Irwin Cotler, MP, Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee