THE RECORD

June 30, 1999

Fiat Lux

by Ed Deak

In my last column I wrote about the festivities in praise of the alleged phenomenal success of the US-Canada FTA and later NAFTA. Since then the Editor kindly sent me a glossy propaganda booklet published by the Ministry of Trade gloating over the great things that happened to all countries since the NAFTA was signed five years ago .

To put it mildly, the contents of the booklet and the partial statistics it quotes by banks and economic think tanks, in reality PR agencies like the CD Howe Institute are a pile of rubbish. It is full of contradictory statements and unsubstantiated figures. It totally ignores any costs, consequences and liabilities. It is published to sell the new deals now being secretly negotiated.

How many have heard of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), or the coming up renewed negotiations for the Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI) under World Trade Organization's auspices? The latest is Minister Sergio Marchi's demand for free trade with Europe. Then we have the hints by the Chrétien government, supported by Reform, PC and the BC Liberals to get rid of the Canadian Dollar and replace it with the US. In other words, to turn Canada into the Puerto Rico of the North.

According to all our corporate politicians, like Paul Martin, this so called "globalization" is not just a theory but an inevitable fact. National borders are breaking down and we're looking forward to a great future under corporate rule.

Forgive my sardonic laugh, but I have already been promised the same things by the Nazis and Communists. Those gangs too were realities, yet they all bit the dust with all the invincible empires of the past and these present globalized maniacs are now following their footsteps. Unfortunately, a lot of people are going to be hurt, destituted and killed until the day when democracy can rise again all over the world.

Even before 1988 I was one of the thousands of little people who were fighting the Mulroney gang against the FTA. I haven't trusted Mulroney since the minute I first set eyes on him on the Jack Webster show in 1983. All the promises for and all the warnings against free trade are still on record. We were promised Heaven on Earth, low prices, huge increases in employment and all the goodies. We got the bad scenarios exceeding all predictions covered up with propaganda. We're in a race to the bottom and our politicians are working on removing the still remaining brakes.

Over the next few weeks I shall examine the backgrounds, the theories, the sales pitch and history of the present economic mess. Let me start with a short personal history to put events into historical perspective.

My wife and I came to Canada after seven years at Cambridge, England, in April of 1955. As we wanted to see the country and to meet people before settling down we brought our Douglas MkV, 350cc motorcycle on the ship and crossed Canada from Montreal, before the Trans Canada Hwy was completed, arriving in Vancouver on May 28, 1955. We stayed in hotels and the then popular tourist cabins all the way. Including accommodation, food and gas those four weeks of unforgettable experience cost us $206. The cabins were $2 or $3 per night, hotel rooms up to $5. Hot dogs were .25 cents. hamburgers .50 cents and for $1.50 one could get a very good meal. Those days one had to fight off the waitresses who were refilling our coffee cups without extra charge every time we took a sip.

Nine days after our arrival I started looking for a job. On the first day I got two and took the one with a kitchen cabinet outfit for $1.35 per hour. The minimum wage was .75 cents per hour. We rented a small apartment for about $40 per month. I was laid off in November and had several other job offers, but having decided to stay with trades I went to work with an old English master, Mr. Rickard, to learn the highest levels of custom furniture making. I opened my own shop in November 1957 and stayed in business in Vancouver until 1979.

The whole of Canada was buzzing with life, excitement and enterprise, looking forward to a bright future. So, what happened? Out of control capitalism. Foreign investment and overcapitalization replaced humanity, private enterprise and competence, decimated manufacturing, ruined creativity and burned out hope. The Canada of today is only a shell of what it was then.

Copyright (c) 1999, West's International