THE RECORD
March 12, 2003

Fiat Lux

by Ed Deak

The purpose of today's economic competition is not to lower costs and prices, as the propaganda tries to claim, but to dispossess people from their rightful properties and life sustaining resource control, and so divert the benefits into the pockets of the rich. This trend started about 30 years ago with the establishment of a large number of tax fed "conservative economic think tanks", like our Fraser and CD Howe Institutes, in reality advertising agencies for the replacement of democracy with multinational corporate dictatorships.

The so called "free trade agreements" like NAFTA and the machinations of the WTO are prime examples of how the democratic decision making process of various levels of elected government is being replaced with "rules based investment regimes" designed to maximize corporate profits, regardless of the damage they may cause to humanity and the environment.

In societies that have swallowed this free trade sales pitch poverty, hunger, unemployment and environmental damage has increased and, contrary to the claim, democratic decision making has been destroyed.

We now have ample examples of this policy that overrules the powers of all levels of government and replaces them with the single minded furthering of corporate profitability. Every single complaint and decision by the super secretive NAFTA and WTO panels have been made for the benefit of corporations. No society, or government is permitted either to question, or even lay charges against predatory and destructive behavour, as the rules strip all levels of our rights to protect and defend people and the environment. In other words, all our decision making powers are lost with NAFTA.

More of this is on the way under the FTAA and GATS agreements. These will lay bare all our services, schools, hospitals and medical care, postal services, government procurements, social services, government pension plans, water and sewer systems, etc, all told 160 different service areas presently under public control, to takeovers by multinational corporations who will strip the remaining rights of all levels of society to make their own decisions.

The negotiating papers have long been leaked to various media outlets, but are carefully hidden to the North American public by the totally controlled governments and the censoring group of media barons, out to become the rulers of the world.

Our Liberal government is sitting at the WTO/GATS/FTAA negotiating tables, feverishly working on these giveaways to sell the country under multinational rule, with the enthusiastic support of the Alliance and PC Parties. The NDP objection hardly gets any attention as it wouldn't be "business friendly."
How many people knew about the Multilateral Agreement on Investment that was negotiated between 1995 and 97 by the present federal government under the leadership of then Trade Minister John Manley and later Sergio Franchi? Another deal aimed to strip all public decision making powers. Although the text was leaked and available by May of 1997, apart from the NDP all other political parties were silent and supporting this plan to reduce democracy.

The MAI talks collapsed because the French government of the day realized that if they'd signed it, they would have faced a popular revolution. So, they withdrew from the talks. It was the first time in history that sheer public opinion killed a major international treaty and it was mainly achieved by the power given to the public by the Internet that the corporate media barons could not control.

The MAI was negotiated only by the 29 nations of the OECD, but now it is back in spades in the GATS and FTAA negotiations, attempting to destroy democracy in all the 145 or so WTO countries with a double whammy over the countries of North and South America.

So, where are our so called "opposition" parties in informing the public and questioning the contents? If they are doing anything, it is to keep the secrets and urging the government to sell the country faster down the drain. Joe Clark already complained that this government hasn't signed a single free trade agreement since NAFTA.

The Reform under Preston Manning, was enthusiastically supporting the MAI. Now the Alliance is doing the same under the leadership of Stephen Harper who previously was the head of the worst big business, corporate lobby group, the National Citizens Coalition.

Their platform is the virtual abolition of government, no social services, no pensions, no welfare, no unions, no labour laws, no public ownership of anything, the sale of the Crown lands to multinationals, no environmental laws, no human rights, no public schools and Medicare.

What these folks do support is more jails, and a bigger military to tag along to war with Dubya Bush's chcickenhawks to make the world safe and more profitable for international investors.

I often wonder how long it will take for the public to start smelling the burning of their own flesh?

Copyright (c) 2003, West's International