Harper and FIPA: Sell-out on a Friday afternoon

By Montreal Simon

He waited until late Friday afternoon to announce that the Cons had ratified their controversial trade deal with China.

Hoping that most people wouldn’t notice.

Ottawa confirms it has ratified a foreign investment treaty with China, more than two years after the controversial agreement was signed, as CBC News first reported Friday. The controversial Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) will come into force on Oct. 1, said International Trade Minister Ed Fast in a news release Friday afternoon.

He couldn’t even wait to see if the courts would rule it unconstitutional.

And with good reason. For it is one of the greatest sellouts this country has ever seen.

A betrayal of the people of British Columbia.

As FIPA comes into force, it would have a major impact on projects such as Enbridge Northern Gateway and potentially some LNG proposals. The deal would allow Chinese investors to sue British Columbia if it changed course on the Northern Gateway pipeline proposal.

An assault on the rights of First Nations and the authority of our courts.

“Even if found unconstitutional by a court down the road…once the treaty has been ratified, none of the obligations assumed by Canada can be modified unless China agrees,” he said.

One that makes absolutely no economic sense…

Although proponents argue that the deal would protect Canadian businesses and create jobs, critics say FIPA would be inevitably skewed in China’s favour because Chinese investment in Canada is much larger than Canadian ownership in China.

Chinese companies have invested over $30 billion in Canada’s energy industry alone. Canadian direct investment in China in all sectors totalled $4.2 billion in 2012.

And one that as Elizabeth May points out will make us prisoners of the Chinese for at least 31 years.

Once ratified, the Canada-China Investment Agreement will bind Canada, including future governments, for a minimum of 31 years. Unlike NAFTA, with an exit clause of 6 months’ notice, this agreement, also called a FIPA (Foreign Investor Protection Agreement) cannot be exited for the first 15 years. After 15 years, either country can exit on one year’s notice, but any existing investments are further protected for another 15 years. Despite some claims by other politicians that the treaty could be voided by a future government, that is not the case.”

“The only way to exit the treaty would be through negotiations with China in which the government in Beijing agrees. Unilateral withdrawal would trigger a multi-billion dollar claim by the Peoples Republic of China against Canada, with damages open to collection in one hundred countries around the world.”

Can you believe it? Those scummy bastards have locked us into bondage, and sold this country down the drain…

And why is Harper rushing this deal through now? Answer: so he can visit China in November and continue his relentless pursuit of the ethnic vote.

Sound familiar?

For THAT he would sell our country.

Oh boy. Look we may not be able to do anything about that foul deal, but we can do something about those sellout Cons.

While we work with partners to review the legal options, we want to make sure key voters know the Harper Conservatives ratified FIPA behind our backs, and set the stage to make them pay at the ballot box in the next election. Canadians deserve to know, and if Harper won’t tell them, we will.

Sign that petition or this one. Organize, protest, let everyone know what they have done.

And above all prepare to defeat them in the next election.

Call them sellouts, call them TRAITORS.

Tell them enough is ENOUGH.

And they are good to GO . . .