ACTION ALERT: Tell Liberal caucus Canadians still oppose free trade with Colombia

Before the summer, opposition to the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, including from the Liberal party, forced the Conservative government to pull ratification legislation from the House of Commons floor. This couldn't have happened without your persistent letters to Liberal MPs demanding that a human rights impact assessment be carried out before any agreement with Colombia is finalized.

It has been a bloody summer in Colombia and we need your help again.

Last week, 12 Indigenous people in Colombia were killed by unidentified gunmen following a series of death threats made by army-backed paramilitary against the Awá Indigenous Union (Unidad Indígena para el Pueblo Awá). It is the third massacre of Awá this year, and "Over 50 members of the Awá communities of Nariño have been killed since September 2008 by guerrillas, the security forces and their paramilitary allies, who are contesting control of the region," reports Amnesty International.

Among those murdered there were four children, six men and two women. One of the women was Tulia Garcia, a key witness in the murder of her husband Gonzalo Rodriguez, who was killed by the army on May 23, 2009. All of the Awá members were murdered in their homes while they slept.

Also killed in Colombia this August were Fredy Diaz Ortiz, a member of the Association of Employees of the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute, Gustavo Gomez, a Nestlé worker and active member of the national food workers union Sinaltrainal, and Diego Coro, a teacher and member of the Association of Teachers of Cordoba.

CONTACT THE LIBERAL CAUCUS

The Liberals will gather in Sudbury from August 31 to September 3 for an annual caucus meeting. We need to call and email them over the next two days to remind them how the Canada-Colombia FTA is still very much a concern. Highlight the recent killings as proof that human rights need to be addressed before trade agreements are signed.

The Harper government will likely re-introduce ratification legislation for the free trade agreement this October. We need to make sure it does not pass without a human rights impact assessment!

For more information on the Canada-Colombia FTA, follow this link to our March 26 Action Alert, Tell your MP "vote no to the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement": http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/9-Apr-09.html

Below is a draft letter and list of MPs to contact.

Thanks and good luck.

---

SEND YOUR LETTER:

Subject
Recipients	Please select an MP: Scott Brison (Liberal, Kings-Hants – International Trade Committee) Constituency office: 360 Main St, Suite 12, Wolfville, NS, B4P 1C4; Telephone: (902) 542-4010; Fax: (902) 542-4184; BrisoS@parl.gc.ca Mario Silva (Liberal, Davenport, Toronto – International Trade Committee) Constituency Office: 1674 St Clair Ave West, Toronto, ON, M6N 1H8; Telephone: (416) 654-8048; Fax: (416) 654-5083; SilvaM@parl.gc.ca John Cannis (Liberal, Scarborough Centre, Toronto – International Trade Committee) Constituency Office: 1450 Midland Ave, Suite 211, Scarborough, ON, M1P 4Z8; Telephone: (416) 752-2358; Fax: (416) 752-4624; CanniJ@parl.gc.ca Michael Ignatieff (Liberal Leader, Etobicoke – Lakeshore, Toronto) Constituency Office: 656 The Queensway, Etobicoke, ON, M8Y 1K7; Telephone: (416) 251-5510; Fax: (416) 251-2845; IgnatM@parl.gc.ca Bob Rae (Liberal Foreign Affairs Critic, Toronto Centre) Constituency Office: 514 Parliament Street (Main Office), Toronto, ON, M4X 1P4; Telephone: (416) 954-2222; Fax: (416) 954-9649; RaeB@parl.gc.ca Navdeep Bains (Liberal, Mississauga-Brampton South) Constituency Office: 6660 Kennedy Road, Suite 215A, Mississauga, ON, L5T 2M9, Phone: (905) 795-5220; Bains.N@parl.gc.ca Martha Hall-Findlay (Liberal, Willowdale) Constituency Office: 145 Sheppard West, Willowdale, ON, M2N 1M7; Phone: (416) 223-2858; Fax: (416) 223-9715; HallFindlay.M@parl.gc.ca Gerard Kennedy (Liberal, Parkdale-High Park, Toronto) Constituency Office: Phone: (416) 769-5072; Fax: (416) 769-8343; Kennedy.G@parl.gc.ca Maria Minna (Liberal, Beaches-East York, Toronto, ON) Constituency Office: 1912 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4C 1J4; Phone: (416) 467-0860; Fax: (416) 467-0905; Minna.M@parl.gc.ca
Compose your letter in the box below.
Dear MP, As you gather this week in Sudbury, Ontario for your caucus meeting I hope that the human rights crisis in Colombia is fresh on your mind. Just last week, 12 Indigenous members of the Awá community were killed after receiving death threats by army-backed paramilitary against the Awá Indigenous Union. Amnesty International reports that over 50 members of the Awá communities of Nariño have been killed since September 2008 by guerrillas, security forces and their paramilitary allies, who are contesting to control the region. Before the summer ended your party committed to carry out an independent Human Rights Impact Assessment before any free trade agreement is signed between Canada and Colombia. Bill C-24, ratification legislation for that agreement, was pulled from the order paper when it became obvious to the Conservatives how much opposition there was in the House of Commons. I congratulate you on your sober second thoughts regarding the Colombia FTA and urge you to continue to oppose quick ratification this fall when the House sits again. Considering the ongoing human rights crisis and ongoing conflict in Colombia, it would be unwise for Canada to sign a free trade agreement without attempting to gauge its impacts on the peoples of Colombia, their human rights and their labour conditions. I look forward to your response. Sincerely,
Name
Email address
Address: City/town Province/territory Postal code
Stay informed:	(Check this box to receive the Council of Canadians e-Newsletter)
Anti-Spam Test: In order to combat increasing spam rates, we've added a visual check our Action Alert forms. Please enter the words to the right in the text box provided. If you have trouble reading the words, you can refresh ( ) or choose to hear an audio challenge ( ) instead.
	* Please note that we've been experiencing a high volume of email submissions. When you press "Send letter", you should land on our "thank you" page. Even if you don't see the "thank you" message, your email will still be sent as soon as the server is free, and you may close the window. If you have any questions, or would like verification that your email was submitted successfully, please email webmaster@canadians.org.