(OTTAWA) An alliance of over 40 national organizations, including the Council of Canadians and the Canadian Labour Congress, has joined more than 1,100 organizations from 87 countries in signing an international declaration calling for a halt to proposed new talks at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The so-called Millennium Round of negotiations is set to begin at the WTO later this fall and is expected to pursue many of the same objectives outlined in the controversial Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI). Negotiations on the MAI collapsed in 1998 at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in part because of strong international opposition by citizen groups.

"Our fear is that governments have learned nothing from the experience of the MAI, except perhaps how to better ignore their citizens," said Maude Barlow, National Chair of the Council of Canadians.

"It's time to stop, assess the damage caused by trade liberalization, and reform the system of international trade," added Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress.

"Canadians are concerned," said Barlow. "They are concerned about public health care, education and social services, they are concerned about their water, food security and culture. All of these issues and a dozen others could be up for grabs in the proposed Millennium Round. Canadians have already suffered enough from the fallout of two free trade agreements. They are understandably fearful of the impacts of WTO rulings that would override Canadian laws and policies designed to improve the lives of Canadians. The WTO doesn't need more business; it needs more democracy."

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