PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2006                        

Canadian activist condemns role of NAFTA in Mexican political unrest

“Canadians should be aware of the role of trade liberalization in Mexico’s political unrest,” says Carleen Pickard, the Council of Canadians’ regional organizer for British Columbia. The Canadian activist has just retuned from Oaxaca where she acted as a human rights observer in the civil conflict that unfolded from December 1-8.

Pickard was part of an international delegation of human rights observers who interviewed activists, victims of arbitrary detention and family members of victims of the recent violence in Oaxaca. The delegation is set to release a report later this week with recommendations to the U.S. government and the international community.

“12 years into the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), it is not just the poor in Mexico who are feeling its effects,” says Pickard. “Anyone who relies on public services can see the negative impacts it has had on schools, hospitals and living conditions in their community. Everyone we met in Oaxaca sees NAFTA as the root cause of this conflict.”

The conflict in Oaxaca began as a teachers’ strike five months ago, but exploded into a massive, statewide civil uprising after a failed attempt by the state to forcibly remove the teachers’ protest camp. According to Pickard, the teachers’ strike was linked to massive funding cuts to Mexican public services that were a direct result of NAFTA.

“A growing number of Mexicans are refusing to bear the brunt of unfair trade policies.” says Brent Patterson, director of organizing for the Council of Canadians.

The Council of Canadians has been working with Mexican and American counterparts to oppose the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), an agreement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico aimed at taking NAFTA a step further by harmonizing domestic and foreign policies across the continent in order to facilitate trade.

“The protests in Mexico show that free trade has failed to serve ordinary citizens,” says Pickard. “As it prepares to host the next SPP summit, the Canadian government must acknowledge the growing resistance to their corporate-driven agenda for North America.”

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For more information, please contact: Carleen Pickard, 604.340.2455; cpickard@canadians.org; www.canadians.org