MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
September 17, 2009

Try Buy Canadian, don’t bash Buy American, says Council of Canadians on Harper’s trip to Washington

A Made In Canada Procurement Act, a private members bill tabled yesterday in the House of Commons, could go a long way toward creating jobs and supporting local economies in Canada, and is a welcome reprieve from anti-protectionist rhetoric from the Harper government, says the Council of Canadians.

“All of Canada’s major trading partners, including the United States, Europe and China, have ways to prioritize national companies when spending public money on major projects. There’s no reason Canada should not be doing the same when the potential for job creation and economic growth is so promising,” says Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians.

As in the U.S. economic recovery legislation, the bill being introduced by MP Peter Julian would give a preference to Canadian companies in the transfer of money to the provinces, municipalities and private companies, or in the direct purchase of goods and services. It would also commit the government to purchase goods and services from countries and companies that adhere to the International Labour Organization`s core labour standards relating to the rights of workers.

Both of these measures could be carried out under existing NAFTA and WTO guidelines on procurement without unfairly and unreasonably curbing provincial and municipal powers to put conditions on public spending, including ‘buy local’ or environmental sustainability initiatives.

“The Harper government has offered Canadians nothing but fear-mongering and anti-protectionist rhetoric against ‘Buy American’ policies in the United States while seeking out new ways to curtail provinces and cities from spending public tax dollars for infrastructure and other major purchases locally,” says Stuart Trew, Trade Campaigner with the Council of Canadians.

European Union trade officials have insisted that Canadian provinces reduce their spending powers and forgo local preference policies before the EU will enter into free trade talks with Canada. The Council of Canadians believes this is the Harper government’s real motivation for curbing provincial and municipal spending powers, and that Harper is using the controversy around ‘Buy American’ policies to shield trade reforms that most Canadians would oppose.

“The Made In Canada Procurement Act is a welcome alternative to secretly negotiating new procurement agreements with the U.S. and Europe that threaten local and democratic solutions to the economic crisis,” adds Barlow.

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For more information, contact:

Dylan Penner, Media Officer, Council of Canadians, 613-795-8685