The Honorable David Emerson
Minister of International Trade
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Minister Emerson,

I am writing in order to share my deepest concern regarding the government’s position on Chapter 11 of NAFTA.

For the past ten years, the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism in Chapter 11 has allowed foreign corporations to sue our country for taking actions in the public interest.

Foreign investors have used these extraordinary rights to challenge our environmental laws, municipal land-use controls, water protection measures, Canada Post, and even the decisions of juries and appellate courts.

To make matters worse, our government seems to have become one of the biggest proponents of these investment rules around the world. Your department pushes “Investor protection” rules at the World Trade Organization, at the Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations and in countless bi-lateral investment treaties, this despite the fact that they are controversial and strongly opposed in most multilateral forums.

I ask you to impose a moratorium on any further investment trade deals, call for an immediate review of our trade positions, and officially reject Chapter 11. We should not have to pay foreign multinationals for the right to exercise democracy in Canada!

Sincerely,


(your name here)