With the next round of The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations set for Montréal from January 23rd to 27th 2018, it is important for organized labor, environmentalists, family farmer groups, and other civil society organizations to show their united opposition to corporate trade deals as we did in our efforts to defeat the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas in the 1990s. Common Frontiers, the Trade Justice Network, the Council of Canadians and Réseau québécois sur l’intégration continentale have joined forces to demonstrate their opposition to market liberalization at the detriment of human rights and the environment.
These four networks coordinate a pan-Canadian coalition consisting of labour unions, environmental groups, farmers, Indigenous groups, women’s groups, digital rights activists, social justice organizations as well as other activist and civil society groups. The coalition was formed during the Mexico City civil society meeting in May 2017 to voice concerns of social movements and the public about NAFTA renegotiations throughout English-speaking Canada and Québec.
We invite other organizations and civil society from across English Canada and Quebec to initiate actions and mobilize on January 23rd to 27th to coincide with the sixth round of NAFTA negotiations in Montreal, Quebec.
We invite organizations to share details of their actions and any photos or videos with us. We commit to sharing them as we coordinate these days of action. Send info. about your event to burbano@rogers.com
During the week of January 22nd to the 27th, we encourage everyone to take action and participate in diverse ways in their own city.
We invite organizations to share details of their actions and any photos or videos with us. We commit to sharing them as we coordinate these days of action.
Montréal rally on NAFTA and the Paris Climate Agreement – January 27, 2018
The pan-Canadian coordinating group invites Québec and Canadian organizations to participate in a rally to be held in Montreal on Saturday January 27, organized by Réseau québécois sur l’intégration continentale. The theme of the rally will be NAFTA against the Paris climate agreement, and will be followed by a social gathering.
Invitation to participate in a Montreal strategy meeting
To all organizations belonging to the North American coordinating group on NAFTA
The pan-Canadian civil society coordinating group on NAFTA — composed of Common Frontiers, the Trade Justice Network, the Council of Canadians and Réseau québécois sur l’intégration continentale — invites you to participate in a North American strategy meeting in Montreal, Quebec on January 27th, during the sixth round of NAFTA negotiations.
Will there be enough time to reach an agreement in the first half of January? How will the negotiations evolve? Will they be delayed again? How much longer will they be delayed given the upcoming elections and the difficulties of reaching an agreement?
Since the beginning of the negotiations, organizations from the pan-Canadian coalition on NAFTA have worked with allies in the U.S. and Mexico. A joint declaration adopted in May of 2017 is the basis of understanding of the group.
This is why the Canadian coalition would like to hold a strategic meeting for all of the Canadian, Quebec, American and Mexican network representatives. The goal of this meeting is to evaluate the negotiations thus far, discuss the current state of negotiations and what we have to do in that context.
-Download a copy of this mobilization in English En español En français
