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Question 10: Values and CultureAre values such as human rights, democracy, respect for diversity and gender
equality ones that Canada should continue to advocate in all parts of the world?
If so, what are the best ways of doing this? |
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| Contributor: | 1935 |
| Date: |
2003-05-01 22:21:18 |
| Answer: |
As noted, Canadians share many values with American people, but it's mostly our government and our corporations who share values with the American administration. This is because the U.S. government, and to a lesser extent our own, is heavily influenced if not controlled by big-business interests. The multi-national corporate values of ENRON, WORLD.COM, Arthur Anderson, and others have permeated our respective governments' values, and been
reflected in their policies. Not only are our politicians out of touch with the people (witness the laughter that greeted certain of your statements in Victoria), but they have enacted legislation such as NAFTA that only business people wanted, not the majority of Canadians.
Mr Graham's statement in Victoria that NAFTA protects our environment was laughed at because past and on-going court cases have proven this to be false. At the least we need to get the same environmental protection in Chapter 11 of
NAFTA that Mexico demanded and got - yes Mexico!
Our health care and educational programs are also under threat because of NAFTA's Chapter 11, as your government has repeatedly been told, but, for suspicious reasons, has ignored.
The most beneficial Foreign Policy initiative you could adopt to better reflect Canadian values would be to re-negotiate Chapter 11 of the NAFTA; better, replace the whole agreement with one that would reflect the foreign
policies and values described above, rather than those of corporations.
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