UPDATE 18 Jun 1998: implementing legislation related to the FSA, due to be introduced in February to Parliament, has been DELAYED, first to June and now until fall.
The FSA or FSIA, another sneak treaty, has now been ratified by the WTO, which would open up our financial sectors. However, according to the Canadian Government, "Governments will have until January 31, 1999, to ratify this agreement, which is scheduled to come into effect on March 1, 1999." Please fax your MP either a letter, or our MP survey form on the FSA. Other info on our homepage.
Decision on Financial Services
http://www.wto.org/wto/legal/48-dsfin.wp5
Understanding on Commitment in Financial Services
http://www.wto.org/wto/legal/54-ufins.wp5
Other FSA/WTO info:
http://www.wto.org/wto/new/whatsnew.htm
http://www.wto.org/wto/new/sumfin.htm
http://www.wto.org/wto/new/fsdg.htm
http://www.wto.org/wto/new/finnov.htm
http://www.wto.org/wto/services/services.htm
http://www.wto.org/wto/services/financia.htm
Statements by Ruggiero, including a statement given in Seoul Korea
praising the Korean economy:
http://www.wto.org/wto/new/press80.htm
http://www.wto.org/wto/new/press77.htm
http://www.wto.org/wto/press/seoul.htm
GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN SERVICES 1994 index page
http://www.wto.org/wto/services/gatsintr.htm
ANNEX ON FINANCIAL SERVICES
http://www.wto.org/wto/services/10-anfin.htm
DECISION ON FINANCIAL SERVICES
http://www.wto.org/wto/services/17-finsr.htm
Press release on FSA (or FSIA) by Democracy Watch
With 29 Nov 1997 preamble (slightly edited) by dweston@island.net
(David Weston)
--------------------------------------------------------
Preamble
On November 10th, Mr Bill Dymond, Chief Negotiator for Canada for the
Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), assured us in a meeting in
Nanaimo that openess and transparency for the public was the order of the
day in the negotiations around the MAI over the last two years. He had
little to say when it was pointed out that as recently as May 11 of this
year, on Cross Country Check-Up, that Cabinet Minister Hedy Fry, when asked
by Connie Fogal about the MAI, Fry said: "There is no such agreement
being negotiated." We have subsequently been assured by senior civil
servants that the Minister was not lying, but simply didn't know. We discovered
that only two cabinet ministers and the prime minister knew about this
nation impacting issue.
Now it has just surfaced that in December this year, Canada is about to
sign yet another secretive international agreement called the Financial
Services Industry Agreement (FSIA) that will effectively turn over control
of our nation's finances to international money lenders and dealers. Laundering
questionable money is the lucrative trade of some of these people. Under
the auspices of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva, this agreement
will permit any financial institution in the world to come to Canada (and
of course other countries) and to any community, and buy, sell and trade
financial institutions at will.
The implications for Canadian sovereignty are worrisome, to say the least.
A nation's sovereignty is determined by its control of its money and its
central bank. You know which country you are in when you see the money
they use.
Under 'globalisation' rules, our national bank, the Bank of Canada, will
be subject to privatisation. It will then be subject to sell-off to a high
bidder, most likely the privately-owned Federal Reserve Bank of the USA.
Once in their control they can simply declare that the U.S. dollar will
be our currency.
'Manifest Destiny' is the ideology of the American establishment in which
they believe they have the right to own and control whatever country they
wish, and extract their resources. They have never really feared Communism.
What they have feared and do fear is insubordination and independence,
even among their own people, who are our friends. We work with Americans
to stop the MAI, and to roll back NAFTA and the FTA.
Canada, with its abundant water and other resources, is a prime candidate
for 'access'. Why bother with an armed invasion, which would be unacceptable
to other nations, when a financial invasion will achieve the same end?
Do we want to remain a nation or become a dependency like Puerto Rico?
It is a fact of history that minority elites have manoeuvered to try and
take control of people's lives, in order to exploit them. There is nothing
to suggest that it is any different in our century.
The struggles of the past can be wiped out with the stroke of a pen. I
don't want that to happen, and I hope you don't either.
Following, is a report by Duff Conacher about the up-to-now secret WTO
Financial Services Industry Agreement (FSIA) being negotiated in Geneva,
and designated to be signed in December by the Liberal Government without
any parliamentary debate or public referendum on this nation-deleting agreement.
If you love this country, then come out and help. Perhaps we can get rid
of the charletons in Ottawa who are selling us out in the name of 'globalisation'.
And why not?
David J. Weston.
============================================================================
TO: Everyone concerned about the World Trade Organization's
(WTO) agenda and decision-making process.
FROM: Duff Conacher, Coordinator Democracy Watch and Chairperson of the
Canadian Community Reinvestment Coalition (CCRC).
Please see below a news release the Canadian Community Reinvestment
Coalition (CCRC) recently distributed concerning the fast-approaching WTO
financial services industry agreement (not the MAI). I hope you find it
useful, and below the news release are the addresses of public officials
to
send a message to if you are concerned, as the CCRC is, about the implications
of this agreement.
***********************
MEDIA RELEASE
COALITION CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO CONSULT PUBLIC ON ITS
POSITION ON INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INDUSTRY AGREEMENT
OTTAWA - Today, the Canadian Community Reinvestment Coalition
(CCRC) called on Jim Peterson, the federal Secretary of State (International
Financial Institutions), to set out the government's plans for public consultation
on the World Trade Organization's (WTO) financial services industry agreement.
The WTO agreement is currently under negotiation in secret in Geneva, and
it is expected about 50 countries of the WTO will sign an agreement by
the end of this year that will remove barriers to foreign financial institutions
entering Canada and other countries. Today, October 16th, the WTO is holding
a negotiating session on the agreement.
To date, the federal government has not conducted any consultation with
consumer or small business interests concerning its position on the WTO
agreement. On September 25th, the Department of Finance released a discussion
paper on foreign bank entry but this paper does not deal with the WTO agreement
directly. The discussion paper also recommends that foreign banks in Canada
be prohibited from accepting deposits of under $150,000. This would preclude
most consumers and small businesses from having the same choices as big
business and wealthy individuals. To maintain their market share and profit
levels, Canada's banks would likely have to cut their prices for large
and wealthy customers, while increasing prices for small businesses and
moderate-income customers.
"We are very concerned about the potential impact of the WTO agreement
and the government's proposals for foreign bank entry on financial consumers,
small businesses and access to capital for job creation," said Duff
Conacher, Chairperson of the CCRC, "The federal government must engage
in meaningful consultations with financial consumers and small businesses
with all the options on the table" said Conacher, "and the government
should not finalize its position nor sign the WTO agreement before the
concerns of consumers and small businesses are addressed. Banking policy
should not be made in secret or focussed solely on protecting Canada's
big banks."
*****************************
The federal Bank Act is currently under review by a federal government
task force. Write to Harold MacKay, Chair of the Task Force on the Future
of the Canadian Financial Services Sector, your MP and Jim Peterson, Secretary
of State for Financial Institutions, and ask them to enact strong bank
accountability measures for Canada's big banks, and also to ensure that
Canada will not be opened up to foreign bank entry before a meaningful
public consultation takes place.
The address for the Task Force is 140 O'Connor St., Ottawa, Ontario,
K1A 0G5; fax: (613) 995-9021 or email: finservtaskforce@fin.gc.ca. The
address for all MPs and Ministers is House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6 and no postage is necessary for your letter. You can also send
your letter to Jim Peterson by fax: (613) 995-2355 or email: peterj@parl.gc.ca.
Join Canadians across the country in the push for bank reforms.
All together we can make a difference.
For more information contact:
Duff Conacher, Chairperson of the Canadian Community Reinvestment Coalition
(CCRC) P.O. Box 1040, Stn B,
Ottawa CANADA K1P 5R1
Tel : (613) 789-5753 Fax : (613) 241-4758 email: cancrc@web.net
The Canadian Community Reinvestment Coalition (CCRC) is a coalition
of 61 small business, community economic development, anti-poverty,labour
and consumer groups from nine provinces and the Northwest Territories that
advocates for bank accountability in Canada
Duff Conacher, Coordinator, Democracy Watch
P.O. Box 821, Stn. B
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5P9
Tel: (613) 241-5179 Fax: (613) 241-4758 email: dwatch@web.net
Internet: http://www.dwatch.ca/dwatch
==========================================================================
"The law doth lock up both man and woman,
Who steals the goose from off the common,
But lets the greater felon loose,
Who steals the common from the goose." - Anon. circa 16th century.