Has your MP answered
the MAI/FSA survey?
[Updated 5 April 1998 with full MP responses, more analysis.]

There is growing opposition to the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) and Financial Services Agreement (FSA). Opponents believe the MAI and FSA would put every nation's sovereignty at risk by opening up our social, economic and financial sectors to foreign investors. The government denies these and other allegations. Our response is to ask, by means of a survey of all MPs, "are you informing Canadians on these proposals?"

You can help! Contact your MP...

Our survey asks four questions which most Members of Parliament have yet to answer. To find out if your MP has responded, consult the list on this page. Then send your MP the survey form. It requests that you be sent a copy, and explains why we are doing this survey. Please let us know at OPIRG-Carleton that you have sent it to your MP (you don't need to copy us the whole form). This way, we can record the number of requests MPs receive from their constituents to complete this survey. (To avoid further inquiries, your MP won't want to be left off our list!)

Our Questions (full text on survey form):

1. Have you read the MAI text and "Canada's final offer" on FSA?
2. By what other means are you informing yourself on the MAI/FSA?
3. What is your position on the MAI/FSA?
4. How are you informing constituents on the MAI/FSA and their implications?

Results as of 16 April 1998

Answers below are listed by letter as per the survey form, separated by a slash as for "MAI/FSA." MPs often marked several options where more than one response was possible. Some FSA responses are missing, reflecting a lack of disclosure on the issue. They and other missing answers are shown by dashes. Those who clearly refused to answer are also shown below. Some Liberal answers date back to February and may have changed. In question #4, the "Member's Householder" is also called a "ten-percenter," i.e. a mailing to 10 per cent of constituents. Here on this website, http://mai.flora.org, you can find any new additions, and print the survey form to mail or fax your MP if s/he has not responded. Now you can also click on the MP's name to see his/her full response, as well as address and contact information.

* included or mailed attachments

What have we learned?

Who knows about the FSA? There has been so little disclosure on the FSA that few MPs answered all questions, so our survey analysis focuses on the MAI. However, we've learned that, for MPs to make an informed decision, reading "Canada's final offer" is insufficient. They need to demand from Finance Canada an analysis in lay terms of the full 1,000 page document.

Who wants the MAI? Not surprisingly, all NDP MPs oppose the MAI. But also, the few Liberals who responded show very soft rank-and-file support for the MAI. None opposed it in total, but only one fully supported it, two had no position and five offered only conditional support. Also, MPs' performance closely parallelled their party's position, as follows:

Who is cooperating? Most NDP MPs replied promptly. In fact, the party leader's office called, asked pertinent questions, offered suggestions and re-sent the survey to all NDP MPs. (Some were out of town and have yet to respond.) All other parties put up varying degrees of resistance. Just eight of 155 Liberal MPs have replied; several others promised but did not. Some either refused to answer outright, or were otherwise dismissive (e.g. "we normally don't do surveys"). Only one BQ and one PC (neither from the MAI hearings) and no Reform MPs have replied. Several Reform MPs deferred to MP Charles Penson (who was at the hearings) at his request; he has yet to reply.

Who is informing? A quick glance at answers to questions #2 and #4 show that the NDP checked off by far the most options on informing themselves and their constituents; some attached examples. Liberals showed more reliance on official sources of information, and complacency about informing constituents. If your MP didn't respond, this may be just an oversight on their part, but until s/he replies we don't know if they are making informed decisions in the public interest.

Why this survey?
We want to test our belief that we can get more government proposals in the public interest if we enforce regular reporting by politicians. MPs should know the intentions of their government. What they know, they can report. It is then the duty of citizens groups to publicly and fairly examine, validate or challenge the arguments in these proposals. The "precautionary principle" says we do not wait for scientific proof to question harmful government proposals. Rather, it is the duty of politicians to explain their intentions until citizens decide that it is safe to proceed.

What if my MP didn't answer?
Then you say, "no MAI, no FSA, until the public gets answers," i.e. until the ministers and MPs publicly explain the implications of the MAI and FSA. If your MP has not answered the survey, please re-send it. It's easy, just print the form, sign and fax it (see MP contact info on our website), and let us know you sent it (see our contact info below). Or cut and paste it to our MP free fax link and copy it to us at opirg@carleton.ca. Print it for your friends (plus this webpage for reference) so they can do the same. With a survey such as this, avoid any temptation to argue, even if provoked; always be polite with MP staff, and assume good intentions. Then publicize whether or not they were willing to cooperate. Thanks for your assistance! Please be in touch with any questions.

For information please contact:
The MAI-Not! Project, OPIRG-Carleton
Room 326 Unicentre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa ON K1S 5B6
Tel. (613) 520-2757, fax (613) 520-3989, opirg@carleton.ca
(Our website http://mai.flora.org offers campaign and research tools and MAI links worldwide)