Inspired by this blog of open letters, I decided to publicly publish the letter I just sent to the Secretariat responsible for delivering a FIPA report to the government this Sunday. If you want to send your own letter, here is a site to help get it sent to the right place.
Hint: you want to send your own letter.
Dear Canada Trade Agreement Secretariat,
I am writing to inform you that I am very concerned about the FIPA agreement with China. I am not only opposed to the content of the agreement, I am also offended by the process that has brought the treaty to the table. I am particularly concerned about treaty processes where documents are signed before a consultation with the Canadian people has been done and concerns have not been publicly addressed.
The existing environmental assessment of the treaty’s impact was flawed. Public comment on the treaty text has not been taken seriously and meaningful answers to the various associated questions have not been given.
There are unanswered questions that relate to potential conflicts with our constitutional obligations to First Nations. It is not reasonable to enter into a treaty whose constitutionality is in doubt – especially when those questions and concerns have not even been publicly addressed.
Even if I could set aside those horrifying miscarriages of governance, I am gravely concerned about the seemingly lopsided financial repercussions for Canadians.
There must be a new, proper Environmental Assessment of this treaty’s impact. Our constitutional obligations to First Nations must be addressed. There must be open dialogue about the short and long-term financial impacts of this treaty.
Yours patriotically,
Captain Kano, meandering marauder of mirth, and needer of nuanced gnar.
by the way, i starred (aka liked) this, but i should have followed that up with a thank you. well-written and conceived and appreciated by those of us who need inspiration for letters of their own.
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