The Canada-EU trade deal.

There is quite a debate taking place in Canada right now concerning a "free trade deal" between Canada and the European Union. People everywhere should be watching and thinking about what is taking place because what we see is a big imperialist bully--- the EU--- trying to gobble up a smaller imperialist bully, Canada.

See this article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/03/04/pol-cp-mulcair-eu-trade.html

As far as I can see, most of the Canadian unions and organizations representing working people wisely want no part of this unjust deal.

I might as well add my two-cents.

"Fair trade" is one thing; "free trade" is quite another thing. The EU, like the United States, will never trade fairly with a small country like Canada. The entire reason and motive behind these trade agreements is for the wealthier countries to take advantage of poorer countries.

The only reason the United States hasn't taken over Canada in its pursuit of "Manifest Destiny" is because the U.S. corporations have been robbing Canada blind with ease right along with the EU and Japan; wholly enabled by the Liberals and the Conservatives.

I don't think most Canadians realize the scope of this robbery and theft of its wealth; I know most people in the United States don't think about any of this because the media here in the United States makes sure we never hear much about anything in Canada except when it gets real cold and snows a lot.

One has to travel from coast to coast stopping at many points in between to actually SEE with their own eyes what is taking place. I have done this.

I read a book explaining all of this way back in 1964; "How they sold OUR CANADA to the USA," written by an author using the pseudonym, Andrew Lamorie. Generally, I don't like to put much credibility in anything written by someone using a phony name because holding them accountable for what they write is next to impossible. I have actually read this 118 page booklet from cover to cover at least two dozen times as I criss-crossed Canada many times in the late 1990's.

This booklet paints a horrible picture of what had been going on up until 1964; until I saw with my own eyes and talked to people living in mining communities and communities relying on the forestry and manufacturing industries for their livelihoods I really didn't think things could be so bad; things are worse now (unless the plight of working people has improved since I was deported from Canada for writing about these kinds of things)--- the tremendous working class poverty amidst such fantastic creation of wealth has gotten worse, not better.

Since I now live three miles from the Canadian border and get to see what crosses the border from Canada by truck and rail and when I visit the port communities, it looks to me like the theft of Canada's wealth by U.S. multi-nationals continues at an even more rapid pace.

I don't know if you are aware, but many Canadians are forced to cross the border daily for employment down here usually at, or near, minimum wage--- minimum wage down here is $7.25 an hour compared with Manitoba's and Ontario's Minimum Wage of $10.25 an hour. As part of any of these trade agreements like NAFTA are there any provisions Canadian labour crossing the border has to be paid the same wages they would get in Canada? Not a chance; U.S. businesses would never stand for this.

Believe me; people don't cross the border to get jobs paying less because they want to; it is because they are forced to by the multi-national conglomerates dominating the Canadian economy.

In my opinion, instead of engaging in these unwinnable "trade deals," what Canadians should be looking to do is tax the heck out of what is being taken out of Canada by any multi-national conglomerates.

These companies can set up plants in other countries but I would like to see them try to take a mine or a forest with them.

Look at electricity. U.S. energy monopolies are stealing electricity from Canada while our energy monopolies are charging us consumers down here through the nose. What the NDP should be looking at doing is entering into negotiations with border states to sell the electricity through some kind of state enterprises or cooperatives. Canada could charge triple and we would still save a lot.

My advice to the NDP would be to produce some kind of updated version of the book, "How they sold OUR Canada to the USA" and provide some solutions to this hemorrhaging of Canada's wealth produced by Canadian workers and end the need for Canadian labour to have to cross the border where they are subjected to super exploitation in poverty wage paying jobs.

Canadians can't even leverage these trade deals by threatening to increase the prices of its natural resources because most all of Canada's natural resources are under the control of foreign multi-nationals--- including not only the United States, but the EU.

No doubt if you attempted to use your natural resources as leverage in these trade deals you would be deemed terrorists and enemies of the United States and the EU--- after all, a Canadian judge prompted by a South African diamond company has had the unmitigated gall to accuse Aboriginal people of trying to "extort" DeBeers!

The NDP should be challenging this racist "Doctrine of Discovery;" not abetting it. Let the Aboriginal people take their resources back instead of allowing the multi-nationals to steal everything.

The NDP should be calling for setting up blockades in and out of the forests and mines and at the sea and land ports calling for huge taxes to be assessed. This would be a "trade deal."

I assume Canadian colleges and universities have been teaching Canadians enough to operate a mining or forestry operation should the multi-nationals decide they don't like being properly taxed?

From my experiences in Canada I don't buy the argument Mulcair is putting forward that the Canadian people are looking for a party who will work out "fair" trade deals; Canadians want to be paid fairly for their resources and their labour. Then Canada will be able to trade as an equal in the world markets while improving the lives and livelihoods of all Canadians.

Buy into justice; not unjust imperialist scams.