91.15EM Free Trade with Mexico
Whereas, The ICW Statement on Peace includes:
– The belief that all persons have obligations to the family and to the country, but equally obligations to the wider world; there is united responsibility for collective action;
– And recognizes…the economic interdependence of nations and the relationship between striving for social and economic justice and striving for a lasting peace. It considers that there must be a realistic examination of the problems of world economy and of a more equitable distribution of the world’s resources; and,
Whereas, The sustainability of development in Third World countries depends on their ability to turn external aid into trade, and
Whereas, The environmental sustainability of the world depends on the ability of the industrialized world to promote environmentally friendly industry in the Third World; and,
Whereas, A good trade negotiation with Mexico could reduce the cost of wage-intensive goods for Canada, while bringing extra income to Mexico. It could thereby increase their demand for other goods which could be produced by Canadians; and,
Whereas, Trade negotiations could include agreements on cooperative approaches towards environmental protection, ensuring that Third World countries do not resort to those environmentally unfriendly productions which accompanied the expansions in the industrialized countries; therefore be it,
RESOLVED, That The National Council of Women of Canada encourage the Government of Canada during any ongoing discussions on free trade with Mexico to ensure:
- That any agreement mutually benefits both countries;
- That any agreement must provide for the environmental protection of the Americas;
- That any trade agreement requires that health and safety standards to protect the workers be equally applied in each country.