The Canadian government’s most recent assessment of the impact of its free trade agreement with Colombia on human rights in the Latin American country once again fails to give the real consequences of the agreement, according to Amnesty International Canada, the Indigenous Assembly of First Nations, and the Official Opposition NDP party.
“We’re very concerned by the report…because of what’s not there,” says Amnesty campaigner Kathy Price. She points in particular to the lack of an examination of the impact of the Canadian mining sector on Colombia.
It is a condition of the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CCOFTA) that a human rights report be released annually. But it is prepared by the Canadian government, and not by an independent body.
RCI’s Wojtek Gwiazda spoke to Amnesty International Canada campaigner Kathy Price about the issue of human rights in Colombia and Amnesty’s concern over how the Canadian government’s yearly assessments are made.
ListenMore information:
Canada – Annual Report Pursuant to the Agreement concerning Annual Reports on Human Rights and Free Trade between Canada and the Republic of Colombia – here
Amnesty International Canada/Assembly of First Nations – Misleading free trade report ignores emergency facing Indigenous peoples and other grave human rights concerns in Colombia – here
Official Opposition NDP press release – Harper government continues to ignore human rights concerns in Colombia – here
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