The myth of free trade. Part 2

[Ed Deak]

>Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 19:24:17
>To: ecol...@csf.colorado.edu
>From: Ed Deak <thi...@uniserve.com>
>Subject: The myth of free trade. Part 2
>
> Aug.10,1997
>The following is the story of how "free trade" was brought to Canada
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Although I do have detailed evidence for everything written here, due to my
pressing workload I can't go through all the files and have to write much of
this from memory. However, in case of any questions I can provide the sources.
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>The question of free trade was first brought up during the 1983 Progressive
Conservative (PC) leadership campaign in 1983 by one of the candidates, John
Crosbie. A member of a prominent Newfoundland polical family, who have
campaigned in 1947 to have Nfld. join the USA, instead of Canada.
>
>Interviewed by Maclean's magazine, similar to Time or Newsweek, here is
what the candidates said on June 13, 1983. We must remember that all these
people were hot, conservative nc capitalists:
>
>Joe Clark MP, then leader and former PM : "Unrestricted free trade with the
US raises the possibility that thousands of jobs could be lost in such
critical industries as textiles, furniture and footwear. Before we jump on
the bandwagon of continentalism, we should strengthen our industrial
structure so that we are more competitive."
>
>David Crombie MP:" It's silly. Canada must improve relations and trade with
the US, of course. But our natural destiny is to become global leader, not
America's weak sister."
>
>John Gamble MP: "We would be eaten alive. If we open our market to the US,
we won't be able to sustain our manufacturing"
>
>Brian Mulroney, lawyer, President of Iron Ore of Canada, wholly owned
susidiary of Hanna Corp. of Ohio.: " Canadians rejected free trade with the
US in 1911. They would do so again in 1983. Canada must increase its share
of total world trade, which has dropped by 33% in the past two decades."
>
>Peter Pocklington, Alberta businessman and speculator:" I believe in free
trade between Canada and the US, but we must assure that Canadian industry
gets the same access as we give the Americans."
>
>Michael Wilson MP:"Bilateral free trade with the US is simplistic and
naive. It would only diminish our ability to compete internatinally."
>
>It was 2 for 5 against. Mulroney was elected leader and then into
Parliament through the resignation of an MP in a safe seat. Soon after he
went for an audience with President Reagan in Washington. An unprecedented
event for an untried, Canadian Leader of the Opposition.
>
>Having had a lot of experience with psychological warfare and associated
filth, I know that all large corporations and governments employ experts who
keep psychological profiles on main players in their fields, to anticipate
their actions.
>
>Mulroney came from a working class family, his father was an electrician in
a US owned paper mill. An unsatiable egomaniac and social climber addicted
to high living. It was easy for Reagan's mindbenders to figure out that if
he is permitted to call Reagan "Ron", he would sell Canada.
>
>After he came back, he maintained his anti free trade stance for another 18
months, claiming in the media that it would cripple Canada, ruin its
industries put it under US control and make it a branch economy. I have the
clippings.
>
>When PM Pierre Trudeau resigned John Turner became Liberal PM until the
elections in Nov.'84. Free trade was never an issue and was never brought up
during the campaign.
>
>About 2 days after being elected PM with the greatest majority Mulroney
went to see Reagan again. He came back ready for free trade. This suggested
a prearranged deal and that his previous statements were planned lies.
>
>The US Ambassador at that time was Paul Robinson, a Chicago industrialist and
>personal friend of Reagan. An obnoxious bully, constantly in trouble for
getting mixed up in Canadian affairs, but also the FTA emmissary of Reagan.
I have a report somewhere in my files that claims that Robinson summoned 3
Canadian business leaders, named in the article, among them Thomas d'Aquino,
head of the Business Council for National Affairs, to a villa in Toronto and
told them that the US govt. wants the FTA, so they'd better get the lead
out. In any case, d'Aquino has been the mouthpiece of the international,
mainly US multinationals, constantly in the media relaying and transmitting
threats and messages. The Business Council is the mouthpiece of the
multinationals, ordering Canadian politicians the media around.
>
>In March '85 Reagan came to Quebec City for the so called "Shamrock Summit"
with Mulroney, both being of Irish descent. They sang "When Irish Eyes are
smiling" on the stage, together and announced the plans for the FTA talks.
>
>The Canadian Chief Negotiator was to be Simon Reisman, of the US, Peter
Murphy. Reisman was a retired Deputy Finance Minister and at that time an
alleged lobbyist for the Grand Canal scheme, planning to divert large
amounts of fresh water from James Bay in Northern Quebec to the US Midwest,
through a series of canals, tunnels and rivers. Negotiations started in '86,
Reisman got $1000/day.
>
>On Sept.20/85 the Toronto Star published a leaked, secret document from the
Prime Minister'se Office (PMO), allegedly concocted by Mulroney's propaganda
chief (Press Secretary) Bill Fox. It was a plan on how to mislead and
brainwash Canadians through the cultivation of "benign neglect" (his words)
to accept the FTA. I do have a copy. It is the most disgusting piece of
fascistic mind bending. Never denied by the PMO, or Fox.
>
>The FTA talks were to begin in mid-86, but on Feb.5 the Canadian Dollar
crashed to .69.20 and so on, for no reason. Mulroney and his Finance
Minister Michael Wilson blamed 4 Chicago money speculators for the fall,
probably fronting for the US govt. flexing their muscles, showing that:
"FTA or we'll crush you".
>
>Here's a chronology of events from my notes:
>
>Nov.4/85, Joe Clark, (I believe he was Foreign Minister at the time):
"Canada's cultural industries up for grab in FTA talks.
>
>Dec. 20/85: Shoe industry layoffs following relaxed import quotas. The
promises: "Cheaper shoes", "employment won't suffer". Reality by StatsCan:
footwear cost rise 9% between Apr.85 to Apr.88. Employment down 30%. Cost of
living index up 11%.
>
>Mar.5/96 Paramount wanted to buy Prentice Hall Publishers. Got it through
Gulf Western, owned by Paramount on Mar 12.
>
>Mar.13. USA to try to change sea boundaries under FTA.
>
>Mar.24, Gallup Poll: "USA will benefit more than Canada".
>
>May 13. Reagan's letter to Sen.Bob Packwood promising to keep softwood
lumber out of FTA.
>
>May 15. US negotiator Peter Murphy declares on TV that Medicare and social
services would be on the FTA table. US Ambassador denies it, although others
also repeated it. (On Nov.20/88, during the election campaign centered
around the FTA Minister Epp and Reisman stated the US never brought up
Medicare etc.)
>
>May 21. FTA talks start in Ottawa.
>
>May 29. Reagan campaigns for the FTA:"...lower barriers to US exports."
>
>June 2. USA imposes 41% tariff on Canadian steel products used in oil wells.
>
>June 16. Trade Minister Epp says the FTA could mean the dislocation of
800,000 jobs in Canada.
>
>June 19. Opposition, Liberal Leader John Turner comes out strongly against FTA
>
>Sept.16. UN report on which country is the best to live in: 1 Denmark, 18
Canada, 27 USA.
>
>Nov.20. US negotiator Murphy on TV:" Everything is on the table, incl.
cultural industries, social services, Autopact, alcohol...."
>
>Jan.7,87. Industry Minister Pat Carney (F) starting a $12.million
"information drive on the FTA"
>
>May 6. Drug patent protection bill passed, damaging Canadian generic drug
industry. Govt. claims drug firms promised a $1.4 billion research program,
no price increases, increased employment. Reality Jan 22, '88 Statscan
report: Cost of living index up 1.7%, drug prices up 7.7% employement in
drug industry loss between Apr.85 to Apr. 88, 18%.
>
>Aug.7 US House of Reps. demands concessions from Canada on communications,
liquor, Autopact. Got them all.
>
>Sept. 23. Simon Reisman walks out of talks over US balking on binding
dispute mechanism, demands for changes in Autopact, demands for halt on
regional development programs.
>
>Sept. 29. Ministers Michael Wilson and Pat Carney are sent to Washington by
Mulroney to sign anything, but sign. They did.
>
>I could carry on with such for 100 pages, but here are just a few snippets
what happened during the next year and partially during the '88 election
campaign.
>
>Economists in general jumped on the bandwagon as per their university brainwash
>Conservatve MPs were on the radio and media promising lower cost and
prices, "Housewives will love the FTA". Reality: Costs, prices, unemployemnt
and taxes started rising immediately. Since the beginning of the FTA in
1989, they doubled, covered up by phoney statistics.
>
>Economists predicted women will be the biggest winners. Judith Maxwell of
the Economic Council promised 250,000 new women's jobs, the Conference Board
125,000. The Economic Council predicted 188,000 overall jobs lost at first,
then 439,000 created. In the Leaders' Debate on TV Mulroney promised 250,000
jobs created, in his New Year's address, a couple of months later 500,000.
(I have the debate on tape, with a long string of promises on the FTA.)
>
>Reality: None of the beneficial promises came through, but all the dire
predictions have, in spades. This can be easily documented even with
StatsCan's distorted figures. The Canadian economy fell totally under the
control of multinationals, especially US controlled. Not a single net job
has ben created, but about 500,000 have been and more are still being
eliminated. Serious brain drain. Companies bought up, or already owned by US
based multinationals moved their offices South and with them thousands of
highly educated and skilled professionals.
>
>Thousands of companies have been forced into bankruptcies, bought up,
closed down and their equipment moved to the US. When I called StatsCan they
had no figures on how many moved, or even whether "machinery export"
statistics referred to machinery made in Canada, brought into and then
exported out of Canada, or machinery of closed down factories moved to the USA.
>
>Today it is difficult to find any Canadian made products in the stores. The
manufacturing industry was decimated, as predicted by the Tory leadership
candidates, later became firm FTA supporters and are now holding strings of
lucrative directorships in multinationals. Mulroney now makes about 15 times
his salary as PM. Wilson, Crosbie, et al are also doing very well.
>
>In 1992 the CD Howe Inst. published their Commentary No.37 by Senior
Analyst Daniel Schwanen: "Were the Optimists Wrong on Free Trade?" From the
title on, which is a classic propaganda buzz, to the last page, the whole
thing is premeditated nc garbage to "prove" the Institute's previous stand.
Whereas in '88 CD Howe predicted that "women will be the biggest winners, by
now that was changed to: "While Harris and Cox predicted large gains in
overall manufacturing employment (?) they also foresaw that most labour
intensive sunset industries, such as leather, "miscellaneous manufacturing"
some machinery and knitting mills, would suffer large employment losses" In
other words, women's jobs.The above is the extent of the figures and
calculations on the jobs lost, the costs, consequences, tax cost transfers
and so on. No details on the costs of the losses appeared anywhere.
Politicians are silent.
>
>Schwanen :"The most important relative gains by US importers of finished
products into Canada, however, clearly come in the furniture, furnishing,
clothing, processed foods and beverages, and miscallaneous household goods
categories. These corrspond to the "traditional" industries that had been
predicted to lose under free trade."
>
>In other words:more "women's jobs" lost. Again no facts, figures, cost
trasfers etc. This Commentary was distributed by the then Tory Govt. as
"proof" that the FTA was working. In reaity it was nothing more than the
continuation of the fraudulent "sale" of a dead donkey. Meanwhile, even by
StatsCan's figures costs and prices have been steadily going up, standard of
living going down, chronic, especially youth and women unemployment up,
corporate and bank profits going through the roof, control of the Canadian
economy by orders from abroad.
>
>This is all for now. In the next part I shall detail the corruption and
fraud of the '88 election campaign to "sell" free trade. Then I would like
to conclude with: Why free trade is nothing more than a delusion of sick
minds that has never worked anywhere, doesn't work now and never will. There
are absolutely no precedents, facts or figures anywhere, at any time in
history proving the benefits of any kind of "free trade", in reality
"colonialism".
>Even the European Community, a much better deal for the participants than
the Canada/USA FTA and NAFTA ever were, is doddering and very sick.
>
>
>Please save your comments until after I have completed the story.
>
>With all the best wishes., Ed (Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC, Canada)
>
>.
>

--
For MAI-not subscription information, posting guidelines and
links to other MAI sites please see http://www.flora.org/mai-not/