RE: Central America Free Trade Agreement

Dear Senator ,

I urge you to oppose the proposed Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). This agreement is nothing more than an extension of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has caused massive job loss, environmental degradation (especially along the U.S.--Mexico border), displaced millions of Mexican campesinos and tens of thousands of U.S. family farmers, and led to corporate attacks on U.S. state and local laws. CAFTA will predictably lead to more of the same.

If the rules are fair, trade can be beneficial to communities by helping promote growth and reduce poverty. But the rules in CAFTA will worsen poverty and inequality in Central America. Significant portions of Central America's populations depend heavily on agriculture for their livelihoods, but if CAFTA is passed, small farmers in Central America will be unable to compete with US-subsidized agriculture that is dumped on their markets. Many Central Americans are ravaged by curable diseases due to poverty and inadequate health-care coverage, but CAFTA will limit access to affordable medicines by restricting competition to brand-name pharmaceuticals by generics companies. Central American countries are sorely lacking in public infrastructure, and some are highly indebted, but CAFTA will prohibit Central American governments from ensuring that foreign investment serves national development goals.

A US trade agreement with Central America should take into account the disparities in development and resources between the US and the region, and should allow countries the policy flexibility to place the basic needs of their citizens above those of foreign investors and US agribusiness. CAFTA utterly fails to do this, and it threatens to cause tremendous suffering for the people of Central America.

CAFTA will also impact many aspects of the lives of Americans--from food safety to jobs to our environment to our local public interest laws. Yet Congress has only become involved at the tail end of CAFTA negotiations--after the agreement has already been signed. And Congress will have only 20 hours to debate CAFTA once it comes up for a vote. I find it disturbing that the negotiations and signing of the agreement took place without real Congressional participation�which would seem to be in violation of U.S. Constitution Article I-8 giving Congress the sole authority to "regulate Commerce with foreign nations."

For the sake of the people of Central America, of working Americans and of the integrity of our Constitution, I very strongly urge you to reject CAFTA and to actively urge all of your colleagues to join you in ensuring its defeat. I will join many of your constituents in closely monitoring your actions on this vital issue.

Most Sincerely,

copy to:
The Honourable Gordon Campbell
Premier of British Columbia
Box 9041
Station PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC
Canada V8W 9E1

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