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CUPE Ontario, Council of Canadians speaking tour on trade arrives in Kingston
KINGSTON, Ont. Say bye to buy local,’ the sixth stop on an eight-city speaking tour featuring Council of Canadians National Chair Maude Barlow and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario 1st Vice-President Michael Hurley, arrived in Kingston this evening.
Before an audience at the Days Inn Hotel, Hurley and Barlow revealed how several interprovincial and international trade deals, currently being negotiated behind closed doors, are threatening local economies, communities, jobs and the environment.
Ontarians have a right to discuss and debate these agreements, and to have the power to modify, expand or cancel them if they’re not in the province’s interests, Barlow told those in attendance.
The impact of these internal and international agreements, she warned, will be broad and often incompatible with social goods, such as stimulating local economies, maintaining a universal and publicly-funded health care system, and protecting the environment.
As Ontarians, we are all affectedwhen our elected politicians lose their ability to make the best decisions on behalf of their constituents and let the business community set the agenda on their termswe all lose, said Hurley.
The speaking tour will proceed to London and Hamilton.
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For more information, contact:
Michael Hurley 1st Vice-President, CUPE Ontario 416-209-0066
Kevin Wilson CUPE Communications 416-821-6641
