- 27 Nov 2012
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Canada has been bending over backwards to China for going on twenty years, so at the very least, this news is not that surprising, but it is depressing.
While Canada has very strict guidelines for human rights, and what countries it will deal with in trade, it has ignored all of that for Chinese money, going out of its way to do trade missions, selling land to China, etc etc.
It's the current prime minister who's taking it to a new low, despite the anger of citizens. He hates the common people of Canada, and has always worked against them (anti-First Nations, anti-environment, anti-poor, anti-culture, all business). His party's rule is based on a 39% share of the vote, basically the Canadian equivalent of those who voted for Bush in the States.
So, he has made it so China can sue Canada in secret tribunals if any laws are passed that go against Chinese business.
New Treaty Allows China to Sue Canada to Change its Laws
China has money, so the government is selling out its people for them. It's appalling.
*other examples of the government kowtowing to Chinese interests from the recent past:
Harper Sells Canadian Human Rights to China
Chairman Harper and the Chinese Sell-Out | The Tyee
While Canada has very strict guidelines for human rights, and what countries it will deal with in trade, it has ignored all of that for Chinese money, going out of its way to do trade missions, selling land to China, etc etc.
It's the current prime minister who's taking it to a new low, despite the anger of citizens. He hates the common people of Canada, and has always worked against them (anti-First Nations, anti-environment, anti-poor, anti-culture, all business). His party's rule is based on a 39% share of the vote, basically the Canadian equivalent of those who voted for Bush in the States.
So, he has made it so China can sue Canada in secret tribunals if any laws are passed that go against Chinese business.
New Treaty Allows China to Sue Canada to Change its Laws
The treaty goes into effect on October 1 and will last for 31 years, until 2045. It allows China to challenge Canadian laws it deems harmful to Chinese assets, and only requires the lawsuit be made public once an award is issued by a tribunal. Treaty law expert Gus Van Harten warns this could be problematic. "This means that the federal government could settle the lawsuit, including by varying its conduct in a way that many Canadians would oppose, or by paying out public money before an award is issued, and we would never know," he told the Vancouver Observer. The treaty makes no limits on the damages that can be awarded.
The treaty also threatens treaty obligations Canada has with its First Nations regarding resources and commercial management. Paired with the terms allowing Chinese entities to buy anything they wish without foreign investment review, China will have access to and potentially be able to gain control of Canadian resources―including resources on First Nations' lands, which Canada does not own.
The deal is almost impossible to undo. Even if Canadian courts decide the treaty is unconstitutional, China would have to agree to abandon the treaty, and analysts say this is unlikely since it is so heavily in China's favor. Chinese investment in Canada is much larger than Canada's investment in China. Chinese companies have invested more than $30 billion in Canada's energy industry alone, while Canadian investment in all Chinese sectors totaled $4.2 billion in 2012.
China has money, so the government is selling out its people for them. It's appalling.
*other examples of the government kowtowing to Chinese interests from the recent past:
Harper Sells Canadian Human Rights to China
Chairman Harper and the Chinese Sell-Out | The Tyee