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Not in my name thats the message being delivered to the Chrt0069en government as it prepares for a meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in November.

Canadians from coast to coast including many CUPE members are mobilizing to tell the federal government they want nothing to do with the WTO and its nasty services agreement the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).

The Chrt0069en Liberals have no mandate to trade away our vital public services or to open up our communities to transnational corporations looking to make a quick buck from health care, education or water, says National President Judy Darcy. And no one elected the WTO.

Preparations are well underway for a global mobilization leading up to the WTO ministerial meetings slated for November 9 to 13 in Qatar. Unions and their allies around the world are staging a Day of Action November 9.

In Canada, the campaign is being spearheaded by the Common Front on the World Trade Organization (CFWTO), a network of more than 50 unions, activist and community groups. CUPE co-chairs this coalition along with the Council of Canadians.

The CFWTO campaign has three main components: a cross-country caravan, political action and economic disruption.

The campaign kicks off on October 2 with the caravan launch. Two caravans will weave their way across the country, travelling through the east and the west and converging on Ottawa November 9. As well as workshops on the WTO and the GATS and their impact on our lives, therell be workshops on the media, popular theatre, puppet making and non-violent direct action. In the caravans wake, local communities will decide on their own actions for November 9.

Across the country, local activists will meet with MPs in their constituency offices the week of October 9 to 12. MPs will be presented with a citizens travel permit entitled Not in my name. They will be asked not to travel to Qatar in our name if they intend to discuss the privatization of public services.

The campaign also includes plans for economic disruption, exposing the key corporate players behind the push to privatize and targetting them on November 9.

Theres lots of opportunity for CUPE members to be involved in this campaign and were hoping to build on our huge turnout in Quebec City, said Darcy.

More information on the CFWTO campaign is available on our web site at cupe.ca and at wtoaction.org. If you want more information on the caravan or youd like to lobby your MP, check out these web sites.