CUPE and the Council of Canadians are calling on left-wing European Union political parties to help stop a dangerous trade bill between Canada and the EU from being ratified.
In an open letter, Paul Moist, national president of CUPE, and Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians, ask Socialists, New European Left, and the Greens to work with like-mined Canadians concerned with the Comprehensive Trade and Economic Agreement.
“Europe is screaming for change: more democracy, more equality, and more protection of the environment, the very goals your parties strive to achieve,” write Moist and Barlow in the letter. “But these goals cannot be achieved by words or even legislation in the face of all-encompassing trade agreements. To ignore these agreements is to throw out your own platforms and submit to the demands of the one per cent.”
Moist and Barlow are asking the EU’s left-wing parties to work together in mobilizing against CETA.
“Citizens are becoming more informed and sophisticated. As many leftist parties go through internal questioning, citizens look to you for visionary leadership. They, and we, are hoping that you can work together to hold the line for Europe and for the rest of the world,” write Moist and Barlow.