Editor:
Re: Trade deals
Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney recently gave a speech praising the Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. He talked about it being a huge financial benefit to Canada and how prosperous we are because of it. If this is not true, then why are we so far in debt? Why did so many schools have to close? And why will Canadians need to wait until age 67 to collect the old age pension. Our retailers are now mostly American owned with shelves full of Asian made products. Much of our resources and all of our railways are foreign owned. Whether it is the Alaskan Panhandle, Columbia River Treaty, Expo Lands or FTA Canadians are not served well by our negotiators.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is negotiating a trade deal with China. After decades of being exploited by the west, Nigeria has also negotiated trade deals with China. Chinese corporations control huge oil fields in Nigeria. Even though unemployment there is high, thousands of workers were brought in from China to work the rigs, build highways and railroads. They even bring in cooks. The Chinese are the shareholders so they get the profits. They get the oil.
They get the wages. Resource rich Nigeria exports two million barrels of oil a day. Yet 70 per cent of the population lives in poverty and made as little as two dollars a day.
One can only wonder why Nigerian politicians would let this happen to their own country. They key word to describe Nigeria's affairs is corruption. It is good to diversify our markets. But with Canada's history of negotiating bad deals it is a little worrisome where our relationship with China is heading.
Raymond Betemps