In fact, very recently, leader Andrew Scheer went after Trudeau for supporting the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration – a non-binding agreement of principles among United Nations member states to work together to settled displaced peoples. Mr. Scheer falsely claimed it would cede Canada’s control of immigration to “foreign entities.”
And I want to address the HYPOCRISY of that by talking about a little known trade agreement named FIPA, or more formally, the Canada–China Foreign Investment Protection Agreement.
FIPA is a Bilateral Investment Treat between Canada and China that came into force on October 1, 2014. The Prime Minister of Canada when this was negotiated, signed, sealed and delivered was Stephen Harper.
Not only did Harper negotiate and sign this treaty in 2012, "RobotBoy" did so without debate or a vote in Parliament. Why?
Because FIPA provides important safeguards to Chinese investors in the Canadian economy, and it is one of China's first investment treaties with such comprehensive dispute settlement provisions, so under Article 22 of the agreement Harper negotiated, Chinese investors can sue Canada for damages through either the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) or to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
These are International Governing Bodies that Harper surrendered Canadian sovereignty to by ratifying the FIPA treaty.
Now both sides have this right, but since Chinese foreign direct investment in Canada is roughly three times the amount of Canadian investment in China the risk is far greater this clause will be used against Canada than against China.
And because Article 6 of this treaty Harper negotiated does not provide for pre-establishment national treatment (a right of entry into the Canadian or Chinese markets for investors of the other country), which also disproportionately favours Chinese investors in Canada, mostly because China places more onerous requirements on foreign investors for the registration and approval of new enterprises in China than Canada does.
Harper removed many requirements on foreign investment in Canada just to appease China in this deal.
Why is this relevant now?
1) Conservatives are constantly attacking Trudeau for ratifying UN Human Rights Declarations - they claim we're giving away our sovereignty to a foreign power.
Canada has been ratifying UN Human Rights Declarations since the UN was created.
In fact, WE pushed for their inclusion when the United Nations was being formed as a method of encouraging less developed Nations to adopt western style human rights. Canada ratifying a UN Declaration no more affects our sovereignty than me standing in a garage makes me a car.
2) Because the Greens, NDP and of course Andy "I'm a wee Coward" Scheer attack Trudeau's environmental commitments specifically because his government purchase the Trans-Mountain Pipeline. Elizabeth May actually tweeted "Because. You. Bought. A. Pipeline!" in response to the Liberal release of their Environmental Platform.
"Mom" May saying that sort of thing sounds pretty damning, but wait, there's more!
The number one investor in both the Pipeline and the ports, infrastructure on either end and the companies expected to delivery the increase in oil product IS CHINA!
So, if we don't build the pipeline, if we don't get that oil to port, if we don't deliver that oil to China, then China can take Canada to a secret international tribunal and sue us for damages!
WHY? BECAUSE HARPER GAVE CHINA THAT OPTION!
MEANING:
Harper's Conservatives surrendered our sovereignty to a hostile foreign government that has three times the investment in Canada than we have there, heavily restricts investment there and NOW HAS REMEDIAL OPTIONS TO SUE US for damages if we don't deliver.
The fact Conservatives have the gall to attack Trudeau for buying the pipeline (removing a major roadblock to it's creation) after putting the Government of Canada in a position of surrendering our sovereignty to China if we fail to get that oil to port would be annoying if it wasn't pretty much the same for every criticism the Conservatives have about Trudeau (except his socks).
Standard Conservative MO is to create a problem, make it really bad, hand it over to someone else and then point, shout and attack the other person for failing to fix it.
Isn't there a word for that? Isn't that called GASLIGHTING?
Seriously, is the Conservative Party of Canada being run by "Heathers"?
And before you think, well surely that was a one time mistake, Harper did state only he could STAND UP FOR CANADA, know this - Harper also sold water rights in Canada to Nestle so they could bottle the legacy of every Canadian for profit without compensating us one penny. Another thing Conservatives are constantly trying to get Canadians angry at Trudeau for. Seriously!!
By the way, the FIPA treaty is effective until 2045 so we're pretty much guaranteed that at some point in the future China will repossess at least a portion of Canada, as ordered by an International Tribunal, and we'll have no option but to surrender because...
Harper's Conservatives sold Canadian sovereignty to the Chinese on a nearly one-sided deal.
Scheer intially told Trudeau to take any deal Trump offered and then attacked him for negotiating a better deal than Scheer would've accepted.
If Scheer forms Government he will do the same thing with anyone offering Canada any sort of deal.
Because for Conservatives, Canada is for sale.
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