Letter to Minister Manley: Human Rights and Foreign Trade

Dear Mr. Manley,

I am writing to follow-up on your meeting with representatives of the Canadian Council of Churches on July 4, 2001 and propose a new meeting in November 2001.

In our letter of July 13 thanking you for making time for the meeting and begin a face-to- face acquaintance with the inter-church human rights network, Janet Somerville promised that I would be in touch with you to suggest new dates for a next meeting since our proposed October dates were not convenient for you.

Since the Quebec Summit in April, the importance of the relationship between human rights and trade in the context of globalization has gained even more profile in the aftermath of the Genoa G8 demonstrations. As you may already know, the Canadian Council of Churches coordinated a church leader’s letter that proposed a series of guidelines toward building a more neighbourly economy for all in this hemisphere. We believe these human rights guidelines will become ever more important as Canada prepares for the next G8 meeting in Kananaskis.

More urgently, the after-shock of the September 11 attacks and the new campaign against terror are being felt in many sectors. In a recent letter to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien (copied to you) our Commission on Justice and Peace articulated a series of basic principles and policy proposals calling for accountability and due process, among others. We, together with our peace and disarmament network, are eager to discuss these principles and policy proposals with you in more detail.