The Multilateral Agreement on Investment ( )

More than 40 national organizations have joined with The Council of Canadians and the Canadian Labour Congress to call for a Speak Out against the MAI from coast to coast on March 19 to 22 .

On these days, Canadians in communities from St.John's to Victoria will send the Liberal Government a clear message: we don't want the MAI!

Why March 19 to 22?

We've chosen these days because the Federal Liberal Party will be holding its National Policy Convention in Ottawa. We'll be Speaking Out! in our communities and sending a strong common message to the Liberals in Ottawa.

Opposition to the MAI is growing - in Canada and in many other countries - but we haven't won yet!

What are we going to do?

In all communities, we are asking you to carry out three activities to link the Speak Out! from coast to coast. The national campaign declaration against the MAI is available (see Ten Good Reasons).

1. Get as many local groups, as well as federal, provincial and municipal politicians to sign on to the declaration. Make sure the names of all groups and politicians signing on are passed on to the National Campaign office by Monday, March 16.

2. Meet with your local Liberal MPs during the weeks prior to the Speak Out! to urge them to sign the declaration against the MAI.

3. Deliver the signed declarations to your MP's office on Thursday, March 19 and organize an "event" at the office associated with the delivery. The action at the MP's office will vary from community to community (e.g. information picket, teach-in) but we'll all be Speaking Out on the same day!

In Ottawa, we will collect a list of all the groups backing the declaration from across the country and present them as part of anti-MAI actions at the Liberal Convention (this is why we need the names of the of the groups that have signed the declaration by March 16). We will also make sure that the national media gets a full picture of the activities taking place from coast to coast.

A Speak Out! against the MAI can take many forms. Beyond the three key activities listed above, groups are encouraged to plan any other actions you think are appropriate to show you are Speaking Out! in your community. If there are no Liberal MPs in your area, challenge your local MP to sign on to the declaration. If they refuse, plan an action around their office.

USING THE DECLARATION ...Ten Good Reasons ...

The declaration is intended to be versatile for use as a declaration for the collection of names, as a poster design, as a newspaper ad, or as a leaflet or handout, and is available in a variety of forms - on our website, as a soft copy or in hard copy.

The declaration is not intended to be used as a petition (there is a petition for individuals to sign which is available from the national campaign office or from The Council of Canadians website.) The declaration is intended to be used for the collection of the names of groups opposed to the MAI and for the collection of names of politicians - especially federal - who oppose the MAI.

Once you have collected the names of groups opposed the MAI you may wish to use the declaration as the basis for a newspaper ad in your community. You may wish to have it copied and used as a leaflet to hand out during that weekend.

What is very important to do with the declaration is:

1) ask your Member of Parliament to sign the declaration and report the success of that to the National Campaign office by March 16.

2) get as many groups ie. Church groups, environmental groups, unions from your community to sign the declaration and the report those names to the National Campaign by March 16.

3) deliver the signed petition to your Member of Parliament's constituency office during the Speak Out - March 19.

Remember to let us know what events you are planning and to pass on the names of groups signing on to the declaration as soon as possible! Contact the National Campaign office by fax at (613) 233-6776 or by email at mai@canadians.org

If you have any questions about the Speak Out against the MAI!

Please contact:

Anne Burgess
The Council of Canadians
(613) 233-2773, ext. 234
or (800) 387-7177

Mary Rowles
Canadian Labour Congress
(613) 526-7404

Ten good reasons to oppose the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) 1. The MAI would give new rights and powers to foreign investors and corporations. 2. It would cripple our ability to create jobs. 3. The MAI would give corporations more power to fight environmental regulations. 4. It would leave our culture at the mercy of US entertainment mega-corporations. 5. The MAI would open up our health care and public education to multinational corporations. 6. It would threaten our ownership of fisheries, forests, energy and other natural resources. 7. It would give corporations the right to sue our elected governments to protect their profits. 8. All disputes would be decided in secret by trade experts with no public input. 9. The MAI would impose tough, unfair rules on developing countries who aren't even part of negotiations. 10. We would be locked into a bad deal for 20 years! Canada should not be part of any agreement that grants corporations the same status as democratically elected governments and favours the rights of corporations over citizens. The MAI now being negotiated by Canada and the other 28 countries that form the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) does just that.

WE OPPOSE THE MAI:

Name: Organization: City: Province: E-mail: