To the editor:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, by approving Chinese state-owned CNOOC Ltd. to purchase Calgary-based petroleum producer Nexen Inc. for $15 billion, has betrayed Canadians.
What many Canadians have yet to realize is that in a few weeks, Harper will take a further step in selling off this country when he signs the Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) with Beijing.
This treaty provides CNOOC unprecedented rights to sue federal, provincial or local governments in Canada whenever these jurisdictions introduce legislation or regulations that aim to protect the environment and public.
Not only is Harper handing over our resources to foreign states, with FIPA he is handing over undue power to foreign corporations that will be able to operate, and expand, in Canada with impunity.
Reaction from across the political spectrum is already calling Harper’s decision as a treasonous breach of his sovereign duty to our country, revealing his dogmatic allegiance to the unregulated global marketplace.
Will Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP Cathy McLeod stand up for Canada and stand up to her wrong-headed leader?
Michael Crawford
Kamloops
