The Editor:
This letter is not meant to be a wholesale criticism of how corporations use the two terms, fair trade or free trade. The latter may not always be free or fair.
This concern is being expressed because it is generally assumed by individuals that corporations (including global corporations) of today can have more power or influence on our elected government officials than the average Canadian voter.
Free trade appears to be a favourite corporate term. Is that supposed to indicate that when two corporations are discussing trade matters, it is naturally assumed any agreements made by them are fair to any other stakeholders that may be affected by the decisions of those corporations?
It is a fairly well established fact that the gap between one per cent of the world’s wealthiest people is increasing at the expense of the remaining 99 per cent.
John Ralston Saul, a well known Canadian author, in his book, The Doubter’s Companion, revealed a statement made by a newspaper baron, at a world conference in Davos, Switzerland. This man stated the reason people are poor was due to indolence. Yes, indolence. He explained that 10 per cent of Americans make a living from food stamps and social welfare fraud. He suggested that if these people worker harder, they would no longer need that help. So that the wealthy could receive greater monetary rewards for their efforts.
Obviously, life is not free or fair to everyone. It certainly would appear that the world’s wealthiest are doing well enough, without having to take away life sustaining programs for oppressed and poverty stricken families.
Leo Kurtenbach,
Saskatoon, Sask.
