Canada-EU Free Trade: Treat or trick? Groups to Protest CETA Negotiations, Demand Consultations

In the spirit of Halloween, Canadian and European Union trade
negotiators are in Ottawa next week to continue closed-door talks on a
monster trade deal called the Comprehensive Economic and Trade
Agreement, or CETA. While improving ties with Europe sounds good, CETA
is no treat - it's a trick that threatens farmers, First Nations, public
water, municipal democracy, good jobs, public services, cultural
protections and other policies designed to protect people from corporate
profiteering. The Council of Canadians has organized a rally to demand a
halt to the negotiations while the Harper government seeks an informed
public mandate on how, or even whether to proceed at all.

WHAT: Public rally against CETA
WHERE: Old Ottawa City Hall, 111 Sussex Drive, where the negotiations will be taking place
WHEN: Friday, October 22, 12:00-1:00 p.m.

SPEAKERS WILL INCLUDE:

* Maude Barlow, The Council of Canadians
* Terry Boehm, National Farmers Union
* Peggy Nash, Canadian Autoworkers union
* Canadian Labour Congress - speaker to be determined
* Clayton Thomas-Muller, Indigenous Environmental Network
* Claude Vaillancourt, ATTAC-Quebec
* Daniel Legere, Canadian Union of Public Employees
* Canadian Federation of Students - speaker to be determined
* Dave Coles, Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union of Canada
* Denis Lemelin, Canadian Union of Postal Workers

The Council of Canadians will be busing people to the protest from its
annual general meeting in the city, and the CAW has organized buses from
the Greater Toronto Area. The rally will be followed by the Council of
Canadians 25th Annual General Meeting - Building People Power - to
commemorate 25 years of speaking out for social justice. More details on
the weekend conference that will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel
in Ottawa, are available at www.canadians.org.

Organizations presenting at the rally are members of the Trade Justice
Network, a collection of environmental, cultural, labour, Indigenous,
farmer, student and social justice organizations challenging the scope
and content of the Canada-EU free trade negotiations.