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Canada is set to sign a sweeping trade deal with Colombia—our hemisphere’s most egregious human rights violators where violence against indigenous peoples, Afro Colombians, workers, farmers and journalists is a regular occurrence.

More labour leaders and human rights activists are killed in Colombia than in any other country in the world. Yet, shockingly, this free trade deal does not contain substantive conditions to protect human rights. Instead, there is one obscene clause that would have Colombia pay fines when a labour leader or human rights activist is killed by the state military or by paramilitaries tied to the government.

Why is Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, with the support of Liberal members in Parliament pushing such a bad deal?

Join panelists:

Peter Julian, federal NDP Trade Critic
Jasmin Hristov, author, Blood & Capital:The Paramilitarization of Colombia
Carleen Pickard, Council of Canadians
Sid Ryan, President, Ontario Federation of Labour
Yhony Muñoz, OPSEU International Solidarity activist

to discuss this important topic.