[asia-apec 625] Edmonton City Council Opposes MAI

[EW Plawiuk]

VICTORY! 

     On August 18 Edmonton City Council passed the following motion on the
     Multilateral Agreement on Investment (M.A.I.):

     1. That the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (F.C.M.) position,
that the
     Federal Government consult with municipalities and respect municipal
     jurisdiction in its negotiations regarding the Multilateral Agreement on
     Investment (M.A.I), be supported.

     2. That the F.C.M. be asked to seek, at a minimum, an explicit
exemption in
     the form of either a general exception or an unbound national
reservation to
     the M.A.I. in the area of municipal land use and planning, including
municipal
     expropriation. 

     3. That the Federal Government be urged to consult widely and in depth
with
     the people of Canada, especially and including responses from the
Municipal
     Councils.

     The additional motion, by Councilor Michael Phair,
     "That City Council encourage the Provincial Government to add in the aea
     of "arts and culture" as a respected jurisdiction in its March 24
resolution" 
     was not passed by City Council. 

     While this is better than the orginal administration endorsement of
the M.A.I.
     it still DOES NOT GO FAR ENOUGH.

     The failure to include Arts and Culture still needs to be addressed as
does the
     fact that the council did not come out in 'opposition' to the M.A.I. 

     With upcoming municipal elections this October its important for Anti-MAI
     activists to find out where the candidates stand. And it further
pressure can
     be put on City Council. Remember that it was Councillors Cavanagh and
     Maitson that originated the PRO-MAI motion! 

     Congratulations to all those who made presentations, mobilized calls and
     letters to City Council and of course the mass e-mailings that were
sent from
     all over. 

     Eugene Plawiuk 
Edmonton MAI ALERT Page
http://www.geocities.com./CapitolHill/5202/mai.html