Posted 12 June, 2009  logo

Gig Report

No Free Trade Deal with Colombia

Granny Ria
 June 10, 2009
By Granny Ria

 

The unions organized a welcome for President Uribe of Colombia who was coming for private talks with Harper on a Canada-Colombia free trade agreement, rejected by the other parties because of Colombia’s terrible human rights record.  The message was “No free trade deal with Colombia!”

The demonstration was well organized.  It included large puppets of Harper and Uride.  A touching moment came when the names of 27 union leaders killed in Colombia in the first half of 2009 were read with a chime sounded after each name.  The speeches from labour leaders and from MPs (NDP and Bloc).were very good.

puppets                puppets

The grannies were there:  Cathleen, Jane, Jo, Ria , and Shannon.

Shannon's sign

  Shannon made a sign that was right on!

Jane's SignJane made a beautiful cloth banner in Spanish.  It says: Estamos en la solidaridad con la MINGA de los pueblos. It means: We stand in solidarity with the Minga of the people. 

The Minga in Columbia is a movement of largely indigenous people who are fighting the government measures (in concert with some of our own mining companies) to take over their lands and displace them.

Cathleen wrote a great song to a tune most of us did not know.  We had no time to practice, so she sang it loud and clear through the microphone, and we wiggled and hummed around her.  Check out the song.

 

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