Former MCC'er Jennifer deGroot with a resilient smile after recovering from a tear gas attack in Quebec City. Tear gas burns the eyes, irritates the skin (thus Jennifer's red face) and pollutes the respiratory system.
Reflections on the Quebec City Free Trade Conference
McDemocracy Served up in Quebec City
The FTAA through a lay person’s teary eyes
"Bow your heads; the corporations will now lead us in prayer" read the sign of the clean-cut young man on a Quebec City street. Apparently, the brand of prayer meeting to which he referred required a mask and goggles. His sign was typical of the creative irreverence shown toward the concentration of politco-corporate power behind the guarded fence at the Summit of the Americas in April.
Since most of us do not have the time to properly research the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) which was on the leaders’ agenda in Quebec City, how are we to make heads or tails of the nay-sayers, yeah-sayers, black-masked hooligans, and the undoubtedly convoluted agreement which governments have not yet released to the public?
International trade seems so distant and yet it is as close as the bananas I eat and the foreign-made shoes on my feet. The FTAA would encompass goods and services we all use every day. It is as relevant as it is complex.
Though my understanding of FTAA intricacies was cloudy, I went to Quebec City with a sense that what was going on deserved an opinion based on more than images of anarchist anger, and a response beyond confusion. I also went with a sense that situations requiring masks and goggles are perhaps the places where people most need to be present to pray and act. Below i offer my post-summit opinions. The placard slogans i saw were sufficiently incisive and inspiring that I will use them as headings for my snapshots of commentary.
"This is what democracy looks like"
On sunny Saturday afternoon I was walking near the fence with nothing more than a camera and my desire to be a responsible and active citizen. Two police in full riot gear pointed the dark barrels of their tear gas canister guns right at me and ordered me to leave. I was walking down a street in Canada and I was made to feel that I was doing something wrong.
The barriers and barrels bring into focus a question of alignment. I make my FTAA judgement partially by considering who is lined up on either side. On one side were men (mostly) with weapons protecting powerful men (mostly) in suits, and on the other were creative, smiling people who care about human well-being and the health of the environment (the black-masked contingent was an unfortunate and tiny minority).
Though I was on the vulnerable side of the situation, facing dozens of police with batons, shields and seemingly endless supplies of tear gas, i never once wished I was in their position. I had no desire to be one of the people on the other side of the militantly guarded fence; defensive, hiding, posturing, aligned with power. It seemed unquestionably right to be on the outside.
"What’s the big secret?"
In the midst of the action I asked myself why I was there. Should a "good Christian" like me do something that may associate me with black-clad, overly-pierced protesters? I’ve never considered myself a "protester" and i don’t like the word activist. Given the hooliganism, and media preoccupation with the anarchists, did those of us gathered outside the wall play a worthwhile role? Though i have deep misgivings about the bottle-tossing, fire-lighting element, as well as the media’s almost complete inability to distinguish between the sensational and the significant, I think we were effective in demonstrating that those in power have something to hide. With each canister of tear gas fired, the moral and democratic authority of Mr. Chretien, Mr. Bush and friends eroded. One does not need to read the FTAA documents to understand this.
It was important to be there because the people, groups and interests gathered outside the fence were there to fill the moral and democratic space vacated by the leaders. Mind you, this could have been done more effectively had the peaceful masses been effective enough to overshadow the stone-throwers.
"Bill Gates for Prime Minister"
I put this on the sign i was carrying because the FTAA, from what we know, would transfer power from governments to corporations. As is the case under NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), companies would have power to challenge laws pertaining to environmental, labour and health regulations. An appointed panel would have power to impose binding decisions on governments.
Regulations that would be threatened under the FTAA could include laws banning products from sweatshops, legislation allowing only non-profit organizations to provide services such as child care, limits on tourism in ecologically sensitive regions, and regulations requiring transportation and communication companies to provide minimum service in rural areas in order to be licensed in urban markets.
My fear is that the "free" in FTAA is about freeing huge companies from the encumbrances of laws protecting societal well-being. My sign was my declaration that I do not want to buy products produced under this form of "freedom".
"Everything in the store is for sale" (person with Chretien mask)
Going well beyond tariff-free trade, the FTAA would render governments less able to prevent the systematic privatization of public services like health care, education, water, home care, etc. Private health care promises to be a growth industry as companies would have access to government money earmarked for social services. One almost starts to wonder when they will privatize government itself.
"Survival of the Richest"
"34 Leaders, 33 Suckers"
The notion of free trade conjures images of open season for corporations. Trade is about competition. Will a commercial free-for-all serve the interests of "the least of these"? Competitions have winners and losers. With the US economy outsizing the other 33 FTAA nations combined, it is not hard to predict the winner. In my more skeptical moments (like when i recall weapons pointing at me), I suspect that the rich and powerful are prescribing a form of economic Darwinism and asking us to trust their intentions.
"Democracy Inc."
Chainlink democracy - 6000 riot police guarded the fence encircling the heads of state and CEO's.
As riot police were guarding the wall, the 34 leaders on the inside were announcing a democracy clause to accompany the FTAA. On the streets we joked that all 34 nations will now be able to enjoy this new form of chain-link democracy. The far greater irony is that while these nations will have elected leaders, those leaders will have their hands tied by trade agreements that could severely limit their powers to govern for the benefit of those who elect them. The FTAA would be a step toward "corporocracy"; a formalization and expansion of the growing convergence of corporate interest and government policy. It would be the crowning achievement of high-paid, high-powered corporate lobbyists in national capitals.
"People before Profits"
Aside from democracy clauses and platitudes about poverty alleviation, I am left with the impression that the FTAA is about exactly what it purports to be about - trade; and more specifically about providing northern companies with access to southern markets. The ascendancy of economic aspects of life and the reduction of people to mere consumers were predominant concerns outside the fence. The sight of people with big bar codes on their chests or covering their mouths resonated with my sense that the FTAA is about numbers and things, not people.
Some argue that trade alleviates poverty and increases freedom. Trade does have certain benefits. But if the primary goal is equality and freedom, is the best option for achieving those goals a competitive exchange of commodities in a climate dominated by corporations, many of which have shady track records? I fear that investors’ rights are at the heart of the FTAA, and democratic rights relegated to a toothless preamble (or the like).
Instead of spending an estimated $100 million to guard a meeting of presidents and CEO’s, our government could have spent that money bringing together the most experienced human rights workers, young people, spokespersons of women’s groups, the brightest civil liberties thinkers, the most creative city planners, indigenous leaders, and the best community development innovators to figure out how to improve quality of life in the Americas. Rather than suits, fences and suspicion there could have been colour, laughter, and openness.
"The FTAA gives me gas"
"This is what democracy smells like"
That sign had particular impact when read through the blur of teary eyes, with the stench of tear gas heavy in the air. A few dozen people were sparsely gathered in a public space, not yelling, throwing anything or posing any threat, and police fired numerous tear gas canisters. There were times when protestors gathered in a menacing way, and many times when police acted aggressively without any provocation. It was as if the unwarranted and unrelenting tear gas assault was Mr.Chretien’s attempt at fumigating public dissension, a fundamental element of democracy.
A squad of masked riot police stood in a church cemetery facing us threateningly. I wondered whether they thought about where they were, and what in the world they were trying to prove. Though the intimidation factor of riot police a few metres away is significant, at that point I felt like their moral authority had gone up in smoke and they were just ridiculous bullies in search of legitimacy.
"McCulturalsim: Over 800 million served" (the number of people in the Americas)
"Beware of Corporalysis"
Corporalysis, I was told, is the decidedly unpleasant clenching of one’s insides upon entering a Home Depot, Wal Mart or other ungodly sized box store with so much selection that one cannot possibly know where to begin. It is commercialism overload, an almost allergic reaction to a flourescent realm full of things with price tags. It is about buying daily necessities from distant, faceless companies (as opposed to buying bread from Susan at "Susan’s Bakery" down the street). It is the numbness of being drawn into a windowless world of sale signs, salesperson smiles and debilitating options. Ultimate consumer "freedom" turns into corporalysis.
This is what the rest of the Americas have to look forward to under the FTAA. This is not to say that people in Latin America are less worthy of the same choices we have, but merely to question the notion of salvation by Wal Mart, Visa and Egg McMuffins.
"Democracy For Sale"
"McDemocracy: Free Speech On Sale, April 20-22"
Corporate executives paid up to $500,000 Cdn to get inside the wall to hob-nob with politicians. Reportedly, some 500 corporations also had access to the FTAA working draft which has still not been released to the public. Putting participation in public decision-making up on the auction block makes a mockery of democracy. Politicians are no longer even embarrassed to been caught with their hands in the corporate cookie jar. Through a chain-link lense i gazed at the buildings that housed the leaders and CEO’s, just a block or two away. I wondered what they were thinking and feeling as even their building was contaminated with errant tear gas.
A comment on police, the wall and out-of-control anarchists
Some people justified police actions by asking what all those anti-authoritarians would have done had there been no wall and no forceful resistance. What else were the authorities to do? The answer is simple. The authorities should have engaged in an open, transparent process which gave preference to civil society groups rather than to corporate elites. (There was no security required for the People’s Summit, down the hill from the fence.) By not releasing FTAA documents, by putting up a wall, by excessive police posturing before and during the summit, and by selling seats at the negotiating table, the authorities engaged in bullying behaviour. They could have hardly done more to provoke harsh response.
While there is no justification for the hooliganism, the worst violence is the economic marginalization and re-colonization of poorer peoples by an emerging politico-economic system which has a tendency to put profits before all else.
Former MCC'er Jennifer deGroot with a resilient smile after recovering from a tear gas attack in Quebec City. Tear gas burns the eyes, irritates the skin (thus Jennifer's red face) and pollutes the respiratory system.
The luxury and necessity of protesting
With gas on my eye balls and in my lungs I thought of my friends in Brazil, people I met in Haiti, Aboriginal people who share their lives and struggles with me. My presence in Quebec had something to do with my links to those people and my knowledge of how they experience economic systems. And yes - as some point out - protesting is a luxury, in that many cannot afford to travel to places like Quebec. But it is also a necessity, in that something must be done about deals that could create even more voiceless people. And I believe it is a necessity for people of faith to be a witness in situations of conflict and concentration of "worldly" power.
My underlying sense
The "tear gas summit" raises the matter of suppression of democratic process by Canadian authorities. More importantly, it raises the issue of how the FTAA could contribute to the erosion of social programs, reduced protection of the environment, and economic disparity in Canada, and especially in already marginalized countries. Both of these are questions of inclusion and exclusion. Who is included in the process of establishing the FTAA, and who will be included in its benefits? For whom is the FTAA being created? If it is for the average citizens and for the impoverished, do we trust the rich and powerful, sequestered from political accountability, to achieve this end? All of this should be the cause for caution, if not outright alarm.
After my experience of chain-link democracy I will stand with those who refuse to be mesmerized by economic indicators; those who insist that there are factors more important than trade, and public priorities more urgent than commerce. I will increase efforts to bring my consumer habits in line with my actions in Quebec. And I will pray for better ways of addressing inequality and suffering than ‘corporocracy’.
