JUNK WTO! ADVANCE THE PEOPLE’S RESISTANCE
AGAINST IMPERIALIST WAR AND PLUNDER!

As democratic and anti-imperialist organizations of workers, women, youth and students, migrants and immigrants and human rights advocates, we join with millions of people around the world in calling for the junking of the World Trade Organization (WTO). As expressed by Professor Jose Maria Sison, Chair of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle, the WTO since its establishment in 1995 has been “the main instrument for propagating the myth of ‘free market’ globalization and pushing unequal trade agreements chiefly at the expense of the underdeveloped countries.” We must expose and condemn the WTO as a major instrument of imperialism used to extract more superprofits from the toiling peoples of the world. Although its proponents claimed it would help uplift the lives of people around the world through increased trade, the people know that the impact of the WTO is the exact opposite. After ten years, the people know that the WTO cannot be merely reformed -- it must be junked!

Today, on the eve of the closing of the 6th Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong, the people’s growing and militant resistance against the WTO is undeniable. At the same time, the collusion and contradictions amongst imperialist powers are also exposed, as it appears that the talks are again doomed to failure. Despite attempts to paint a rosy picture of world trade, the failure of the WTO exposes the desperate attempts of imperialist nations to stave off a deepening economic crisis of the world capitalist system by further prying open the economies of underdeveloped nations.

We can see clearly from the actions of Canada, a junior imperialist country, how the WTO is a vehicle for promoting the interests of the imperialist nations at the expense of the oppressed peoples and nations of the world. Claiming to be the “most open of the globe’s major economies,” Canada (the world’s fifth largest exporter and importer) seeks to eliminate subsidies in both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors of goods and services, particularly working towards increased access for Canadian corporations to what Canada views as “key markets of the future.” While seeking increased access for Canadian business personnel to provide services in other countries under Mode 4 of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), Canada continues to exploit the cheap labour of migrants and immigrants through such policies as the racist and anti-woman Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) without any regard for the impact on the human rights and dignity of these migrants.

While Canada colludes with other imperialist nations to further pry open and extract profit from the oppressed peoples and nations, it also comes into conflict with other imperialist nations. For example, Canada (the world’s third largest trader of agri-food products) calls for the so-called reform of world agriculture trade and the elimination of European Union agricultural subsidies; yet wishes to protect its own farm supply management system, such as the Canadian Wheat Board. Canada also deceptively promotes a “development” agenda in the WTO supposedly to benefit underdeveloped nations through $500 million of increased technical assistance and capacity-building aid. But we know that such aid does not serve to promote genuine development and peace based on a people’s right to national and social liberation. Instead, imperialist trade results in the further distortion of economies towards export-orientation, rather than fulfilling the basic needs of the people for food, land, jobs and livelihood.

As democratic and anti-imperialist organizations, we vow to continue to educate ourselves and mobilize others about the role Canada is playing in promoting imperialist war and plunder around the world. We also vow to learn more from and act in genuine solidarity with the struggles of oppressed peoples, especially those in the Third World who are at the forefront of exposing and opposing imperialist war and plunder through various forms of struggle, including upholding their right to national liberation and social emancipation through armed struggle.

We also vow to strengthen our solidarity with millions of people around the world who are taking militant action to express the people’s resistance against the WTO and the system of imperialism itself. In particular, we congratulate the organizations led by the Hong Kong People’s Alliance for carrying out a series of militant actions against the WTO despite police harassment and brutality. We support their call for the immediate release of 900 protestors, many of who are not from Hong Kong, detained after the December 17 protest action.

Junk WTO! Resist imperialist war and plunder!
Down with imperialism! Long live the people’s struggle for national and social liberation!

Statement of ILPS participating organizations in Vancouver and Canada
Ilps_Canada@shawcable.com; https://ilps2005.tripod.com/; 604-215-1905