The following Letter to the Editor was printed in the Globe and Mail:

Canada is about to move one step closer to being a resource colony for China. With the focus in the media and the business world on the Chinese oil company CNOOC’s takeover of Nexen and the recent failings of major foreign takeovers, there is a deafening silence on the Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA). Thank you to Lawrence Martin for addressing this issue (Why No Debate Of The China Investment Pact? – Oct. 23).

There has been no national public debate, no debate in the House of Commons, scant committee review, no negotiations or consultations with the provincial governments, no transparency. Nothing for a trade deal that has the potential to challenge our democratic laws and policies when we move to improve labour rules, environmental standards, and add economic value, because these could threaten Chinese profits. This is a bad deal for most Canadians, and one that merits genuine scrutiny and debate.

Nikki Skuce, ForestEthics Advocacy, Smithers, B.C.