Globalization and Empire

HyeRan Kim-Cragg and Jim Marshall at consultation of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea and The United Church of Canada on Empire and Free Trade in Seoul, Dec. 2009.

The gospels teach us to care for the most vulnerable members of society, to share wealth justly, and to value human dignity, human rights, and care for the Earth.

But global economic arrangements, including trade agreements like NAFTA, can make inequality worse. "When trade and investment are seen as ends in themselves and not as the means to achieve just and sustainable development, our global community is reduced to simple exchanges of goods and does not reflect the Biblical vision for justice, peace and sustaining the integrity of creation," said a group of Mexican, Canadian, and U.S. church leaders in 2004.

The United Church of Canada has stated that we are not opposed to trade or to a rules-based trading system. But we are opposed to trade agreements that

• erode governments' abilities to protect people and the environment
• are not democratic or transparent
• increase poverty and income disparity
• further weaken low-income countries
• undermine and erode human rights
• have a negative impact on ecosystems
• violate Indigenous peoples' rights to protect their resources and cultures

We urge the Government of Canada to include the following principles in all trade negotiations:

• democracy and participation of citizens
• sovereignty of individual countries and their ability to care for their citizens
• reduction of inequalities among nations, between men and women, and among races
• sustainable development that establishes social and ecological limits to growth

We have used these principles to analyze

• the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
• Asia Pacific Economic Community (APEC) agreements
• the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
• the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
• World Trade Organization (WTO) trade negotiations
• proposed agreements with the Republic of Korea and four Central American countries

We have advocated alternatives that affirm human dignity and economic justice.

Trade Agreements and Organizations

The United Church continues to work on issues of trade in the wider context of its work on globalization and living faithfully in the midst of empire. Some of the key trade agreements (proposed and actual) that we and our partners have expressed concern about include the following:

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

For a critical piece of NAFTA analysis, read A Cry for Justice: The Human Face of NAFTA's Failure in Mexico. This major report from KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives documents the learnings of a delegation of Canadian church representatives who visited Mexico in 2005 and witnessed first-hand the ongoing impact of NAFTA.

Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)

In November 2002, a group of theologians from throughout the Americas met in Havana, Cuba, to take a critical look at the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) through a faith lens. The conference, organized by the Cuban Council of Churches, was called "Faith Perspectives on the FTAA," and included delegates from KAIROS, a Canadian ecumenical justice coalition of which the United Church is a member.

Canada-Central America Four Free Trade Agreement

For an assessment of the Canada-Central America Four Free Trade Agreement (CA4FTA), read the report "Look before Leaping: Canada Central America Free Trade Agreement Fundamentally Flawed," a PDF available under "KAIROS letters and statements on poverty" on the KAIROS website. This report reviews flaws in this proposed agreement, being built on the NAFTA model, and describes what KAIROS is calling on the government of Canada to do.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world's trading nations and ratified in their parliaments.

Key United Church Statements

United Church Trade Analysis: History and Key Statements [PDF: 1 p/18 KB]

This brief article outlines key United Church policies that call for trade laws that are centred on the welfare of ordinary people and on justice and respect among different nations establishing trade agreements.

Open Letter to the Governments of Canada and the Republic of Korea (September 2009) [PDF: 3 pp/80 KB]

This letter, signed by the Rev. Kim Jong Maeng of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea and the Rev. Dr. Bruce Gregersen of The United Church of Canada, expressed concern about a proposed free trade agreement between the two countries.