Watch the March 2009 You Tube Video "Manuel Rozental, Canada's Role in the Americas?"


Or read the May 2009 article "What wrong with Canada Columbia FTA" from Rabble.ca

Over the past two years members of PAGE BC have had the opportunity to meet Dr. Manuel Rozental and hear him speak so passionately about the struggle for human rights in Latin America, and most specifically in his home country of Columbia.

Dr. Rozental spoke at the BC Federation of Labour/BCTF Social Justice joint conference "Rights not Wrongs" in April 2008, at the PAGE Langara Forum "Education for a Better World" and again at the PAGE/Victoria Social Justice conference in June 2009. When he has spoken, he urges us to do what we can to become better informed about the current and rapidly changing political and economic situations in Latin America, and in particular to pay attention to how Canada and the US governments are involving themselves.

Those who are following trends and events in Latin America may be interested to view these two Fault Lines videos (embedded here) which investigate the recent US-Columbia military base agreement for the use of seven military bases in Columbia.

These videos were brought to our attention here at PAGE through the Across the Americas Organization, an excellent organization through which readers can learn much more about events, conferences, and educational efforts in this part of the world.

Across the Americas
P.O. Box 268733
Chicago, IL 60626-8733
773-764-6773 (phone and fax)
http://www.acrosstheamericas.org
info@acrosstheamericas.org

Watch the videos:

PAGE has sent out a survey to all of the BCTF EC Candidates. We are posting each candidates answers here prior to the AGM which runs from March 6th, 2010 through to the 10th. Please check back for updates to this site.

Responses from THE 2010 PAGE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR BCTF EXECUTIVE CANDIDATES

From Susan Lambert:

PART ONE

After each of the ten motions below, please indicate, in a single word, how you intend to vote. (A synopsis is in brackets in order to help readers keep the motions in order.)

154 (Recommend opposition to further investment in tobacco.) Yes

155 (Exert pressure on BCIMC to adopt ethical guidelines based on those of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund.)Yes

158 (Recommend appointment of committee to meet with representatives of pension participants to achieve common goals of ethical investing.)No

161 (Engage neutral consultant to recommend ethical funds that exclude weapons stocks and have outperformed the BCIMC investment portfolio.)Yes

162 (Request divestment, by the end of 2011, of stocks in nuclear weapons manufacturer BAE, and subsequent reinvestment in profitable enterprises that do not manufacture weapons.) Amend to refer to BCTF funds only or amend to work with all contributors to the fund then I would support

163 (Request creation of a BCIMC ethical fund.)Yes

172 (Support maintenance of moratorium on offshore oil exploration.)Yes

173 (Pressure Canadian government to ensure that Canadian transnational companies respect human rights.)Yes

174 (Advocate that Canadian government abolish “security certificates”, and conform to international standards vis-à-vis detention and fair trials.)Yes

175 (Call on federal government to provide basic supports to Canadians experiencing difficulties abroad.)Yes

PART TWO

In 200 words or less, feel free to comment on your responses to the above.

I am in favour of vigorously pursuing ethical investment practices. I am perplexed by the notion that ethical investing is less profitable than investing without any ethical screens. How can it be fiscally responsible or profitable for us to invest in these industries? I know that the BCTF’s SIP funds are ethically invested and have reported very satisfactory levels of return even through this financial crisis. However the BCIMC is an agency that invests all public sector pension funds. We either have to work with other contributors to the funds or request that the BCIMC divest our contributions only. I am not in agreement that we should set up another committee to oversee ethical investing within the Federation. The Pensions committee and the CASJ are working together currently on this issue and are the appropriate people to carry on with that work. The BCTF is currently working with SHARE on our SIP investments.

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From Glen Hansman:

PART ONE

After each of the ten motions below, please indicate, in a single word, how you intend to vote. (A synopsis is in brackets in order to help readers keep the motions in order.)

154 (Recommend opposition to further investment in tobacco.) YES

155 (Exert pressure on BCIMC to adopt ethical guidelines based on those of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund.) YES

158 (Recommend appointment of committee to meet with representatives of pension participants to achieve common goals of ethical investing.) REFER

161 (Engage neutral consultant to recommend ethical funds that exclude weapons stocks and have outperformed the BCIMC investment portfolio.) YES

162 (Request divestment, by the end of 2011, of stocks in nuclear weapons manufacturer BAE, and subsequent reinvestment in profitable enterprises that do not manufacture weapons.) AMEND

163 (Request creation of a BCIMC ethical fund.) YES

172 (Support maintenance of moratorium on offshore oil exploration.) YES

173 (Pressure Canadian government to ensure that Canadian transnational companies respect human rights.) YES

174 (Advocate that Canadian government abolish “security certificates”, and conform to international standards vis-à-vis detention and fair trials.) YES

175 (Call on federal government to provide basic supports to Canadians experiencing difficulties abroad.) YES

PART TWO

In 200 words or less, feel free to comment on your responses to the above.

The social justice model that we have fostered in the BCTF is linked to a tradition that views unions as part of a broad movement for social change and progress, calling for participatory union membership, education reform based on serving all children, collaboration with parents and community organizations, and a concern for broader issues throughout society both at home and abroad. That does not mean that our record on social justice issues is as good as it could be, and it does not mean that there isn’t still work to do. I'm glad these resolutions are coming forward. I think, though, that 158 will need to be referred to the EC because the timing and process described isn't quite right, given that CASJ and the Pensions Advisory Committee are engaged in discussions right now, and we should allow those discussions to to play out and perhaps result in some recommendations. And 162 speaks to the investments of BCIMC in general, rather than BCTF's investments within that umbrella -- there may be some work to be done with other unions if the intent is for 162 to speak to BCIMC's investments in general, or for the motion to be amended to be specifically about the BCTF's investments.

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From Jerry Horton:

PART ONE

After each of the ten motions below, please indicate, in a single word, how you intend to vote. (A synopsis is in brackets in order to help readerskeep the motions in order.)

154 (Recommend opposition to further investment in tobacco.) yes

155 (Exert pressure on BCIMC to adopt ethical guidelines based on those of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund.)yes

158 (Recommend appointment of committee to meet with representatives of pension participants to achieve common goals of ethical investing.)yes

161 (Engage neutral consultant to recommend ethical funds that exclude weapons stocks and have outperformed the BCIMC investment portfolio.)yes

162 (Request divestment, by the end of 2011, of stocks in nuclear weapons manufacturer BAE, and subsequent reinvestment in profitable enterprises that do not manufacture weapons.) yes

163 (Request creation of a BCIMC ethical fund.) yes

172 (Support maintenance of moratorium on offshore oil exploration.) yes

173 (Pressure Canadian government to ensure that Canadian transnational companies respect human rights.) yes

174 (Advocate that Canadian government abolish “security certificates”, and conform to international standards vis-à-vis detention and fair trials.) yes

175 (Call on federal government to provide basic supports to Canadians experiencing difficulties abroad.) yes

PART TWO

In 200 words or less, feel free to comment on your responses to the above.

The only concern I have about supporting these would be costs incurred by the BCTF. On the surface the costs would seem to be minimal and therefore each gains my full support. I particularly like the use of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund guidelines. They demonstrate that ethical investment with high returns are not difficult to find. Thank you for drawing my attention to these resolutions.

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From Denise Moffatt:

PART ONE

After each of the ten motions below, please indicate, in a single word, how you intend to vote. (A synopsis is in brackets in order to help readers keep the motions in order.)

154 (Recommend opposition to further investment in tobacco.) Yes if amended to say production and distribution of tobacco. I think it is too broad for my membership to support the motion reading "sale." That was the feedback from our AGM delegates meeting this week.

155 (Exert pressure on BCIMC to adopt ethical guidelines based on those of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund.) yes but more information about the Norwegian Government Pension Fund needs to be distributed to members. Most know nothing about that fund and might therefore be hesitant to support the motion.

158 (Recommend appointment of committee to meet with representatives of pension participants to achieve common goals of ethical investing.) yes

161 (Engage neutral consultant to recommend ethical funds that exclude weapons stocks and have outperformed the BCIMC investment portfolio.) I am unclear about the purpose of this motion. Is it designed to help convince people who doubt that an ethical fund can be a good investment? If the other motions passed would we need to pass this motion? Would the idea be that then we would advise BCIMC to buy these stocks? I need more info before I can answer this question.

162 (Request divestment, by the end of 2011, of stocks in nuclear weapons manufacturer BAE, and subsequent reinvestment in profitable enterprises that do not manufacture weapons.) yes but to get wide spread support I think we would need more information about the company BAE. I know there is some in the rationale but I think more information would be helpful.

163 (Request creation of a BCIMC ethical fund.) I need more info about this motion. Is the purpose to create an ethical fund that our pensions would be invested in or is the pupose to create a fund that can be recommended to members as part of their rrsps? My impression is that our pension is not currently invested in funds like mutual funds. We buy controlling shares in corporations, real estate, purchase entire companies etc. Maybe I am wrong so I need more info about this.

172 (Support maintenance of moratorium on offshore oil exploration.) yes came from my local.

173 (Pressure Canadian government to ensure that Canadian transnational companies respect human rights.) yes came from my local.

174 (Advocate that Canadian government abolish “security certificates”, and conform to international standards vis-à-vis detention and fair trials.) yes came from our local. We are working on cleaning up the wording.

175 (Call on federal government to provide basic supports to Canadians experiencing difficulties abroad.) yes

PART TWO

In 200 words or less, feel free to comment on your responses to the above.

As role models with a great degree of influence, I agree that it is important for the BCTF to be involved internationally. I believe it is also important for us to review our own practices and be clear that we can support where our money is invested and the products we purchase to do our work. I believe that to encourage broader support, we need to do more work with the membership in addition to policy setting at the provincial level to help them feel secure that ethical investment will not jeopardize their pensions.

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From David Komljenovic:

PART ONE

After each of the ten motions below, please indicate, in a single word, how you intend to vote. (A synopsis is in brackets in order to help readers keep the motions in order.)

154 (Recommend opposition to further investment in tobacco.) For

155 (Exert pressure on BCIMC to adopt ethical guidelines based on those of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund.) For

158 (Recommend appointment of committee to meet with representatives of pension participants to achieve common goals of ethical investing.) For

161 (Engage neutral consultant to recommend ethical funds that exclude weapons stocks and have outperformed the BCIMC investment portfolio.) For

162 (Request divestment, by the end of 2011, of stocks in nuclear weapons manufacturer BAE, and subsequent reinvestment in profitable enterprises that do not manufacture weapons.) For

163 (Request creation of a BCIMC ethical fund.) For

172 (Support maintenance of moratorium on offshore oil exploration.) For

173 (Pressure Canadian government to ensure that Canadian transnational companies respect human rights.) For

174 (Advocate that Canadian government abolish “security certificates”, and conform to international standards vis-à-vis detention and fair trials.) For

175 (Call on federal government to provide basic supports to Canadians experiencing difficulties abroad.) For

PART TWO

In 200 words or less, feel free to comment on your responses to the above.

I strongly believe that teachers play an important role in advocating for a just and civil society. We have a strong impression on the children we teach and we need to demonstrate our beliefs in action.

While there are legal issues that we need to take into consideration (ie. fiduciary responsibilities of the trustees of the pension plan), we need to recognize that ethical investing can provide a better investment for our pension plan and also demonstrates to society that we live by the values we preach.

We also need to be vocal in opposition to infringements of human rights. While Canadian citizens are protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, it is disturbing to see a complete disregard for those rights by various levels of governments, particularly when those rights abuses occur in other countries. As we play an integral part of a system that promotes and upholds democratic values, we have a duty to speak out against human rights violations.


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From Joanna Larson:

PART ONE
After each of the ten motions below, please indicate, in a single word, how you intend to vote. (A synopsis is in brackets in order to help readers keep the motions in order.)

Support 154 (Recommend opposition to further investment in tobacco.) [editor's note: Please see Part 2 below]

Support (Exert pressure on BCIMC to adopt ethical guidelines based on those of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund.)

Support 158 (Recommend appointment of committee to meet with representatives of pension participants to achieve common goals of ethical investing.)

Support 161 (Engage neutral consultant to recommend ethical funds that exclude weapons stocks and have outperformed the BCIMC investment portfolio.)

Support 162 (Request divestment, by the end of 2011, of stocks in nuclear weapons manufacturer BAE, and subsequent reinvestment in profitable enterprises that do not manufacture weapons.)

Support 163 (Request creation of a BCIMC ethical fund.)

Support 172 (Support maintenance of moratorium on offshore oil exploration.)

Support 173 (Pressure Canadian government to ensure that Canadian transnational companies respect human rights.)

Support 174 (Advocate that Canadian government abolish “security certificates”, and conform to international standards vis-à-vis detention and fair trials.)

Support 175 (Call on federal government to provide basic supports to Canadians experiencing difficulties abroad.)

PART TWO

In 200 words or less, feel free to comment on your responses to the above.

I support all of these motions. I believe it is aligning our practice with our beliefs. This is always a challenging endeavor, but necessary to advance social justice issues in our province and country. Our local has sent and supported resolutions in the past regarding ethical investing. We have been disappointed time and again when they have been unsuccessful. We are optimistic that the time for change is now, and we will see some success on this issue at the upcoming AGM.

Of particular importance to me personally, is # 172 (Support maintenance of moratorium on offshore oil exploration.) The lives of people in Prince Rupert and our neighboring communities including those in Haida Gwaii, are so intertwined with the ocean it is impossible for me to imagine the devastation an accidental spill would cause. I cannot justify any economic benefit that would make that risk worth it. Without our ocean life, especially our salmon runs the Haida and Tsmishian cultures would be devastated. The ocean here is who we are.

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From Jim Iker:

PART ONE

After each of the ten motions below, please indicate, in a single word, how you intend to vote. (A synopsis is in brackets in order to help readers keep the motions in order.)

154 (Recommend opposition to further investment in tobacco.) Yes except amend motion to remove sale.

155 (Exert pressure on BCIMC to adopt ethical guidelines based on those of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund.) yes to first part of motion re campaign and lobbying. The Norwegian Government Pension Fund’s mandate is through the law.

158 (Recommend appointment of committee to meet with representatives of pension participants to achieve common goals of ethical investing.) refer through EC to Pensions Committee.

161 (Engage neutral consultant to recommend ethical funds that exclude weapons stocks and have outperformed the BCIMC investment portfolio.) yes

162 (Request divestment, by the end of 2011, of stocks in nuclear weapons manufacturer BAE, and subsequent reinvestment in profitable enterprises that do not manufacture weapons.) amend motion to request trustees to advocate for the removal of BAE

163 (Request creation of a BCIMC ethical fund.) yes

172 (Support maintenance of moratorium on offshore oil exploration.) yes

173 (Pressure Canadian government to ensure that Canadian transnational companies respect human rights.) yes

174 (Advocate that Canadian government abolish “security certificates”, and conform to international standards vis-à-vis detention and fair trials.) yes

175 (Call on federal government to provide basic supports to Canadians experiencing difficulties abroad.) yes

PART TWO

In 200 words or less, feel free to comment on your responses to the above.

I support a broad approach to increasing our social responsible investing which includes engaging in shareholder activism, dialoguing with offending companies and corporations, boycotting companies, divesting and the creation of more ethical funds to invest in. I also believe that we need to engage government in discussions through the plan partner to increase the mandate to create more ethical funds and to adopt more progressive guidelines in which companies should be excluded in a pension fund something similar to the Norwegian Pension Fund which has its mandate embedded in law. I support more education of our members in the area of socially responsible investing and governance. Some of this education has begun with a joint meeting with our Pensions Committee and Committee For Action on Social Justice. We also need to become more aware of the activities of BCMIC in the area of socially responsible investing and governance. I strongly supported the Executive Committee motion to seek a cost estimate of engaging SHARE to look at our teacher pension plan investments through the salary indemnity plan investment guidelines.

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From Kip Wood:

PART ONE

After each of the ten motions below, please indicate, in a single word, how you intend to vote. (A synopsis is in brackets in order to help readers keep the motions in order.)

154 (Recommend opposition to further investment in tobacco.) yes

155 (Exert pressure on BCIMC to adopt ethical guidelines based on those of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund.) yes

158 (Recommend appointment of committee to meet with representatives of pension participants to achieve common goals of ethical investing.) yes

161 (Engage neutral consultant to recommend ethical funds that exclude weapons stocks and have outperformed the BCIMC investment portfolio.) yes

162 (Request divestment, by the end of 2011, of stocks in nuclear weapons manufacturer BAE, and subsequent reinvestment in profitable enterprises that do not manufacture weapons.) amend

163 (Request creation of a BCIMC ethical fund.) yes

172 (Support maintenance of moratorium on offshore oil exploration.) yes

173 (Pressure Canadian government to ensure that Canadian transnational companies respect human rights.) yes

174 (Advocate that Canadian government abolish “security certificates”, and conform to international standards vis-à-vis detention and fair trials.) yes

175 (Call on federal government to provide basic supports to Canadians experiencing difficulties abroad.) yes

PART TWO

In 200 words or less, feel free to comment on your responses to the above.

I voted yes on all similar motions last year and I intend to vote the same way this year. However, I have to listen to the debates. I'm continually amazed by the depth of debate at the AGM. Sometimes I'm swayed by a compelling argument. In regard to 162, avoiding weapons is not the point; avoiding an investment that causes harm is the point.

In the big picture, we have to begin to address the ethics of our investments. We cannot restrict the debate to weapons and tobacco. I appreciate the motions coming forward on human rights. When it comes to our pension plan holdings, we need to consider that some of our investments include systematic discrimination against women (e.g. WalMart) and exploitation of entire cultures (e.g. Royal Dutch/Shell in Nigeria).

As well, we have to discuss the conflict of "fiduciary duty" and "ethical investing." We cannot invest in the markets and be completely responsible at the same time. However, we can choose to do what we can do. That said, we must do more.