elissasmith.ca

Canada cannot live in isolation: our trade and security depend on our ability to cooperate, negotiate and interact globally. The economic interdependence of countries worldwide is growing and economic agreements increasingly reach into every part of our lives, yet most Canadians know little about the implications and consequences. There is a common perception that the current norms and laws of the international economic system bring disproportionate benefit to developed countries. Several United Nations and World Bank reports demonstrate that the gap between rich and poor is growing between countries and within countries. Studies done for the 10th anniversary of NAFTA show that Canadians’ standard of living is falling, that investment in our social programs is being reduced, and that more and more people are working part-time, insecure jobs with few benefits.

Photo: Elissa Smith on top of a fence in Hong Kong

Taking aggressive action on progressive policies that increase global economic equity will improve global living standards ensuring a secure and prosperous global community. Making progressive economic policies will protect the international reputation Canadians have earned for being generous, peace-promoting, fair players on the international stage. One way to make progressive economic policies is to raise culturally and internationally aware citizens.

Young people are disproportionately and adversely affected by economic globalization. 16%of Canadian children live below the poverty line (unacceptable), 85% of youth live in developing countries and modern agricultural and textile slaves are predominantly youth.

So a month ago I decided to go to the 6th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong. I asked a friend who I met at a scholarship dinner to come with me. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. We got media passes and we made a website proposal. I left to go to the UN climate negotiations for a few weeks and while I was gone Matthew Huebert and Patrick Cuenco fundraised like mad! Everything went according to plan and the 3 of us arrived in Hong Kong for the Ministerial just in time.

In hindsight, for me this small project was about recognizing, honouring and celebrating the fact that economic globalization is complex. Virtually everyone is a stakeholder and has an opinion. The wide range of opinions roughly fit into these 2 categories; our current model of economic globalization is working pretty well and we should stick with it, and and this model sucks – it is lowering our standard of living- we should re-evaluate what we are doing and implement some alternatives solutions.

These ideologies cannot coexist together in the same place and time, they are mutually exclusive. The clash of ideologies more pronounced at the WTO than anything that I have ever experienced. I think that this photograph above strikingly demonstrates their incompatibility.

The three of us scurried around the complex for 5 days trying to figure out what was going on, interviewing people, going to press briefings and putting content into this website. The concept of the website is an open, respectful space that is inclusive of a diversity of people and their perspectives. I believe that that is key to a constructive dialogue.

A highlight for me was meeting Vandana Shiva – she is on my list of “20 people to meet before I die”. She gave me a hug and invited me to her farm in India! We spoke at an event sponsored by the Ministry of International Trade. Here is my speech . To my surprise 3 of my friends from the Global Youth Action Network were already there with NGO passes! They were making a documentary and doing preliminary research into starting a Youth Advisory Council for the WTO.

After the WTO ministerial Matthew Huebert and I wandered around mainland China for 5 days. We rented a 2 seater bicycle, visited the mountains that are printed on the 20 Yuan bill, visited a big factory, and experienced some culture.

Now I’m at my moms new house in the country, I can see horses out the window, and a fire in the fire place. Here it is easy to pretend that there is no violent clash of paradigms happening. I’ve missed all my extended family gatherings because I developed tonsillitis on the plane.