4 Opinion November 23, 2005 + Over the Edge Wintergarden Roundtable ISSUE 1: Abolishing Sweatshops SFU Set to Become a Sweatshop-Free Campus Earson Gibson: It’s commendable that SFU's Board of Governots is deciding on this, but we have to ask ourselves what great empire has ever been built on fair wages? The Aztecs, that's it. But they were pretty good, besides the human sacrifice aspect, but fair trade has to become part of free-market capitalism or the populations of exploited countries are going to come over to North America and tear the place to the ground with us in it, on a long enough timeline, KEVIN LALONDE THE PEAK (SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY) BURNABY, B.C. (CUP) - After three years of work by No Sweat SFU, the Ethical Purchasing ‘Task Force, and the Simon Fraser University adminis- tration, Simon Fraser University may very well be on its way to taking the first steps in becoming a sweatshop- free institution. On Nov. 24, the SFU Board of Gov- ernors will decide whether to accept a new ethical purchasing policy at the school which would begin to limit goods sold on campus to inélude only certified sweatshop-free merchandise. And while the new Ethical Procure- ment Policy would apply first just to coffee and clothing bearing the Simon Fraser University insignia, as new prod- ucts come under Fair Trade protection, the policy could also cover anything from foodstuffs to computers. “Suppliers will have to ensure that the factories they are using, whether in Vancouver or China, comply with a number of workplace standards and human rights—like the right to collect- ive bargain and no use of child labour,’ said No Sweat SFU co-chair Peg Christopherson. “The ethical purchasing movement is, I believe, a realistic way to meet globalisation head-on without dis- mantling the project. Basically it says that there have to [be] labour and human rights minimums around the globe,’ said Christopherson. According to Chistopherson, these standards are the conventions agreed to by most nations at the UN and at the International Labour Organiza- tion and she believes that SFU “has a responsibility to act in accordance with the human and labour rights eonven- tions that Canada is signatory to.’ Kevin Tilley, scudent member of the SFU Board of Governors, suggests that by adopting the new Ethical Purchas- ing Policy, SFU can help set national and international standards that may influence the working conditions that suppliers subject their workers to all over the world. “By refusing to purchase from sup- Six semi-willing UNBC students give their opinions on events happening around the world COMPILED BY ELIZABETH FYLES DSITRIBUTION MANAGER pliers who do not meet our ethical standards, we can help bring producers into line with international standards of ethics,’ said Tilley. “And by starting this process here, perhaps we can change the way prod- ucts are manufactured in future genera- tions. The process will be slow, but it has to start somewhere, and I think the fact that SFU is taking this all-import- ant step is a major cause for celebra- tion, he added. But without support and direction, the Ethical Procurement Policy can't accomplish anything. The EPP will be implemented by a committee made up of staff groups, the administration, and, most importantly, students. “We also need dedicated individuals to engage in the actual research, to make the decisions of which suppliers to do business with and keep an eye on the administration,’ said Tilley. “Tt is absolutely essential that inter- ested, dedicated students come forward to participate in this process, sit on that committee, and truly make this campus sweatshop-free,” he added, Nic Mortensen: I think it’s a great idea and is heading in the right direction. Could become an example for other universities (UNBC). Mike Davis: UNBC atteald ae support sweat-shops and should push to have jobs brought back to Canada so anthropology and psychology majors will have work after graduation at our new training wage, ($6/hour). _ Crystal Gallant: Setting the standards for equality for all people, classes, races and gender internationally is important. Having one country setting standards forces other countries set their standards higher. ISSUE 2: NDP Ends Liberal Support | Layton Blasts Liberals on Education and Environment DANIEL NEUFELD THE PEAK (SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY) BURNABY, B.C. (CUP) — Only days after announcing that his party was ending its support of the Liberal ~ government, NDP leader Jack Layton gave a speech at SFU as part of the Pol- itical Science Student Union Speaker Series. The lecture hall where Layton deliv- ered his speech was filled*to capacity and many students who showed up late had to be turned away at the door. Already in campaign mode, Layton began his speech by blasting the mis- deeds of the Liberal government and spoke of the mandate that voters had given his party in the last election. During the last election “2.1 million Canadians asked [the NDP} to go to Ottawa to get some things done,’ said Layton. He then detailed the accomplish- ments the NDP has made over the last year in areas likeeducation, affordable housing, the environment, and public health care. Attempting to empathise with the crowd of students before him, Layton ’ said, “Nowadays so many students are struggling with two, sometimes three part-time jobs .. . and they are ex- hausted ... they are stressed out and it's wrong, said Layton, He added, “Not only that, but [stu- dents] end up graduating with enor- mous debts on their shoulders.’ Layton then described how last year the NDP convinced the Liberals to cancel $4.6 billion worth of corpor- ate tax cuts in the federal budget and instead invest that money into social programs. “We told [the Liberals] to cancel that corporate tax cut and take $1.5 billion of that and put it right into post-sec- ondary education to reduce the costs facing students.’ The NDP leader also discussed the “crisis of affordable housing in this country” and how his party's efforts have ensured that $1.6 billion will be going “into the construction of afford- able housing over the next two years.” When discussing the environment, Layton blasted Canadas poor en- vironmental record and the Liberal government's failure to honour its com- mitments under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “In Canada we have the worst record of any of the developed countries in terms of how much pollution has gone up since we (signed the Kyoto Proto- col],” he said. “Our pollution has gone up dramat- ically in this couritry, over 20 per cent, even though [Paul Martin] promised in the late ‘80s when he was environment critic for the Liberals that we would re- duce pollution by 20 per cent by 2005.’ Layton then offered a blistering cri- tique of the Liberals’ record on public health care. The Prime Minister is “not willing to protect public medicare, it has been slipping through our fingers for the last decade dramatically,” he said. It was the Liberal government's fail- ure to protect health care that ultimate- ly led the NDP to withdraw its support from the Liberals. In a phone interview after his speech, Layton further explained that his party was not asking the government for more health care dollars but only wanted the Liberals to stop the growth of private health care in Canada, which they refused to do. “[Wel] have got to stop what's becom- ing a more and more frequent process where health care services are becoming more and more for profit... we want to see the funds go to [health care work- ers] rather than to investors on Wall Street and Bay Street,’ he said. “Most Canadians want the health care system kept public.” When asked if the NDP would re- consider its position should the Liber- als suddenly give in to NDP demands, Layton said, “That's very hypothetical. I dont’ see the Liberals reversing them- selves at all, so I don't think we have to speculate on what would have to hap- - pen if they did” oF CHRIS D. JAIC/ THE SILHOUETTE / CANADIAN UNIVERSITY PRESS NDP leader Jack Layton just had enough with the Liberal platform. Eric Wilderman: It’s a good thing for Jack. Layton to shit on the Liberals because I'm more of a socialist (I just want to be less American.) Kevin Ireland: I agree with everything he says. Eric Wilderman: We like beer. +s