Polls are showing that the by-election in Calgary Centre is surprisingly close, and the entire country is watching.

With just days till Monday’s by-election vote, the Conservative Party candidate has only 32-35% support - that’s a huge decline in support since the 2011 federal election.¹ The total progressive vote in Calgary Centre could surpass 50% on Monday, and national media pundits are stunned.

If Calgary defies expectations and elects a progressive candidate for the first time since 1968, you will send a shockwave through Ottawa. Your vote could give the Conservative Party a powerful wake up call that their most controversial actions, like trying to sneak the secretive and extreme Canada-China FIPA trade deal past Canadians, have real political consequences.

Many people have different reasons to hold this government accountable. From the Omnibus Budget Bill and attacks on science and charities to the mismanagement of fighter jet spending, this government has abused the trust of voters. Most recently, Canadians from across the political spectrum have raised deep concerns about the Canada-China FIPA. Here are some of the key facts:

1. This government has tried to pass the Canada-China FIPA without any real debate or a single vote.
2. The FIPA would let China’s state-owned corporations sue our governments for billions of dollars if our democratic decisions do anything to limit their interests. Taxpayers would be forced to foot the bill.
3. Even worse, those lawsuits will take place in in secret tribunals, outside Canadian courts.

If the government passes this FIPA, we could be locked into it for 31 years. So, if we elect governments who make decisions that will create jobs, protect communities and make sure more of the value from natural resources stays in Canada, foreign corporations could then use the Canada-China FIPA to sue us for unlimited damages, and we would only hear about it when we learn how much money we have to hand over.²

Diane Frances a self-described “free enterpriser, a free trader, a small “c” conservative and an experienced business person” wrote a powerful article in the Financial Post that said she “believe[s] this agreement represents a naive, shocking lapse of judgement.”³

We’re for open and fair trade, but not at the expense of our democracy and economy.

On Monday, November 26th, your vote will send a powerful message across Canada. Even a close outcome in this riding could wake this government up, and make it realize that it has to listen more closely to Canadians or lose crucial support.

Sources:

1. Race tightening in Calgary Centre by-election (Globe and Mail)
   http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/race-tightening-in-calgary-centre-by-election/article5267073/

2. Open letter from Canadian international investment expert Gus Van Harten (The Tyee)
   http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/11/05/Van-Harten-FIPA/

3. Canada-China trade deal is too one sided (Financial Post)
   http://opinion.financialpost.com/2012/11/02/canada-china-trade-deal-is-too-one-sided/

4. Race tightening in Calgary Centre by-election (Globe and Mail)
   http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/race-tightening-in-calgary-centre-by-election/article5267073/