This June, the Government of Canada is hosting meetings of the G8 and the G20 Leaders from June 25–27.  CUPW is joining with a number of Unions and community organizations to protest these meetings.  We deserve better!

If you are concerned about human rights, clean water for all, the future of a universal postal service, and access to HIV/AIDS treatment, then you should be joining G8/G20 protests in your community.

The G8/G20 meetings offer us a rare opportunity to speak out on the priorities that we want the world’s most wealthy and powerful nations to adopt.  Decisions taken by the G8/G20 leaders will impact millions of lives.

What is the G8?

Canada, the US, Great Britain, Russia, Japan, Germany, France and Italy are the countries that make up the G8. 

The G8 was set up as a forum for economic and trade matters, but recently it has dealt with other issues.

Critics of the G8 have accused it of representing the interests of an elite group of nations, to the harm of the wider world.   The members of the G8 exercise control over institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.  These are organizations which openly support privatization, contracting out, and a weakening for the role of the government in providing health care and education

For Labour the issues at this year’s G8 revolve around 5 thematic streams: Global Justice, the Environment and Climate Change, Human Rights and Civil Liberties, Economic Justice, and Building the Movement.

The G8 has had a programme to counter HIV/AIDS since 2005.  Despite many official statements these commitments have not been kept.  Prime Minister Harper has announced a special G8 initiative to reduce maternal mortality, but this does not include the right to certain reproductive rights.

What is the G20?

The G20 is a yearly meeting of the finance Ministers of 20 of the largest economies.  

At the 2009 G20 summit, the leaders agreed to an $11 trillion stimulus package.  While this package bailed out many banks, it also locked the world into a high-carbon economy in which greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

Recently released documents show that one of the goals of this G20 is to set out a climate change agenda which will not cut back greenhouse gas emissions and in which the poorer countries will have no say.

Historically the G20 has championed actions to make the world safe for big business, while ignoring workers rights.

Security costs

The security costs for the G8/G20 will be over $1 billion dollars.  Stephen Harper could be using this money to provide better health care, improved education, and to develop access to clean water.

CUPW will be protesting the presence of the G8/G20 because we believe that people should be first.