SHELF LIFE

Fair trade

Given the apparent disdain of the Harper government for kultcha (just ask Yann Martel if you doubt me), I was moderately surprised at the robust presence of Canada at the London Book Fair earlier this month. The big bright blue booth (no red, no orange, no green) was prominently visible and, on the first day, official Canada hosted a sizable reception. Of course, books people being books people, attendance might have been predicated on the ready availability of Canbooze. (Contrary to rumour, there are no - repeat, no - incriminating photos of any of the participants.) Canadian High Commissioner James Wright spoke warmly of the successes of our book culture and of our literary ties with the United Kingdom, while Margaret Atwood, whose Oryx & Crake was the April selection of the Guardian book club, was there for, inter alia, the British launch of her long pen, which could have the effect of sparing writers travel to such events as, well, the London Book Fair.

In other literary notes from a small but sturdy island: I attended a panel on evil in noir literature. The three (middle-aged male) panelists were very clever boots, going on volubly, wittily and, alas, more or less in unison about the non-existence of evil. That is, since metaphysics as conceived in any faith is manifestly false, said philosopher John Gray, what remains after you dispose of the notion of original sin is misunderstanding, dislocation, dispossession.

Noir fiction (Chandler and Hammett, but also the likes of Philip Pullman) is "post-Christian," novelist John Banville said. "In noir fiction, nobody ever goes to church. ... You could say it is an attempt to disprove the existence of evil."

All three (the third was - in this case, the inaptly named - novelist Christopher Priest) agreed that science and intelligence declare evil to be nothing more than a theological hangover. I'd have been happier had the panel been a little more boisterously at odds, included someone who believes in evil as more than quaintly notional.

The most interesting public display I saw was a poster for Encyclopedia Britannica which read: Vast. Detailed. CORRECT. More than 4,000 experienced contributors, 65,000 articles, 24,000 images. I think the word "experience" was in implied italics. Do you doubt this entire message is directed at Wikipedians?

Just as many complaints about British publishing as about Canadian. But here's one with a difference. An English novelist told me that his publisher called his new manuscript an "instant 3 for 2" book. That's the phenomenon in British bookstores of selling three books for the price of two. It's a good thing for buyers, especially when the 3 for 2 involves, as it did at a Waterstone's bookstore I visited, the so-called great novels of the last 25 years. Maybe not so good for authors, including Canadians (Atwood, Ondaatje, Mistry, Martel et al.), chuffed by the designation, but not by the lack of cash.

The authority of blurbs, or misleading, out-of-context blurbs (try writing something like "this work lacks any semblance of Nabokovian wit" and then see the ensuing blurb: "Nabokovian") has long been a source of annoyance. Well, the European Union, deterred by neither rain nor sleet nor ridicule from its self-appointed rounds, has decided that this practice is not merely unethical, it's now illegal.

According to The Times, "Devious promoters who try to attract theatregoers by quoting selectively from reviews face prosecution under new European laws.

"The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive ... bans promotions that are 'likely to deceive the average consumer, even if the information is correct,' provided that it is likely to cause him to buy a ticket."

Many Brits, already deeply suspicious of Europe as an idea, see this as simply another case of continental interference in British theatre. They, and I, expect the EU ruling to be honoured much more in the breach than the observance. Oh, and the blurb: "Ruling to be honoured."

mlevin@globeandmail.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070505.BKLEVI05/
TPStory/Entertainment
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then, she hit me with it: "I'm really careful about the flesh I eat," she said. "I only eat meat I've met."

For one crazy moment, my mind went back to that scene in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, where a genetically-modified cow politely introduces itself to protagonist Arthur Dent, points out its juiciest bits, then waddles to the kitchen to shoot itself. It's much more ethical, a horrified Dent is told, to eat something that wants to be consumed over something that doesn't.

But no, that wasn't it. Riane just meant she only eats "flesh" and produce raised by people she knows -- local farmers, market gardeners and the like. Her lifestyle, she reasons, helps sustain local industry, reduces her carbon footprint and, in an age where pet food made in China is poisoning little Fluffy, she's sure of her food's provenance.

It was a close call that night. Thankfully, we had just bought half a cow from a friend with a hobby farm and could vouch for the beast's personal well-being and happiness whilst alive. Crisis averted.

But the incident begged the question: How hard would it be to live ethically, to weigh up every bite of food, every stitch of clothing, that we consume in a day?

Riane manages to do it, but not only is she very vigilant, she also lives on a gulf island blessed with community-minded residents and a virtual year-round growing season. She drives a scooter, has a Green Peace-approved laptop (which contains fewer toxic chemicals and is returnable for recycling once it becomes obsolete) and either buys or swaps second-hand clothing for her family.

So could you live ethically in Ottawa?

"I think living a day completely ethically is easy as long as you are critical about your choices and know exactly where your products come from," says Jacquelyn Kanyuk, an Ottawa native working for the Canadian Community Economic Development Network in Victoria, B.C. "But first you have to define what you mean by ethical."

Indeed, you do.

It should mean buying products that are fairly traded. Ideally, these should be certified by a third party to ensure the products were made by people working in safe conditions, engaging in sustainable environmental practices and -- especially for farmers in developing nations -- receiving a fair price. It means products labelled fair trade cost more -- sometimes double or even triple their conventional counterparts.

The fair trade movement, now celebrating 10 years in Canada -- May 1 to 15 are designated official Fair Trade Weeks -- began in Europe to help poor farmers who complained that they needed trade, not aid.

For others, ethical living would mean buying union-made goods, a sort of fair trade within the Canadian industrial context. And it could incorporate buying local, using the library, making your own preserves, shopping secondhand, scouting garage sales and becoming a greener consumer in the bargain.

"To be ethical, you have to be informed before you consume," says Kanyuk. "You have to ask yourself, do I need strawberries in December that have been picked by migrant labour? Make a connection between your dollar and your support of an industry or product. The more conscious and critical you are as a consumer, the better you will be equipped to make that choice."

It's a bandwagon that's rapidly filling up. Back in 1998, TransFair Canada -- the Ottawa-based body that certifies fair trade products in this country -- reported national sales at just less than $650,000. Last year, they hit $76.5 million, a 60-per-cent increase over 2005.

As fair trade products become more popular, and the concept more widespread, so too, grows the criticism. Several think tanks, including the Adam Smith Institute and The Economist magazine argue fair trade creates price distortion and artificially buoys market failures. Others dispute it imposes inefficient production methods on growers while passing on high fees to consumers.

They're arguments Rob Clarke, TransFair Canada's executive director, has heard before. He admits that the retail price of some fair trade products is much higher than the standard versions, "but the real aspect of fair trade in Canada is tied to quality, so the majority of products are the best there is, at really a competitive price. Also, it ensures that small farmers in other countries get fair pay."

Making that happen means making choices, he adds. Here are a few ways to do just that.

Food

Could you live only on fair-trade food? British fair trade promoter Ben Clowney recently set out to do just. For a fortnight, he restricted himself to the 2,500 certified products available in the UK. Even at that, he was forced to forego meat, bread and pub grub.

"I fried muesli in red wine," he later lamented. "It was a moment of sheer desperation." Still, he made it, living on a limited diet of chocolate, cakes, cookies, ice cream -- poor darling -- as well as rice, quinoa (an ancient Incan grain), nuts and fruit.

And therein lies the rub. There isn't much variety in fair trade in Canada; just 210 licensees provide 12 products including coffee, chocolate, mangoes, bananas, rice, flowers, cotton and, as of this week, wine. But it is taking off, says Clarke, particularly now that mega-chain Costco has embraced fair trade and TransFair is certifying more finished items, like bakery goods.

But if you broaden your definition of ethical eating to encompass the granddaddy of fair trade -- buying direct from local producers -- your scope in Ottawa suddenly widens to include seasonal delicacies like garlic, berries, game meat, vegetables, fruit and fiddleheads. It's an old-fashioned, low-carbon-impact way to do business.

Eating Ethically

Be prepared to do a little research. TransFair's website -- transfair.ca -- lists who sells fair trade products in Ottawa. For local produce, grow your own or hit the farmers' markets opening in this month. They include:

- Ottawa Farmer' Market (ottawafarmersmarket.ca)
- Carp Farmers' Market
- Almonte Farmers' Market
- Byward Market and Parkdale Market
- Ottawa Organic Farmers' Market (Parsifal Waldorf School), Saturdays
- Metcalfe Farmers' Market
- Cumberland Farmers' Market
- For details and more information, see farmersmarketsontario.ca.

Sports

Fair trade soccer balls?

Scoff not. All 690 stitches are hand-sewn and much of the gruelling, tedious work is by -- you guessed it -- young children. Roughly 75 per cent of ball sewers live in the poverty-stricken region of Sialkot, Pakistan. Children are paid less than adults, can't attend school and thus find it impossible to break out of the poverty cycle.

"The stitching is usually done by families in their homes," says Dave Hall of Y Focus Fair Trade Sports, an Ottawa-based importer. "That's how the big companies hide that they're doing it."

Currently, just four companies worldwide produce fair-trade sports balls; they only employ adult factory workers, and regularly have their books inspected.

The balls are more expensive, but they are of higher quality, says Hall, who recently closed a deal for 1300 fair trade balls with the Ottawa Internationals. "We're starting to get some larger orders from soccer leagues, who realize that the balls are as good as or better than what they're using."

Playing Ethically

- Fair trade soccer, rugby, volley and soon footballs are available at 10,000 Villages (371 Richmond Rd., 613-759-4701), Arbour Environmental Shoppe ( 800 Bank St., 613-567-3168), the Metro YM/YWCA's fair trade boutique (180 Argyle St., 613-788-5000). For more information, visit Y Focus Fair Trade Sports' website at yfocus.ncf.ca/fairtrade/.

Clothes

"I pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of 'new' manufactured items of clothing, for the period of two/four/six months."

Could you sign on the dotted line? That's the challenge from Wardrobe Refashion, an Australian-based online sewing circle where pledgers vow not to buy anything new -- except for special events or for "the world's greatest and most amazing never-to-be-repeated sale."

Rather, they make their own duds, ideally out of what they already have lying around. Some are inspired, some not so much. "JennyM" recently made a dazzling retro 60s islet dress; "Catwhisperer" used an old red sweatshirt to create a bizarre horned hat that even she admitted would have been better off as a pet blanket. Or you can start from scratch, using earth-friendly fabric like organic cotton or a hemp-silk blend from the Toronto Hemp Company.

Whether it's time or skill you're lacking, sewing-your-own isn't for everyone. That's where second-hand stores, consignment shops, garage sales, bartering and swap parties come in. "It's cheaper than buying non-ethically," says my conscious-consumer friend, Riane. "The rush I used to get from shopping I now get from taking time to think about my purchase and knowing I haven't polluted."

Buying locally made clothes or from ethical shops like lululemon, Russell Athletics or American Apparel -- manufacturers that all shun sweat shops -- is another ethical option.

Ottawa has a few local producers, notably designer Muriel Dombret who manufacturers her entire collection in town. "The option to make clothes cheaper is there, but that's not how I live," she says. "To me, if you want to be successful, it starts with treating your employees with respect."

And while fair trade cotton guarantees, among other things, much-needed development subsidies to growers, Ottawa has no supplier. However, funky hoodies, T-shirts and other gear can be ordered from the Fair Trade Clothing Co-op in Toronto or Montreal's edgier New-K Industry, which will carry a full collection in September.

Dressing Ethically

- Clothes by Muriel Dombret, 1258 Wellington Street W., 613-798-0167, or see murieldombret.com.
- Fair Trade Clothing Co-op, 647-436-6256, or see fairtradeclothing.ca.
- New-K Industry, 514-898-2617 or see newkindustry.com.
- Toronto Hemp Company, 416-920-1980 or see torontohemp.com.

Flowers

Nothing says pesticides, worker abuses and health problems like fresh cut flowers -- at least when they're shipped 8,046 km from Zimbabwe, Ecuador or Venezuela.

Beautiful they may be, but according to the Sierra Club, fresh-cut flowers are also behind poisoned ground water, the use of banned chemicals and sick labourers. Columbian flower growers are regularly exposed to 127 pesticides, 20 per cent of which have been banned or deregistered in the United States. In Nairobi, flower farms pipe water in from Mount Kilimanjaro, even though the local people have no water supply.

There are two programs that workers are treated fairly and that responsible environmental practices are adhered to: the Flower Label Program, started more than a decade ago in Germany, and the Montreal-based Sierra Flowers Fair Trade program.

Local florists who sell these Earth-friendly flowers include Mill Street Florist in Manotick (they import FLP flowers), Tivoli Florist on Richmond Road and Wild Willy's Florists on Wellington Street West, who both sell Sierra Eco flowers.

You can also buy locally grown blooms. Farmers' markets supply a steady stream of during the summer, while Ottawa's only year-round greenhouse, Carleton Growers, can do the rest.

A family-run business since 1969, the greenhouse supplies wholesalers, and sells their amazingly long-lived roses, lilies and snapdragons to a growing and loyal public. "I have a few problems with the flowers from South America," says owner Darlene Hogg. "The pesticides they use are banned here, so I have an issue with a product coming into Canada with banned substances on them. Also, they have a long transit time, so when they get here, they just don't last."

Decorating Ethically

- Carleton Growers are at the Ottawa Farmers' Market, or have greenhouse door sales at 3320 Carp Rd., 613-839-2989.
- For more information, see fairflowers.de and sierraeco.com.

Julie Beun-Chown is a national magazine writer living in Ottawa.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2007

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/arts/story.html?id=f49e351d-300a-4089-99c5-bdd2db2cfe75&p=4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MARK NANTAIS
Special to Globe and Mail Update
May 4, 2007 at 12:26 AM EDT

While the Canadian media has paid little attention, the United States has just reached a far-reaching trade agreement with South Korea, one of the world's largest and fastest-growing economies. The deal still requires ratification by the U.S. Congress, but it has huge implications for Canadians who earn their living in sectors such as automotive, shipbuilding and agriculture — industries that would be most affected by Ottawa's quiet parallel efforts to quickly reach a trade deal with Seoul.

The silence in the news media on the both sets of negotiations seems deafening when we think back to the nation-wrenching debates that surrounded past trade negotiations over softwood lumber and the North American free trade agreement. The silence is even more surprising given that, unlike in the United States, Canada has no requirement to bring its trade agreements before the House of Commons for reflection and debate by our elected MPs. So what's happening here? What's at stake in these quiet negotiations and why did we hear Trade Minister David Emerson saying this week that he intends to "wrap up a deal this year"?

A few facts to set the stage:

-- Canada's exports to South Korea reached $3.3-billion in 2006, while South Korea's exports to Canada were $5.8-billion, resulting in a Canadian deficit of $2.5-billion.

-- Automotive trade makes up one-third of South Korea's exports to Canada and fully 70 per cent of the deficit.

-- In 2006, Canada imported 130,000 vehicles from South Korea but Canada's vehicle exports to Korea were negligible — less than 500.

-- Imported vehicles from anywhere in the world make up only 4 per cent of South Korea's market (only 5 per cent in Japan) while on average, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries import close to 50 per cent of vehicles. In Canada, the percentage of imported vehicles is more than 80 per cent.

-- South Korea's historic ban on vehicle imports was replaced in 1986 by non-tariff barriers — examples included tax audits for purchasers of foreign vehicles and higher insurance rates for owners of foreign vehicles, regardless of driver history or vehicle type. These types of non-tariff barriers continue today.

The Ottawa-Seoul negotiations put a lot at stake for people working in Canada's massive auto sector. Indeed, it isn't fair to call the current auto transactions between the two countries "trade." More accurately, we have a "one-way-street" with South Korea protecting its growing export machine. Stand on any busy Seoul street corner and it may take an hour before you see any vehicle from anywhere else in the world.

Canada's auto manufacturers are strongly pro-trade and have never opposed any of the free-trade agreements signed by Canada. A truly reciprocal two-way deal that removes South Korea's historic non-tariff barriers would provide an opportunity for Canadian auto plants to boost volume and create new jobs.

But what if Canada signs a deal that does not gain meaningful access for our products? What if South Korea continues its historic practice of creating new non-tariff trade barriers to protect its own industries?

That would be like inviting Canada to play in a high-stakes hockey tournament where the Canadians have to play without sticks. And that is precisely what the Democratic and Republican leadership of the U.S. Congress has said to its trade negotiators: Don't even think of presenting us with a deal that does not gain fair two-way access for key products such as automobiles. Trade can be very beneficial, but only if it's fair trade and only if it's reciprocal.

Let's not squander this opportunity to press the South Koreans to play by the rules and truly open their market for Canadian-made vehicles and parts. Our Canadian team deserves nothing less.

Mark Nantais is president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070504.wcomm
ent0504/BNStory/National/home
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------