House of Commons Votes to Cap Clothing Imports From China

    Motion Demands Canada's New Government Immediately Negotiate with China

    OTTAWA, Feb. 21 /CNW/ - The House of Commons passed a motion instructing
the Government of Canada to immediately invoke World Trade Organization
measures, Article 242 and cap the growth of clothing imports from China to
7.5% each year.
    Alex Dagg, National Co-Director for UNITE HERE hailed the passage as a
victory for workers and the domestic apparel industry.
    "Apparel workers have been calling on successive governments to stand up
for Canadian jobs," said Dagg. "The House of Commons listened and voted to
level the playing field for the Canadian clothing industry. The government
must abide by the will of Parliament and immediately invoke the safeguard
measures in Article 242."
    Supported by all three opposition parties, the motion easily passed the
House of Commons last night by a vote of 155 to 119. The motion of concurrence
to a House of Commons Trade Committee Report, calls on the Conservative
government to immediately invoke Article 242 of China's accession protocol to
the WTO and to also begin bilateral negotiations with China.
    "This government is refusing to stand up for Canadian jobs and workers,"
said NDP International Trade Critic, Peter Julian. "Yet there are very simple
and legitimate measures that this government could take, such as immediately
putting in place safeguards on apparel imports from China."
    Liberal International Trade Critic, Ontario MP Navdeep Bains, agreed with
the motion.
    "I support the recommendation of the Standing Committee on International
Trade to assist the apparel industry by entering into bilateral negotiations
with China and that this is the best way to level the playing field."
    Since January 2002, almost 50,000 jobs have been lost in the apparel
industry in Canada, half of those losses in Quebec. Following the elimination
of the decades old apparel quota system, many countries, most notably the
United States and European Union, moved to impose restrictions on the growth
of specific apparel imports into their domestic markets.
    "The Minister of Trade must now immediately act to slow the growth of
clothing imports from China or the deep job losses in the Canadian apparel
industry we have experienced, especially in Quebec, will continue," said Lina
Aristeo, Director of the Quebec Council of UNITE HERE Canada.

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