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Letter to Prime Minister Martin (March 2005)

March 29, 2005

 

The Right Honourable Paul Martin

Prime Minister of Canada

80 Wellington Street

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0A2

 

RE: Canadian NGOs Call on Canada to Vote Against the US Nomination for Next World Bank President.

Dear Prime Minister,

 

We the undersigned organizations find Paul Wolfowitz to be an unsuitable candidate for the next president of the World Bank. We call on the Government of Canada to oppose the U.S. nomination and instruct the Executive Director, Marcel Mass', to vote against Mr. Wolfowitz's nomination.

 

The current US nominee illustrates the need for fundamental reform of the selection process of the World Bank and IMF. The World Bank stands at a critical juncture. The Government of Canada cannot stand at the sidelines of the selection process. The government has a responsibility to clearly, publicly and strongly voice the need for fundamental reform of the selection process for the World Bank president.

 

Canada must ensure that an appropriate and democratically chosen candidate for the position is advanced and vote against the current nominee.

 

 

[Signed]

John Mihevc, Chair

Halifax Initiative Coalition

 

  Cc:  Hon. Ralph Goodale, Minister of Finance

 Hon. Aileen Carroll, Minister of International Cooperation 

 Mr. Marcel Mass', Executive Director for Canada, World Bank

 

Halifax Initiative Coalition members:

 

Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Social Affairs Office

Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC)

Canadian Friends of Burma

Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)

Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR)

CAW - Canada

CoDevelopment Canada

C U S O

Democracy Watch 

Falls Brook Centre

Friends of the Earth Canada

KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives

MiningWatch Canada

North-South Institute

Oxfam Canada

RESULTS Canada

Rights & Democracy

Sierra Club of Canada Nuclear Campaign

Social Justice Committee

Steelworkers Humanity Fund

Toronto Environmental Alliance

World Interaction Mondiale

 

Other organizations that have endorsed this letter:

 

Alberta Council for Global Cooperation

Blue Planet Project

Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network

Canadian International Institute of Applied Negotiation (CIIAN)

Canadian Lutheran World Relief

Canadian Pugwash Group Executive

Council of Canadians

Interagency Coalition on Aids and Development (ICAD)

One Sky - Canadian Institute of Sustainable Living

 

Ontario Council for International Cooperation (OCIC)

Partnership Africa Canada

Peterborough Coalition for Social Justice

Polaris Institute

Students Against Global AIDS

UPA D'veloppement international (UPA DI)

World Federalist Movement - Canada (WFMC)

 

 

 

 

The Halifax Initiative

The Halifax Initiative is a Canadian coalition of development, environment, faith-based, human rights and labour groups.

Our goal is to fundamentally transform the international financial system and its institutions, namely the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and export credit agencies.

By doing so, we hope to achieve poverty eradication, environmental sustainability and the full realization of human rights.

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