Don't believe the reports for a moment! The Multilateral Agreement on Investment is not dead.

OECD nations did not sign this proposed agreement as they originally intended to in late April. While negotiators have acknowledged public opposition in most nations contributed to a delay in signing, along with the resultant growing number of "exceptions" filed by many nations, the deadline has been extended to October 1998.

There is little confidence that full agreement can be reached at that time, but the likes of Sergio Marchi, Canada's International Trade minister, think that citizens can be won over in the interim and at the very least an agreement in principle can be signed in the fall.

NOW is the time to put more pressure on our government to withdraw from these negotiations - do your part and write the P.M., Marchi, and your M.P. For more information, contact your local chapter of the Council of Canadians, or Gail Miller at (250) 897-0270.