Public Consultations on Turkey: Opposition to the Proposed Canada-Turkey Free Trade Agreement (FTA)

Canada-Turkey Trade Consultations
Global Affairs Canada
Trade Negotiations Division (TCE)
111 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON K1N 1J1
Sent via email

Subject: Public Consultations on Turkey: Opposition to the Proposed Canada-Turkey Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
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Dear Global Affairs Canada TCE Consultations Team,
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Prime Minister Mark Carney and Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

We are writing to formally submit our strong opposition to the proposed Canada-Turkey Free Trade Agreement (FTA) currently under public consultation. We believe that international trade agreements should serve as an extension of Canada's domestic principles and foreign policy commitments. Proceeding with this agreement poses severe risks to our national economic stability, domestic manufacturing sectors, and global standing as a defender of human rights.

Canada must not prioritize short-term commercial gains at the expense of our ethical responsibilities, legal standards, and global humanitarian values. An FTA with Turkey would effectively endorse and economically reward a regime characterized by severe democratic backsliding, international law violations, and systematic domestic repression.

Below, we have meticulously outlined our specific, substantive concerns. These points directly address the critical themes put forward in the government's public consultation framework:

1. Products Originating from the Illegal Turkish Occupation in Northern Cyprus: Any proposed FTA must strictly prohibit the importation of any agricultural products, natural resources, or manufactured goods derived from Turkey’s illegal military occupation of northern Cyprus, including any products that have been integrated into the Turkish supply chain from this region. For over five decades, the Turkish occupational forces have systematically seized Cypriot properties, factories, and agricultural lands. Crucially, these expropriated industries and agricultural sectors are now operated and staffed by tens of thousands of illegal settlers imported from mainland Turkey—a deliberate policy of demographic engineering designed to alter the island's population balance and erase its indigenous character in violation of the Geneva Conventions. Because Canada does not recognize this self-proclaimed entity, allowing goods manufactured, harvested, or processed within these occupied territories to enter the Canadian market under preferential tariffs would violate international law, legitimize forced demographic changes, and make Canada complicit in the economic exploitation of occupied Cypriot territories.
2. Products Originating from the Illegal Turkish Occupation in Northern Syria: Any proposed FTA must strictly prohibit the importation of any agricultural products, natural resources, or manufactured goods derived from Turkey’s illegal military occupation of northern Syria, including any products that have been integrated into the Turkish supply chain from this region. Since 2016, Turkish forces and affiliated militias have systematically seized Syrian properties, factories, and agricultural lands. Most notably, the Turkish military has exploited the region's lucrative olive sector, systematically weaponizing it to meet external market demands alongside other looted industries. Concurrently, Turkey has implemented an aggressive policy of demographic engineering, forcibly replacing the indigenous Kurdish population with non-local Syrian Arab refugees. Allowing goods manufactured, harvested, or processed within these occupied territories to enter the Canadian market under preferential tariffs would violate international law, legitimize forced demographic changes, and make Canada complicit in the economic exploitation of occupied Syrian territories.
3. Complicity in the Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh: Any proposed FTA must explicitly and unconditionally exclude any weapons, military and non-military components, dual-use technologies, or related machinery in any direct or indirect manner, ensuring that even incidental Canadian components are strictly prohibited from entering the Turkish weapons sector. Canada previously had to suspend and halt drone technology exports to Turkey after the Turkish military illegally diverted Canadian-made drone technology to Azerbaijan during the 2020 Artsakh war. This direct complicity contributed to widespread civilian casualties and laid the groundwork for the ultimate ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of the region's indigenous Armenian population. A trade framework with Turkey must not ignore severe past breaches of end-use assurances that undermine Canada’s arms control integrity, nor must it signal that Canada will prioritize commercial interests over complicity in war crimes.
4. Oppressed Minorities and Underrepresented Groups: The Turkish state actively suppresses ethnic and religious minorities through political disenfranchisement, cultural erasure, and targeted legal persecution. This systemic discrimination directly impacts the Kurdish population, as well as Alevi, Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, Jewish, and Roma communities. Furthermore, women, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized communities face severe socio-economic disparities across the country.
5. Goods of Export/Import Interest and Sensitivities: Flooding the Canadian market with non-tariff Turkish manufacturing and textiles could create unfair competition for Canadian businesses. Turkey's lower production costs—driven by weaker regulatory standards—threaten local jobs and domestic market stability.
6. Regulatory and Safety: Stripping away necessary regulatory alignment and safety standards risks compromising consumer safety. Canada must not weaken its stringent technical, sanitary, and phytosanitary metrics simply to expedite import clearances.
7. Trade in Services: Opening service sectors to a market with heavily state-influenced enterprises threatens the competitive neutrality of Canadian service providers and limits protection for intellectual property.
8. Labour Rights and Cooperation: Strong independent labor unions face heavy restrictions in Turkey. Canada should not reward or economically integrate with a system where worker safety, collective bargaining, and fair wages are routinely undermined.
9. Environmental Protection and Conservation: Turkey has historically faced domestic criticism regarding environmental compliance and carbon output. Liberalizing trade without carbon-border adjustments risks outsourcing Canadian emissions to a less regulated environment, defeating global conservation efforts.
10. Governance, Anti-Corruption, and Human Rights: This is the most critical area of concern. International watchdogs frequently cite Turkey for severe regressions in the rule of law, freedom of speech, judicial independence, and human rights. Deepening economic ties directly undermines Canada’s commitment to a values-based foreign policy.
    
    

Canada's international trade strategy must prioritize partnerships with nations that mirror our domestic and international commitments to human rights, transparent governance, and rigorous environmental laws. Trade agreements are not merely economic instruments; they are powerful reflections of our national character, ethics, and geopolitical alignments. By entering into an agreement with a nation that routinely violates international norms, suppresses minority populations, and breaches critical defense end-use agreements, Canada risks compromising its own moral authority on the global stage.

For these reasons, we strongly urge the Government of Canada to immediately halt all Free Trade Agreement negotiations with Turkey. We must ensure that our economic relationships never come at the expense of justice, the rule of law, and basic human dignity.

Thank you for considering this submission.

Sincerely,

Hellenic Canadian Research Institute

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