[Fair Trade - Canada] Via Rail up On fair Trade Coffee

from Hour Canada

Meg Hewings

This week VIA Rail became the largest Canadian corporation to offer exclusively fair trade-certified coffee to customers. It seems big business is following on the heels of many public institutions, including the National Assembly, universities and hospitals who currently sell the ethical brew.

"Historically, a farmer producing fair trade coffee receives at least double the revenue on average of a farmer producing other kinds of coffee," says Rob Clarke, executive director of TransFair Canada, the major not-for-profit certification body that monitors fair trade licences.

While coffee has become the most valuable trading commodity in the world after oil, working conditions for farmers have remained paltry, market access restricted and environmental standards and prices unregulated.

Travelling with VIA now means you can enjoy your cup of joe knowing producers were paid an equitable price for their product (there is a fixed minimum price guarantee per pound), which is itself grown in strict adherence to environmental standards. "Also, a social premium always goes to the community, towards development projects like building schools, health clinics, sending kids to high school and even providing medicine," says Chantal Havard of TransFair Canada.

According to the latest statistics, fair trade is one of the world's booming markets, and in Canada, products that have been fair
trade certified have seen an average growth of 55 per cent since 2001. Quebec gets top rank in terms of fair trade commerce, which over the years has grown to include tea, handicrafts, sugar, cocoa, fresh fruit, rice and, soon, wine.

Havard hopes VIA set a precedent this week and that consumers and citizens will now lobby other big Canadian companies to make the same choice. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if Air Canada would decide to follow suit? It's actually very easy to make simple gestures that make a difference."