More on SPP and the North American Union

[Guest guest]

REPOSTING

 

  More on SPP and the North American Union - part 2

 

A brief history

 

If you’ve done some reading, you’ll be aware of the many reasons Canadians,

Mexicans and Americans avidly don’t support continental integration. Due to

their stealth, we have to dig around to find out who actually thinks this is a

good idea. This e-mail presents reasons for the SPP.

 

From the Canadian side, it started with business people who wished the

US-Canada border was more open. After 9/11, security at the border slowed trade.

A

group of Canadian CEO’s went to Washington to see what could be done – after

all, under NAFTA this border was supposed to be open. Washington’s reply was,

if you want an open border you had better get with our security program – a

commonly defended security perimeter, supporting the war on terror, a host of

other ‘security’ measures, and more ‘sharing’ of Canadian resources.

For details see

http://www.canadians.org/publications/CP/2007/spring/DI_TIMELINE.pdf

 

 

A business-persons dream

 

Business has always been pained by health and environmental regulations that

stand in their way. The government is constantly lobbied by corporate needs –

which is partly why we don’t see the environmental and health policies we’d

like. Business people started to dream of a land where they would establish the

rules, no longer needing to lobby government. The Security and Prosperity

Partnership (SPP) allows just that. NAFTA had already eroded Federal protection.

SPP neatly erodes all kinds of provincial and municipal

protection. Corporations will be able to sue all levels of government that

stand in the way of

their profit.

 

 

 

Cheap labour

 

Mobility of workers across the three countries offers cheap labour i.e.

profit. Mexicans will work for less than US or Canadian workers. This isn’t on

Canada’s radar, but Americans are well aware of loss of jobs and income cuts

caused by these ‘illegal immigrants.’ Under NAU, the immigrants will no

longer be

illegal. Their population is more than three times the whole of Canada.

 

Large corporations don’t mind who does their work. They want to create

trading block that is more competitive with emerging Asian markets. This is so

important to them that the lowering of environmental standards and bringing a

largely peaceful nation into alignment with one that is at war is worth it. From

a

commercial aspect, war for some is profit. Privatising health and other

services opens all kinds of new avenues for profit. SPP is a large business

plan.

 

 

So who is behind it?

 

Let’s get into tangible people. A leading force is Thomas d’Achino, leader

of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. John Manly is a key figure. We

haven’t seen the guest list for the Montebello North American Forum meeting,

but

these at the secret Banff meeting last year were Hon. Stockwell Day, Minister

of Public Safety, Hon. Peter Lougheed (chair), Col. Peter Atkinson Special

Advisor to Chief of Defence, Hon. Perrin Beatty Canadian Manufacturers &

Exporters, Dr. Wendy Dobson The Institute for International Business. Donald

Rumsfeld

was to be the keynote speaker, but apparently he didn't show up. For a full

list of participants in this integration program, see below.

 

 

I'm sure these are all good people, I just seriously question a direction

that puts profit ahead of public and environmental safety, health, wellbeing,

democratic process, transparency and the wish of the people of all three

lands. There are alternative directions we can choose, such as Canada becoming

more

self sufficient, manufacturing the many items we import, creating local jobs,

cutting CO2 transport immissions. Could we import food from Latin America by

boat, bypassing border security issues? Let us wisely use our remaining oil to

create sustainable products like solar panels, electric cars, passive solar

installations in our houses rather than mass export this valuable resource -

cheaply - polluting whole areas of our land in the process.

 

Let us use our imagination at this time and see a better direction.

 

 

What can you do?

 

Phone your M.P. Write to your Prime Minister.

Educate your friends.

 

I phoned and insisted my MP to do more to educate people. To my surprise, 2

weeks later they are doing just that. Thank you NDP.

 

 

NORTH AMERICAN FORUM CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS - Banff 

(Internal Document, Not for Public Release)

Report dated August 31, 2006

 

Forum Co-Chairs: 

 

Dr. Pedro Aspe

 

Hon. Peter Lougheed

 

Hon. George Shultz

 

Canadian Participants

 

Col. Peter Atkinson Special Advisor to Chief of Defence, Staff

 

Hon. Perrin Beatty Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters

 

Mr. Peter M. Boehm Assistant Deputy Minister, North America Foreign Affairs

and International Trade Canada

 

Mr. Thomas d’Aquino, Canadian Council of Chief Executives

 

Hon. Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, Government of Canada

 

Dr. Wendy Dobson The Institute for International Business

 

Mr. N. Murray Edwards Edco Financial Holdings Ltd.

 

Mr. Ward Elcock, Deputy Minister of National Defence

 

Mr. Bill Elliott Associate Deputy Minister, Public Safety

 

Dr. John English The Cdn Centre for International Governance Innovation

 

Mr. Brian Felesky Felesky Flynn LLP

 

Mr. Richard L. George,  Suncor Energy Inc.

 

Dr. Roger Gibbins Canada West Foundation

 

Rear Adm Roger Girouard, Commander Joint Task Force Pacific, Cdn Forces

 

Major Gen Daniel Gosselin, Director General, International Security Policy

 

Mr. James K. Gray Canada West Foundation Mr. Fred Green Canadian Pacific

Railway

 

Mr. V. Peter Harder Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

 

Mr. Paul J. Hill Harvard Developments Inc.

 

General Rick Hillier Chief of the Defence Staff

 

Mr. Pierre Marc Johnston Heenan Blaikie

 

Mr. James Kinnear Pengrowth Corporation

 

Mr. Harold N. Kvisle TransCanada Corporation

 

Hon. John P. Manley,  McCarthy, Tetrault LLP

 

Mr. Ron Mannix, Coril Holdings Ltd.

 

Mr. Ron Mathison, Matco Investments

 

Hon. Anne McLellan, Senior Counsel, Bennett Jones

 

Hon. Greg Melchin, Minister of Energy, Government of Alberta

 

Ms.Sharon Murphy, Chevron Canada

 

Ms. Sheila O’Brien, President, Corporate Director, Belvedere Investments

 

Hon. Gordon O’Connor,  Minister of Defense, Government of Canada

 

Mr. Berel Roda,l International Center on Nonviolent Conflict

 

Mr. Gordon Smith,  Chairman, The International Development Research Centre

 

American Participants

 

Ms. Deborah Bolton,  Political Advisor to Commander, US Northcom

 

Mr. Ron T. Covais, President, The Americas, Lockheed Martin Corporation

 

Sec. Kenneth W. Dam, Max Pam Professor Emeritus of American & Foreign Law and

Senior Lecturer, University of Chicago Law School

 

Mr. Dan Fisk Senior Director, Western Hemisphere, National Security Council

 

Sec. Ryan Henry Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

 

Ms. Carla A. Hills, Chairman & CEO, Hills & Co.

 

Ms. Caryn Hollis DASD (Acting) Western Hemisphere Affairs

 

Mr. Bill Irwin Manager - International Government Affairs; Policy, Government

and Public Affairs, Chevron Corporation

 

Mr. Robert G. James President, Enterprise Asset Management Inc.

 

Admiral Tim Keating Commander, US Northern Command

 

Mr. Floyd Kvamme Chair, President’s Council of Advisors on Science &

Technology; Director, Centre for Global Security Res.

 

Dr. Ronald F. Lehman II, Director, Center for Global Security Research,

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

 

Mr. William W. McIlhenny Policy Planning Council for Western Hemisphere

Affairs

 

Dr. Peter McPherson President, National Association of State Universities &

Land-Grant Colleges

 

Ms. Doris Meissner Senior Fellow, Migration Policy Institute

 

Dr. George Miller Director, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

 

Mr. George Nethercutt Chairman, US Section of the Permanent Joint Board on

Defense, US – Canada (Security)

 

Mary Anastasia O’Grady, Journalist for Wall Street Journal (Area Specialist)

 

Dr. Robert A. Pastor Director, Center for North American Studies, American

University, Washington, DC

 

Dr. William Perry Co-Director, Preventive Defense Project

 

Lt. Gen. Gene Renuart, USAF Senior Military Assist. to Sec. Rumsfeld

 

Mr. Eric Ruff, Department of Defense Press Secretary

 

Sec. Donald R. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, US Department of Defense

 

Dr. James Schlesinger, Former Sec. Of Energy & Defense

 

Mr. William Schneider President, International Planning Services

 

Sec. Clay Sell Deputy Secretary of Energy, US Dept. of Energy

 

Dr. Thomas A. Shannon Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere A

 

Dr. David G. Victor Director, Program on Energy & Sustainable Development,

Center for Environmental Science & Policy

 

Maj. Gen. Mark A Volcheff Director, Plans, Policy & Strategy, NORAD-NORTHCOM

 

Ms. Jane Wales President & CEO, World Affairs Council of Northern California

 

Mr. R. James Woolsey Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton

 

Mexican Participants:

 

Emb Andrés Rozental (Mexican Coordinator) – Mexican Council on Foreign

Relations

 

Silvia Hernández Former Senator and Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations

Subcommittee on North America

 

Mario Molina 1995 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Fernando Chico Pardo CEO,

Promecap

 

Juan Gallardo CEO, Grupo GEUSA

 

Gerónimo Gutiérrez Deputy Foreign Minister for North America

 

Luis de la Calle Consultant. Former Deputy Minister of Economy

 

Agustín Barrios Gómez Solutions Abroad

 

Vinicio Suro PEMEX

 

Eduardo Medina Mora Secretary of Public Security

 

Carlos Heredia State Government of Michoacán

 

Jaime Zabludowsky Consultant. Former trade negotiator

 

Manuel Arango CEO, Grupo Concord

 

Jorge Santibañez President, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte

 

Luis Rubio CIDAC

 

Mónica Serrano El Colegio de México, Señor Fellow Oxford University

 

Arturo Sarukhan Coordinator of Int’l Affairs, Campaign of Felipe Calderon

 

Juan Camilo Mouriño General Coordinator of President Elect’s transition team

 

Ernesto Cordero Coordinator for Public Policy Issues

 

Ambassadors/Consul

 

General: Mr. Carlos de Icaza, Ambassador of Mexico to the United States

 

Mr. Gaëtan Lavertu Ambassador of Canada to Mexico

 

Ms. Maria Teresa Garcia Segovia de Madero, Ambassador of Mexico to Canada

 

Mr. Thomas Huffaker U.S. Consul General in Calgary (on DOD’s list)

 

Mr. John Dickson Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy in Ottawa (representing

Ambassador of US to Canada)

 

Mr. Colin Robertson Minister & Head, Washington Advocacy Secretariat,

(representing Ambassador of Canada to US)