THE MYTH OF ATLANTICA
More than an economic union
June 2007
— download PDF version —
Atlantica is the proposed economic integration of
the Maritime provinces, Newfoundland (but not
Labrador), parts of Quebec, Maine, Vermont, New
Hampshire and upstate New York. This integration of Eastern
Canada and the North-Eastern United States would erase
border restrictions and regulations, creating a massive transportation
corridor to send Asian goods and energy resources
to the United States. Atlantica is a part of the Security and
Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) agenda, aimed
at creating a “free market” between Canada, the United States
and Mexico.
Proposed and supported by big business leaders and the Atlantic
Institute for Market Studies (AIMS), Atlantica uses the
Atlantic Gateway proposal as a way to facilitate trade. Significant
infrastructure projects form part of the plan including:
creating a mega shipping port in Halifax that connects with
a high-volume transportation corridor through the Maritimes
and into the United States, and increasing exports of unrefined
oil and gas south of the Canadian border.
Undemocratic process
Atlantica meetings include government and big business representatives
in Canada and the United States, but exclude unions,
environmental groups and civil society organizations like the
Council of Canadians. Atlantica is about big business leaders
making decisions that affect the lives of Atlantic Canadians.
While there are bound to be economic gains for some – namely
large corporations that would be moving goods, the trucking
industry, and businesses around Halifax located near the proposed
ports – there are also serious social and environmental
impacts. Proponents of Atlantica are calling for scrapping the
minimum wage, denying the ability of workers to organize, and
reducing the role and influence of unions.
Some provincial governments forging ahead
According to the New Brunswick Telegraph Journal, Atlantica has
$500 million earmarked in transportation and energy investments
on both sides of the border over the next seven years
with little input from the public about the impacts of such a
massive project. In fact, it is the government of Maine that is
leading a study looking at the proposed Atlantic transportation
corridor, which would support the Atlantica initiative,
with government representatives from Quebec, PEI, New
Brunswick, Ontario and Nova Scotia participating in study
committees. Transport Canada is also participating as a nonvoting
member. In a Ministerial Declaration from a trilateral
transportation meeting held in April 2007, government officials
from Canada, the United States and Mexico confirmed
that they will be using the SPP to further the Atlantica agenda
even though the SPP has never been outlined, discussed or
voted on by the Canadian public.
Stephen Harper supports Atlantic Gateway
In a recent speech at the International Conference on Gateways
and Corridors, Prime Minister Stephen Harper confirmed
his support for closer economic ties and deeper integration
with the United States. He pledged to use Canadian tax dollars
to build mega shipping ports and pipelines to send Canadian
resources south saying: “it amounts to a coast-to-coast overhaul
of the foundations of our economy.” He highlighted
the Conservative 2007 budget that spends nearly $9 billion
on infrastructure projects including “gateways and border
crossings” and confirmed that “in the longer term, we intend
to develop an Atlantic gateway in the East Coast.”
Say no to Atlantica
The big business agenda of Atlantica will have a negative impact
on Atlantic Canadians and is proceeding without public
input. You can make a difference by writing to your local MP or community newspaper and telling them why you oppose
this proposal.
