November 24, 2006

Dear activists,

In the last federal election the Stephen Harper Conservatives ran on five key priorities, one of which was accountability.

The Prime Minister's website states, "No aspect of responsible government is more fundamental than having the trust of citizens. Canadians' faith in the institutions and practices of government has been eroded. This new government trusts in the Canadian people, and its goal is that Canadians will once again trust in their government."

Yet despite this promise, the Harper government has displayed a disturbing pattern of secrecy on key issues. So much so that Washington-based CBC reporter Henry Champ has asked, "What is Prime Minister Harper's belief about a very basic freedom: the public's right to know?"

On Monday November 20, Champ reported that Canada and the United States had, "agreed to a memorandum of understanding to allow the electronic exchange of ballistics information between the two countries and the assignment of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) official to Toronto."

Mr. Champ then writes, "...it was a surprise to learn of this news from the U.S. Department of Justice and not our own government. An even bigger surprise to be told by Day's office that they had chosen not to inform the Canadian media."

The North American Forum that took place in Banff this past September 12-14 is another example of the Harper government's lack of accountability. (see notes in Deep Integration section)

As Maude Barlow wrote in an editorial published in both the Toronto Star and the Calgary Herald, "Despite the involvement of senior North American politicians, organizers did not alert the media about the event. To make it worse, our government...refuses to release any information about the content of the discussions or the actors involved. Day's office has been telling journalists that it cannot comment on the minister's private meeting and that journalists should understand this. So much for accountability."

Barlow highlights, "The focus of the event was on North American security and prosperity. Not surprisingly, this included topics such as 'A North American Energy Strategy,' 'Demographic and Social Dimensions of North American Integration' and 'Opportunities for Security Co- operation' - all topics where the public interest is at odds with that of big business elites."

Additionally, despite the Harper government's Throne Speech promise on April 4, 2006 that "significant international treaties will be submitted for votes in Parliament" this has not been the case with the Security and Prosperity Partnership.

Barlow writes, "Since Paul Martin, Vicente Fox and George W. Bush signed the Security and Prosperity Partnership in March 2005, discussions on continental integration have gone underground. The media have paid little attention to this far-reaching agreement, so Canadians are unaware that a dozen working groups are currently 'harmonizing' Canadian and U.S. regulations on everything from food to drugs to the environment and even more contentious issues like foreign policy."

ACTIONS:

1. Write a letter to Prime Minister Harper at pm@pm.gc.ca and demand - in the interests of accountability - that he inform Canadians of the date, location and agenda of the upcoming Security and Prosperity Partnership Summit, expected to take place in Canada in 2007. You should also demand that he disclose the complete listing of Security and Prosperity Partnership working groups, the contact persons, the participating membership and make public their meeting dates and provide opportunities for public input.

2. Write a letter to the editor on the issue of the public's right to know when news articles of this nature appear in your local newspapers. If there is any mention of the Security and Prosperity Partnership in the article, write the editor and ask when and where the next meeting will take place - as well as when any public consultations on this tri-national agreement will be held by the government. (see list of editors in Word Warriors section)

3. When you find examples of the lack of government disclosure on key issues relating to Canada-U.S. relations share them with us (strew@canadians.org) and we'll compile them and forward them to media contacts.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's promise of "accountability" appears to be an unfulfilled promise. With U.S. president George Bush and Mexican president Felipe Calderon coming to Canada, possibly within mere months, to discuss key aspects of North American integration, it is only fair that the people of Canada know more about what is planned and have a greater opportunity to express their views on this matter.