| HOME | ABOUT US | CAMPAIGNS | MEDIA | PUBLICATIONS | CHAPTERS | JOIN US | FRANÇAIS |
ACTION ALERT: No to an SPP ministerial in Los Cabos, no to an SPP leaders summit in New OrleansFebruary 21, 2008 This morning, Common Frontiers shared with us an article from the Mexico City newspaper La Jornada that reports that the next Security and Prosperity Partnership ministerial meeting will take place on February 27-28 in Los Cabos, Mexico. This is a pre-New Orleans meeting of SPP ministers from Mexico, Canada and the United States to set an agenda for the New Orleans summit. On the official agenda in Los Cabos, according to the article, are ‘regional security, delinquency and terrorism, frontier security, sustainability and renewable energy’. It is expected that Industry Minister Jim Prentice, Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier, and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day will attend this ministerial. Just as Canadians had learned from US President George Bush during his final State of the Union address last month that Prime Minister Stephen Harper will meet with him and Mexican President Felipe Calderon on April 21-22 for the 'North American Summit' in New Orleans, Louisiana, we now learn from a Mexican newspaper that the SPP ministerial to prepare for that meeting will take place next week. On August 20, 2007, at the last 'Leaders Summit', Prime Minister Stephen Harper refused to accept 10,000 letters collected by the Council of Canadians from concerned citizens across the country who called on him to "cease all talks leading to deeper integration between Canada and the United States" and who expressed their concern that "our government is forging ahead with the deep integration agenda enshrined in the Security and Prosperity Partnership, without any public input or parliamentary debate." On August 22, the Canwest News Service reported that, "...Council of Canadians chairwoman Maude Barlow claimed vindication after a corporate advisory panel to the three leaders recommended that legislatures be more involved with the Security and Prosperity Partnership...Barlow said the ‘jaw-dropping’ report is an admission that the SPP won't succeed without more public input. ‘We've been saying that for three years, and for three years they've been having their private meetings with leaders and scoffing at us for criticizing them,’ Barlow said outside a Montebello ice cream stand. ‘For me, what happened was they got caught. All of a sudden they're admitting that this executive level of decision-making isn't going to fly because they forgot about democracy. I see this as a true vindication of our position.’” And yet, to our great disappointment, after the glare of media attention ended, so did their promise of legislative review of the SPP. That October, Maude Barlow, David Suzuki, Ken Georgetti, Maher Arar and Monia Mazigh sent the prime minister a letter demanding that his Throne Speech include a commitment to submit the Security and Prosperity Partnership to a vote in the next parliamentary session. The prime minister did not do so and by failing to commit in the Throne Speech to a parliamentary debate and vote on the SPP he very clearly broke his April 2006 Throne Speech promise "to submit significant international treaties for votes in Parliament." As we hear news about the upcoming ministerial and summit, all parties need to mobilize in Parliament and act decisively on the promises they made just prior to the 2007 summit in Montebello: LIBERAL PARTY (August 17): "We will table a resolution calling on the government to inform Canadians of the work and negotiations of the SPP, and to report to the House of Commons to allow for parliamentary scrutiny and a full and informed debate when the Parliament reconvenes." Our recent letter to Opposition Leader Stephane Dion states, “The Liberal party has not yet tabled this resolution. Meanwhile the Government is planning another SPP summit in New Orleans without the democratic mandate that is clearly necessary for trilateral policy discussions of this magnitude. The SPP, and its agenda of economic and security integration, is of growing concern to Canadians who are impatient with the apparent deference to secrecy and executive authority of many of our elected Members of Parliament. I urge you, on behalf of the Council of Canadians, to make good on your promise from last August by demanding a parliamentary review of the SPP as soon as possible, and I look forward to your response.” LE BLOC QUEBECOIS (16 août): "Il est clair que le Canada doit suspendre la mise en application des nouvelles mesures règlementaires découlant des discussions du PSP jusqu’à ce qu’il ait consulté les parlementaires. D’ailleurs, le gouvernement Harper ne dispose d’aucun mandat pour agir dans le secret et procéder à des changements avec ses partenaires de l’ALÉNA." (It's clear that Canada must suspend all current regulatory measures related to the SPP until parliament has been consulted. Without a consultation, Harper cannot claim to have a mandate for proceeding with regulatory changes, in secret, with his NAFTA partners.) NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY (August 17): "The NDP will continue to show leadership, working to ensure that any further developments on the SPP are stopped until a full legislative review, public debate and parliamentary vote take place." We can report that the NDP has undertaken activities to stop the Security and Prosperity Partnership including a national tour of public forums launched in August 2007 and ongoing pressure in the House of Commons through its standing committees. THE DEMAND For extensive information about the Security and Prosperity Partnership, please go to the 'Integrate This! Challenging the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America' website at www.IntegrateThis.ca. Brent Patterson, Director of Organizing and Campaigns, The Council of Canadians SEND YOUR LETTER NOW: |
