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December 14, 2007 An access to information request by blogger Joe Kuchta has finally yielded Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day's speech to the secret North American Forum in Banff Springs, which took place from September 12 to 14, 2006. Day addressed the meeting on North American integration -- attended by 100 politicians, military officials, deputy ministers, policy advisors, ambassadors and business leaders from Canada, Mexico and the United States -- on the evening of September 13, 2006. But his office has been reluctant to release his speech, claiming that although Day attended "in his capacity as minister for public security," the forum was a "private" event. "My travels are not secret," Day told the Penticton Herald, in an article from September 28, 2006. "Anytime I get a chance to promote Canadian products and the need to make sure Canadians have good access to manufacturing and sales potential in the United States and Mexico, I will." Actually, his travels were kept intentionally secret as per orders from the private sector. According to documents acquired by the Canadian Labour Congress earlier this year, forum organizers -- the Canada West Foundation and Canadian Council of Chief Executives -- hired a consulting firm to keep the proceedings away from public view. "A 'media management plan' for the event in Banff last fall imposes a gag order on all participants, except the head of the Calgary-based media consulting firm, Corpen Group, John Larsen," reported the Ottawa Citizen on March 23 this year, based on the CLC access to information request. Participants were actually directed "to avoid direct media engagement where feasible." Teresa Healy of the CLC told the Citizen that the forum's secrecy "is an affront to democracy," and that it was "appalling that high-ranking Canadian elected officials would ... refuse to reveal any information about what went on." It is especially insulting to Canadians considering it would have cost over $55,000 to send everyone to the meeting. According to the Public Safety website, the government spent $4,587.35 to send former associate deputy minister Bill Elliott (current commissioner of the RCMP), including air fare, lodgings and other transportation. Multiply that by 12 -- the number of Canadian government officials invited -- and you end up with a total cost $55,048.20. The CLC also recently acquired an agenda for the 2007 North American Forum, which wrapped up on October 14 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We don't know which, if any, federal ministers attended this year but unless it was free, we do know that the Harper government has no problem using public funds for private discussions on North American integration.
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