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November 26, 2007 In a working paper prepared for the U.S.-based Alliance for Responsible Trade (ART), "a national network of labor, family-farm, religious, women's, environmental, development and research organizations that promotes equitable and sustainable trade and development," Manuel Pérez Rocha presents a valuable critique of the Security and Prosperity Partnership that clearly separates the progressive versus the anti-immigrant right-wing take on what "deep integration" is all about. "The analyses and conclusions made by progressive versus anti-immigrant organizations differ greatly," writes Pérez Rocha, an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, in his paper called, Divergent U.S. Critiques of the Security and Prosperity Partnership. "Progressive organizations consider the SPP to be the continuation of the deregulation of the economies in order to harmonize with the regulatory systems of the United States, with the final purpose of serving U.S. corporative interests. "In addition," he continues, "the SPP aims to build up border surveillance infrastructure as part of the U.S. 'War on Terror,' with disturbing implications for civil liberties. Hence, the SPP is likely to deepen 'North American' integration but based on the continued subordination of Canada and Mexico, assimilating the U.S. dictates and following its sole leadership, ultimately for its own benefit." Pérez Rocha debunks several myths about the SPP that are prevalent among anti-immigrant groups in the U.S., namely:
None of these myths is true but all three are distracting attention away from the real problems with the SPP for the peoples of all three participating countries. On regulatory harmonization, for instance, Pérez Rocha writes: "The SPP includes the aim of harmonizing and developing common standards for food safety and the 'elimination of identified differences.' This would put at greater peril the food sovereignty and food culture of peoples in the hemisphere and could mean an increased use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) across borders. "The SPP will also promote an increased trade of agricultural products produced by large agro industrial corporations in a context where Mexican peasant groups are struggling for what remains of their livelihoods and against the total elimination of agricultural tariffs (in particular to basic grains like maize and beans) scheduled within NAFTA for January 1, 2008." Click here to read Pérez Rocha's report. Click here to read an interview with ART Coordinator Tom Loudon in the Spring 2007 issue of Canadian Perspectives magazine.
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