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October 17, 2007 It's almost as if Globe and Mail columnist John Ibbitson was right when he said last week that the SPP was dead, what with the Harper government avoiding it by name these days. A few days ago, at the annual conference of the Organization of Women in International Trade, Helena Guergis, secretary of state for foreign affairs and international trade, "invited both Mexico and the United States to build on the North American Free Trade Agreement to create a more competitive continental economy through enhanced regulatory cooperation, more compatible standards and increased sectoral integration," according to a DFAIT press release. Sounds a lot like what the SPP is currently achieving, but if you read her speech, Ms. Guergis did everything in her power to avoid using the words "Security and Prosperity Partnership." Here's a sample: We must meet the challenge of ever-emerging global competition and we must work closely with the United States and Mexico to further increase North America’s competitive position. This means we must strengthen regulatory cooperation and ensure our standards are compatible across borders. We must also bring our sectors closer together, across borders—sectors like energy, transportation and manufacturing. Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has committed to working closely with Presidents Bush and Calderón to ensure that our three countries benefit from a more competitive continental economy. No kidding. So why is the Prime Minister avoiding the term now when it used to feature prominently in press releases and budget documents? Harper's Speech from the Throne did contain references to the SPP, at least in spirit. "With Advantage Canada, our Government has laid out a sensible economic plan to secure better-paying jobs and solid growth for Canadians," said Harper last night. Advantage Canada is the government's long-term economic plan that was unveiled by federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty on November 23, 2006. According to Advantage Canada, "Canada's New Government will develop a new approach to international trade policy through a comprehensive Global Commerce Strategy that will build on our NAFTA advantage through improved border efficiency and increasing regulatory convergence through the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North American initiative and in consultation with the North American Competitiveness Council and other stakeholders (and) pursue regional and bilateral trade, investment and science and technology agreements, ideally together with our NAFTA partners." Ibbitson's column, while misguided on the SPP, made one very good point that the Council of Canadians has been making for some time. "If you're going to negotiate freer trade, sing it from the rooftops. Keep the media informed. Make it a Big Deal," he wrote. Based on the removal of the words "Security and Prosperity Partnership" from Conservative speeches, Harper may be trying to take the negotiations even further underground. And if Ibbitson's work is any indication of what we should expect in terms of reporting on the SPP from the Globe and Mail, then we'll never know whether or when the SPP has died. If it has died, or if Harper is just avoiding the term these days, we can take it as a victory for the opposition to the SPP more than anything.
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