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ABOUT THE SPP | BACKGROUNDERS | MEDIA | VIDEO/AUDIO |
SPP resources SPP Summit - New Orleans SPP Summit - Montebello Teach-in |
Thank you for a successful teach-in March 31 to April 1, 2007
About the teach-inIntegrate This! Challenging the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America was a chance to discuss an important issue our government wants to keep under wraps: continental economic and security integration. The gathering was held March 31 to April 1, 2007, sponsored by the Council of Canadians, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Canadian Labour Congress. Integrate This! brought together activists, academics, workers, politicians and journalists from Canada, Mexico and the United States to challenge the big-business vision of North American integration contained in the Security and Prosperity Partnership – a vision that had yet to be debated anywhere but which will have major impacts on citizens across the continent. Friday night eventFriday, March 30 evening event called PIN - Power in Numbers - was an evening of great music and art - featured some of Canada's most talented hip-hop, pop, afrobeat and spoken word artists, including Nomadic Massive, Soul Jazz Orchestra, Andrew Vincent and the Pirates and DJ Rise Ashen, slam poetry, John Akpata, Ritallin, Doretta Charles, breakdancing, live art, Kenji Toyooka, and Matt Cameron. Hosted by Alanna Stuart. Weekend programThe main event was held on Saturday at Ottawa Technical High School and consisted of panels of policy experts, activists, academics, journalists and politicians as well as interactive workshops covering various issues touched by deep integration and the SPP. The panelists included Antonia Juhasz, Bertha Lujan, Elizabeth May, Hassan Yussuff, Maude Barlow, Maureen Webb, Peter Julian and Steven Staples and others. The panels were moderated by Avi Lewis and Judy Rebick. On Sunday, activists brainstormed how "Deep Integration" can be made an election issue and planned strategies and actions for the upcoming Security and Prosperity Partnership Summit to be held in Canada in August 2007. Saturday panelsThe Big Business of Insecurity: How has the definition of “security” changed post-9/11? Why is Canada integrating its security and immigration policies with the United States and what are the risks of such cooperation? Why is corporate Canada intent on trading Canadian sovereignty for greater access to American markets? Why has the SPP not been debated by any government? And why does the corporate sector have a formal role in the SPP where there is none for civil society? Commandeering the Continent: Military Integration, Big Oil and the Environment: How will continental integration impact the environment? Why does the U.S. insist on a North American resource pact within the SPP? How will regulatory harmonization between Canada and the U.S. affect our ability to regulate industry to protect the environment and public health? What does military integration and a common North American foreign policy have to do with prosperity? Why should we be worried about Canada’s water? The Democratic Deficit: Parliament and the SPP: What politicians have to say about the Security and Prosperity Partnership, and Canada-U.S. relations in general. The North America We Really Want: Progressive politicians and activists from Mexico and the U.S. discussed opposition to the SPP in their countries, and why the corporate vision of “security and prosperity” fosters inequality and poverty in North America. Saturday workshopsAs well as the panels, attendees at the teach-in had over 20 workshops to choose from covering a wide variety of topics related to the Security and Prosperity Partnership as well as the broader corporate agenda behind it.
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