This interactive workshop will focus on the danger that the SPP poses for Mexicans, Canadians and Americans. There will be a particular emphasis on the SPP’s impact on areas such as agriculture, energy, migration and security. Participants will have an opportunity to question as well as to hear from representatives of four North American networks working together to oppose “free trade”. These four networks are also members of the Hemispheric Social Alliance (HSA) that was prominent in the successful struggle to derail the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). In this workshop we will want to begin to look at stopping the SPP before it goes any further down the corporate road.
John Dillon – Common Frontiers-Canada
John is from Sarnia, Ontario. He has worked as a researcher on social and economic justice issues for the Canadian churches since 1973 and is currently Global Economic Justice Program Coordinator for KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives. John is a founding member of Common Frontiers and a contributor to the Hemispheric Social Alliance's groundbreaking document Alternatives for the Americas.
Manuel Pérez Rocha – Alliance for Responsible Trade (ART), United States
Manuel holds a M.A. in Politics of Alternative Development Strategies for the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. He has worked for many years with Mexican and international civil society organizations and networks as well as with the Hemispheric Social Alliance. Currently he lives in Washington, D.C. where he participates in the Alliance for Responsible Trade (ART) by coordinating initiatives on the SPP.
Dr. Alejandro Villamar Calderón – Mexican Action Network on Free Trade (RMALC)
Alejandro is a founding member and on the current directorate of RMALC. He participated in the anti-NAFTA campaigns of the early 1990s and the opposition to several other “free trade” negotiations of the past decade, including the FTAA and WTO. Alejandro holds several university degrees and is the author of a number of books and articles on trade and development issues. He is an advisor to the Mexican Chamber of Deputies on trade related matters.
Reseau Québécois sur l’Intégration Continentale (RQIC) representative to be announced
Workshop Moderator: Teresa Healy, Social and Economic Policy, Canadian Labour Congress
NACC
Workers
Water
Energy
Security & civil liberties
Military
Safety & regulations
Transportation corridors
