Why all the Secrecy about the NAU SPP?

Monday, August 3, 2009
Posted in Commentary | Tagged Commentary

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The next North American Leaders’ Summit - where Canada, the United States and Mexico meet to discuss progress on the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) - is only a couple weeks away and Canadians have been told nothing about Canada’s priorities. From August 9-10 in Guadalajara, Mexico, Prime Minister Harper will meet with his U.S. and Mexican counterparts for the fifth time since the SPP was formalized in 2005. The aim of the SPP was to speed up a corporate goal of continental economic integration between the countries while merging security policies across the continent as part of the U.S. “war on terror.”

U.S. President Barack Obama promised in February 2008 that all future North American leaders’ summits “will be conducted with a level of transparency that represents the close ties among our three countries,” and said that he “will seek the active and open involvement of citizens, labor, the private sector and non-governmental organizations in setting the agenda and making progress.”

But civil society groups have not been invited to participate in the Guadalajara meeting, which was announced only a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, corporate lobby groups like the Canadian Chamber of Commerce are waiting in the wings to see if they will once again be invited to inform the trilateral dialogue, helping to set its priorities through the North American Competitiveness Council.

Demand a Say in North America’s Future
We need your help to get the word out that Canadians, Mexicans and Americans are once again being excluded from the North American dialogue. Cooperation across borders can be necessary and beneficial when it is in everyone’s mutual interest, but the SPP has had a very narrow, corporate version of cooperation that put profits before people. The SPP agreement - which has never been debated by Parliament - has expanded and supported an unsustainable export-oriented energy and trade model, while placing new barriers to the movement of people through heightened security measures.

Take action!
E-mail Prime Minister Stephen Harper and your local MP today and let them know let them know you oppose the SPP model of North American integration. Go here to see our action alert.

Go to www.IntegrateThis.ca to find out more about the Security and Prosperity Partnership.
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