Hedgetrimmer siding with left wingers again. I'm shocked, shocked!
Posted on 08/24/2006 8:14:38 AM PDT by hedgetrimmer
NACC should not be writing Canadian policy, says Council of Canadians
According to the U.S. Department of State, the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC) met in Washington today to find ways “to cut red tape or eliminate unnecessary barriers to trade in North America,” and to set priorities for the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP).
“Corporations such as Lockheed Martin, Wal-Mart, Suncor and Chevron should not be shaping economic policy between Canada and the United States,” says Jean-Yves LeFort, trade campaigner with the Council of Canadians. “The North American Competitiveness Council gives far too much power to business leaders who are clearly more interested in profit than in what’s best for Canada.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper named ten corporate executives to the NACC at a meeting of North American leaders in Cancun, Mexico this past March. Nine of those ten appointees represent corporations that are members of the powerful Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), whose North American Security and Prosperity Initiative led to the signing of the SPP by Canada, Mexico and the U.S. in March 2005.
The CCCE makes no secret of its ultimate goal: the integration of the Canadian and U.S. economies, the harmonization of our foreign, security and immigration policies, as well as common environmental, health and other regulations. In a meeting this past March, the U.S. branch of the NACC set five clear objectives for the SPP, including “energy integration,” and “private sector involvement in border security.”
“Harper and Bush have clearly given business leaders the green light to press forward on a North American model for business security and prosperity,” says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians. “How truly accountable is the Harper government to the Canadian people when it gives preferential treatment to the big-business community in the design of its policies.”
The Council of Canadians demands that Canada cease all further participation in the North American Competitiveness Council and the Security and Prosperity Partnership, and that Stephen Harper consult with Canadians in a meaningful and participatory way on Canada-U.S. relations.
“During the elections, Harper promised to submit any ‘significant international treaty’ to a vote in Parliament,” says LeFort. “It is his duty to make Canada’s ‘security and prosperity’ a matter of public debate.”
FYI
For those who don't know, the Council of Canadians is a far-left fringe group that includes the likes of John McMurtry.
What are Canadian opinions on this?
Do you think Canadian citizens want their country to be merged with the US?
Do you think the Candadian far right want their country merged into the US?
What a surprise. [/biting sarcasm]
So far, I'm not having any luck with that.
NACC - North American Competitiveness Council
www.uschamber.com/issues/index/international/nacc.htm
The U.S., Canada and Mexico launched on June 15 [2006] the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), a partnership between the government and business executives from the three countries. The Council of the Americas is part of the secretariat [sounds like the Soviet Union] for the U.S. side of the new institution, which is made up of ten business leaders from each country who provide recommendations on how to improve the competitiveness of North American business global markets.North American Competitiveness Council Promotes Regional GrowthTogether with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Council of the Americas has chosen the members of the new organization and will serve to work together with our counterparts in the other countries to facilitate the process.
snip
Washington -- U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Mexican Economy Minister Sergio Garcia de Alba and Canadian Minister of Industry Maxime Bernier joined North American business leaders to launch the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC) June 15 in Washington.In March, U.S. President Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Vicente Fox announced the creation of the NACC as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) initiative. The NACC officially was launched June 15 and will be made up of 10 high-level business leaders from each country, who will meet annually with senior North American government officials to provide recommendations and help set priorities for promoting regional competitiveness in the global economy.
snip
In a June 15 interview with the Washington File, Luis Pinto, executive director of the North American Business Committee at the Council of the Americas and participant in the U.S. Council of the NACC, echoed Gutierrez on the important role of the region's business community.
Pinto added that as part of the secretariat of the U.S. section of the NACC, the Council of the Americas looks forward to working with representatives from the private and public sectors of Canada and Mexico to advance the SPP agenda.
At the NACC launch, North American government officials and business leaders committed to work together more closely to advance regional competitiveness. The Washington meeting of Gutierrez, Garcia de Alba and Bernier -- the SPP prosperity ministers -- also provided the officials with an opportunity to reflect on progress in expanding prosperity since the establishment of SPP in 2005.
Among the accomplishments was the first convocation of officials from the regulatory, trade and oversight agencies from the three North American countries to identify a core set of elements for a Regulatory Cooperation Framework. Other progress included the ongoing liberalization of rules of origin, which helps reduce cost and facilitate cross-border trade and the establishment of a North American task force to combat counterfeiting and piracy, according to a Department of Commerce press release.
While the SPP ministers reflected on these accomplishments, SPP security ministers --Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Canadian Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day and Mexican Secretary of Government Carlos Abascal -- also are taking stock of progress on the security component of the SPP and will release a report in July.
In the fall, the SPP ministers will hold a meeting with the NACC to discuss priorities, update work plans and consider new initiatives, according to the Commerce Department.
snip
Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: usinfo.state.gov. USINFO delivers information about current U.S. foreign policy and about American life and culture. This site is produced and maintained by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs.
Hedgetrimmer siding with left wingers again. I'm shocked, shocked!
I thought the Soviets use Cyrillic?
Ah . . . the old leftist conservative trick!
And....without the tax-funded support, they would be outside sweeping the streets....
Cyrillic, Roman, whatever...
Don't give her any ideas. Now hedgetrimmer will start posting Michael Moore rants against NAFTA.
There is a small difference.
This is not a call to put up borders around Canada. Nor is it an announcement of presumed moral superiority with respect to our neighbours. What I believe, and what The Council of Canadians believes, is that Canada must decide if it is in our interest to forge deeper economic, foreign policy, social and resource ties with the United States under its most aggressive government in modern history, or if we are going to stand with moderate countries and people around the world to form a counterweight.Maude Barlow
National Chairperson, The Council of Canadians
If you believe that our social programs and public services should be strengthened, not privatized; that our foreign and trade policies should be independent, not subservient to the United States; and that our water and natural resources should be protected, not exploited, please join us as a member.
The Council of Canadians About Us
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