The leaders of the U.S.A., Canada, and Mexico are due to meet in Montebello, Quebec.
August 20th and 21st. The purpose of their meeting is to discuss the progress of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) proposal. The title of the proposal sounds innocent enough. Who of us does not want to be secure and prosperous?
What concerns me is that all of the SPP meetings have taken place in secret. A 25 kilometre security perimeter, designed to keep the common people away, has been arranged for the Montebello meeting. If what the leaders are discussing is to be so good for the American, Canadian, and Mexican people, why are the decisions being made in secret?
The SPP is being agreed upon without parliamentary or public participation by Canadians. According to the Council of Canadians, it is about “eliminating Canada’s ability to set its own independent regulatory standards, environmental protection measures, energy security, foreign, military, immigration and a frighteningly wide range of other policies.”
Adoption of the agreement will further impinge on Canada’s sovereignty by turning decisions on social and economic policies over to the private corporate sector. It can affect our health care system, our agricultural marketing boards, our labour standards, our civil liberties, and more.
Canadians will be remiss if they do not mount a vigorous lobby to ensure that their M.P.s demand a full public and parliamentary debate over the SPP issue.
