Security and Prosperity Partnership preposterous

Editorial - Saturday, September 01, 2007 @ 10:00
http://www.timminspress.com/webapp/site ... l&classif=

On Aug. 20 and 21, 2007, Prime Minister Harper met with George W. Bush and Mexican President Philipe Calderon in Montebello, Que. They came to discuss their Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP).

Sounds nice doesn't it? Security and prosperity for all. Why would we not all be in favour?

Why would anyone want to oppose that?

Why would the police be so intent on infiltrating a peaceful protest if there is no truth to what the demonstrators are claiming?

The SPP is nothing more than a ruse by the three leaders to sugar coat an agreement that has been hatched by several unelected and unaccountable business leaders and right-wing think tanks like the Fraser Institute and the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.


The SPP has been developed in secret because the plan's proponents fear that people would be outraged if we were to find out what it would actually mean to us.

The SPP is being developed to secure the economic interests of corporations over those of the general public.

It is about eliminating our country's ability to determine its own regulatory standards, energy security, environmental, foreign, military and immigration policies.

The SPP would be a severe blow to our democratic right to exercise any form of control that would limit unbridled corporate greed.

Fortunately there are a number of non-governmental organizations and labour unions that have blown the lid off these talks and the media has started to pay attention.

The word is finally out.

Let's not allow ourselves to be led down the garden path as we did when we allowed the "free" trade agreements to come into effect.

Free trade is not fair trade. They did not deliver what was promised.

This deep integration initiative will get us into a whole lot of trouble.

It must be opposed at all costs.

Ben Lefebvre,
Porquis Junction