Those wacky Canadians! I wrote a diary about the upcoming SPP protests in Canada a week or so ago, and junta0201 wrote one on 8/13 that is oh so much better than mine. Both diaries detail the concerns of progressive Canadians over the closed-door meeting(s) between Bush, Harper and Calderon in Montebello, Quebec, and their determination to come out in force across Canada with a big FU!. Today's the day, and my diary title is taken from one of the signs protestors are holding.
Personally, Bush shares plenty of views with Harper and Calderon, two fellow conservatives and free-market advocates who have come into power during his second term.
That quote from yahoonews should be enough to make Americans pay attention. It certainly has the progressive Council of Canadians up in arms, warning us that
Who can possibly be opposed to security and prosperity, much less partnership? The Council of Canadians, Canadian Labour Congress, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Communications, Energy & Paperworkers Union of Canada, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Common Frontiers-Canada and the Quebec Network on Continental Integration — that’s who! On August 20-21, Stephen Harper, George Bush and Felipe Calderón are meeting in Montebello, Quebec, to discuss continent-wide harmonization of regulations affecting energy, military, environment, foreign, immigration, health care, and etc — also known as the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. Only in our wildest dreams could we expect this trio to work on an agreement that will offer improvements in these areas.
So, why "NAFTA+GUNS"? To Canadians it's the deep integration of their security with the U.S. GWOT, along with labor mobility provisions that will put job loss in all three nations on steroids, and of course the small matter of Canadian bulk water exports under discussion, particularly through the SPP's little working group of corporate CEO's, the North American Competitiveness Council.
The Council of Canadians has a nice backgrounder on the leaked North American Future 2025 Project that should have American progressives spinning as well. Well, one could hope ...
So why no traction at dkos? Well, there's some, but it's mostly of the "Jerome Corsi is a wing-nut and Deep Integration is a right-wing fantasy" type. Still, the existence of the North American Competitiveness Council, a corporate SPP 'working group' devising ways to facilitate that all important labor mobility (behind closed doors where no press is allowed), should draw some scrutiny.
One can hope.