Canadian, U.S. and Mexican officials held secretive meeting on integra

[wendy]

Canadian, U.S. and Mexican officials held secretive meeting on integration

Monday » February 12 » 2007

Canadian, U.S. and Mexican officials held secretive meeting on integration

Kelly Patterson

CanWest News Service; Ottawa Citizen

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day refused to reveal the contents of his

talk on integration with Mexico and the U.S.

OTTAWA - Canadian, U.S. and Mexican politicians discussed using "stealth"

to overcome public resistance to the integration of the three countries at

a confidential meeting last year, according to documents just released

under U.S. Freedom of Information laws.

Top military brass, corporate executives and diplomats also attended the

meeting in Banff, Alta., where participants discussed everything from the

harmonization of food and drug standards, to common immigration policies,

and the pooling of energy resources.

The secret guest list of the North American Forum included then-U.S.

secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld, Canadian Chief of Defence Staff Gen.

Rick Hillier, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, Pengrowth Corp. CEO

James Kinnear and Lockheed Martin executive Ron Covais.

Presentation outlines for the forum acknowledge that the concept of North

American integration - which some call a "North American Union" - is

unpopular, and note that it might be tough to sell as a concept.

"While a vision is appealing, working on the infrastructure might yield

more benefit and bring more people on board ('evolution by stealth')," the

notes said.

"Evolution by stealth" means using regulatory changes, such as food- and

drug-safety benchmarks, which don't require parliamentary approval, to lay

the infrastructure for North American integration. This allows for change

with little or no public debate, critics say.

Media were excluded from the September forum, and Day, who gave a speech

at the event, declined to reveal the contents of his talk.

"It was meant as a private meeting," said Melisa Leclerc, a spokeswoman

from Day's office, although she conceded he attended "in his capacity as

minister for public security."

"It is not encouraging to see the phrase 'evolution by stealth' in

reference to important policy debates such as North American integration,"

said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a Washington-based

conservative watchdog group that obtained the documents last week.

But, former finance minister John Manley, who attended the meeting, said

the forum was "not part of a nefarious plan to yield sovereignty to the

U.S. .... It was just some informed private citizens and government

officials having a conversation" on how best to co-operate to ensure their

citizens enjoyed a safe and prosperous future.

In fact, he said, Canada comes out stronger than ever from such meetings,

which force "some senior American officials to think about Canada for a

few days."

However, Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians said the reference to

stealth is "a very telling and important statement."

Many of the politicians who attended the forum have been pursuing

"integration by stealth" for the past two years, she said, pointing to a

little-known but top-priority agreement called the Security and Prosperity

Partnership.

The accord, kickstarted by U.S. President George W. Bush, then-prime

minister Paul Martin and former Mexican president Vicente Fox at a 2005

meeting in Waco, Texas, is designed to streamline everything from food and

drug safety standards to counter-terrorism measures.

Government officials from the three countries are expected to meet in

Ottawa later this month. However, Foreign Affairs spokespeople said they

did not yet know when it would be held or who would attend.

The partnership's stated goal is to protect North America from security

threats such as terrorism and flu pandemics as well as economic threats

from new global-market giants such as China.

Many of the accord's measures are not contentious, such as plans to

improve water quality, reduce sulphur in fuels, and co-ordinate efforts to

fight pandemics and avian flu. But it also covers a host of hot-button

issues such as plans to enhance data-sharing on high-risk travellers,

revamp safety and environmental regulations, centralize the assessment of

new chemicals and rework food safety standards.

Most of the 300 policy recommendations within the accord may not require

legislative changes, the Council of Canadians said.

Ottawa Citizen

© CanWest News Service 2007

[stignasty]

Oh look, Poly has a sock puppet.

[geoffrey]

It's against forum rules to post entire articles, please refrain from doing so.

[kuzadd]

Oh look, Poly has a sock puppet.

are you for real????

So your ok with secretive meetings, in a democracy???

You know where gov is accountable to the people?

So I'll take it you voted for this North American union, right?

[ft.niagara]

Oh look, Poly has a sock puppet.

are you for real????

So your ok with secretive meetings, in a democracy???

You know where gov is accountable to the people?

So I'll take it you voted for this North American union, right?

"The partnership's stated goal is to protect North America from security

threats such as terrorism and flu pandemics as well as economic threats

from new global-market giants such as China."

The world is acting more and more as economic blocks. Often times according to continental geographical lines. What is wrong with a meeting?

"Many of the accord's measures are not contentious, such as plans to

improve water quality, reduce sulphur in fuels, and co-ordinate efforts to

fight pandemics and avian flu. But it also covers a host of hot-button

issues such as plans to enhance data-sharing on high-risk travellers,

revamp safety and environmental regulations, centralize the assessment of

new chemicals and rework food safety standards."

[speaker]

Well that sounds about as innocent and innocuous as you can get, what I can't figure is why were pengrowth corp, one of the largest energy royalty trusts, and lockheed martin, experts in warfare who "never forget who they work for", there and I wasn't invited..... I mean I'm hurtin' here!!

oh well I'm sure someone out there has an idea.

[kuzadd]

Yes, well if it's so innocent and innocuous, why, oh, why secretive meetings behind closed doors????

[margrace]

It has been my experience when meetings of any sort are held behind closed doors it is to allow interested parties to present, unhindered by truth, their objectives. It is hard to defend something when you do not know what is being said. I know from personal experience that lies promoted behind closed doors are hard to defend oneself against. So why do we need all this secrecy?

[wendy]

The Security and Prosperity Partnership. What a wonderful name. How could you oppose something as benign and noble as that? Do you not want security? Are you against prosperity? What is wrong with you?

I recently wrote a series of articles on the North American Union ID card (Database, Data and Old Idea; New Sales Pitch) and could not help but notice the deceptive and changing language used to promote the idea. Back in 1998, they appeared as “Computerized Smart Cards”. Are those opposed to that not instinctively stupid? They have morphed into new driver’s licenses with a variety of names like “Passport Lite” or “High-Tech Driver’s Licences” or "Laser Visas".

These new cards are nothing like the names would suggest. They are filled with every conceivable piece of information about you that you could imagine. Your fingerprints, retinal scans, DNA, health records, driving history, a picture of your house, internet habits, etc. All the new cards, regardless of their name, contain an RFID tracking chip and are connected to a centralized database for good measure. They are meant to track, trace and catalogue everything you do from birth to death.

Should we keep calling these cards by their government issued names? Or should we call them what they are? At least call them a “National ID Card” or “North American Union ID Card”. Or maybe something more descriptive like the “Track and Trace Card” or “Human Resource Card" or “Human Cattle Card” or something with some historical flair like “Your Papers Please Card”. Would it have made any difference if the Soviets had said “Your Smart Papers Please”? Maybe something more forward thinking like “Rations Card” or “Do You Qualify For a Job Card” or “Have You Paid Your Taxes Card”.

secret NAU

[bush_cheney2004]

....Should we keep calling these cards by their government issued names? Or should we call them what they are? At least call them a “National ID Card” or “North American Union ID Card”. Or maybe something more descriptive like the “Track and Trace Card” or “Human Resource Card" or “Human Cattle Card” or something with some historical flair like “Your Papers Please Card”. Would it have made any difference if the Soviets had said “Your Smart Papers Please”? Maybe something more forward thinking like “Rations Card” or “Do You Qualify For a Job Card” or “Have You Paid Your Taxes Card”.

Call them whatever you please, but don't call them late to dinner. Canadians are demanding passports at twice the predicted rate, causing 10 week backlogs, busted budgets, overtime, and recalled retirees to process rabid fans of the "NAU". Why?

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2007/04/0...processing.html

[Drea]

SO anyone who gets a passport is in favour of integrating the US, Canada and Mexico? Get real.

Do you want all us Canadian socialists as American citizens? Pfffffffft. How would you pay for our healthcare? Ha ha ha.

If the NAU is such a good idea why is it not being shouted from the rooftops by politicians in all three countries?

Why all the hush hush?

Politicians only hide bad ideas, not good ones.

[bush_cheney2004]

SO anyone who gets a passport is in favour of integrating the US, Canada and Mexico? Get real.

Do you want all us Canadian socialists as American citizens? Pfffffffft. How would you pay for our healthcare? Ha ha ha.

The same way we pay for ours. Why are Canadians lining up for passports in record numbers to get into the America that sucks? Cheaper gas and cigarettes?

[Wilber]

SO anyone who gets a passport is in favour of integrating the US, Canada and Mexico? Get real.

Do you want all us Canadian socialists as American citizens? Pfffffffft. How would you pay for our healthcare? Ha ha ha.

The same way we pay for ours. Why are Canadians lining up for passports in record numbers to get into the America that sucks? Cheaper gas and cigarettes?

For all our lifetimes going back and forth across the border has been a non issue for citizens of both countries. Now there is a major change in the status quo that we have all lived by and everyone is scrambling to adapt, not just Canadians.

[bush_cheney2004]

For all our lifetimes going back and forth across the border has been a non issue for citizens of both countries. Now there is a major change in the status quo that we have all lived by and everyone is scrambling to adapt, not just Canadians.

The "status quo" has changed....now it will take a passport to visit the America that "sucks".

Change is hard.

[Wilber]

For all our lifetimes going back and forth across the border has been a non issue for citizens of both countries. Now there is a major change in the status quo that we have all lived by and everyone is scrambling to adapt, not just Canadians.

The "status quo" has changed....now it will take a passport to visit the America that "sucks".

Change is hard.

"Sucks" is your word. It will also "suck" for Americans who will need a passport to get back into their own country from Canada and there are many who commute back and forth on a daily basis.

[Drea]

SO anyone who gets a passport is in favour of integrating the US, Canada and Mexico? Get real.

Do you want all us Canadian socialists as American citizens? Pfffffffft. How would you pay for our healthcare? Ha ha ha.

The same way we pay for ours. Why are Canadians lining up for passports in record numbers to get into the America that sucks? Cheaper gas and cigarettes?

Gas isn't all THAT much cheaper anymore. Cigs? Only what 12% of the population smokes so I don't think that's the reason.

I lambaste those who cross border shop -- selfish they are. One of my coworkers is going down there this weekend to buy her spring wardrobe. This same person who expects local businesses to buy from her is spending her money in a foreign country instead of with her clients who are local. I asked her why, "They have a better selection" she said.

I get great clothes right here in my hometown -- I support local businesses.

As far as integration goes -- Canadians, Americans and Mexicans are all socially very very different from one another.

Integration of the three countries is not a good idea. Like I said before, if it were a good plan, the politicians would be spending tons of money to tell us how good an idea they've had.

BTW, Passports are required to travel to places OTHER THAN the USA.

[bush_cheney2004]

...Integration of the three countries is not a good idea. Like I said before, if it were a good plan, the politicians would be spending tons of money to tell us how good an idea they've had.

BTW, Passports are required to travel to places OTHER THAN the USA.

Right..and it is just a coincidence that Passport Canada had to recall retired people to handle the doubling of demand just when the Americans implemented changes. Truth is, to even fly to many places outside the USA requires a visit to the land that SUCKS.

Maher Arar made $10,000,000 plus legal expenses because he didn't book a direct flight to Montreal. LOL!

[Drea]

Nope. Yer wrong.

Been researching it and one can get direct flights to Cuba, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Australia, India, the Middle East -- no need to ever step foot in America.

[speaker]

I don't think the question is whether or not we would be better of with deep integration, I think that answers itself.

If you ask why do we have to have secret meetings, the answer is that politicians always try to hide anything they are doing that is controversial. If it's that big, national level meetings, and controversial you just know people are going to be hurt by, and angry about, it. It's time we start living within our means, from an energy perspective, from an agricultural/forestry one, from a water usage standpoint. i would add fisheries but from here it looks like that baby went out with the bathwater already.

[Rue]

Wendy yyou have depressed me. I keep having visions of Arnold Schwarnegger being Emperor of the United States of North America.

Considering we are a pseuto country with 90% of our economy controlled by the US and Gary Bettman dictating when we watch hockey, I am not sure if at this point what you are saying will really make a difference. We are all coca cola slaves. Its over. Resistance is futile. The Borgs have swallowed us up.

[A Free Canadian]

The European Union, The North American Union and the United State's plan for the "New Middle East" is just the beginning of Bush's New World Order(now under the friendly guise of Globalization) plan which doesn't stop there. The plan also includes complete censorship of citizens and the media, genocide(the plan is reduce the worlds population by 4.5 billion), the elimination of the middle class to leave a ruling class comprised of the rich and powerful and the rest of us will be peons provided with only the means to survive, if we obey. The list goes on and on.

In the immediate future, the United States is a resource hog; Canada will be drained of all our natural resources to support the States "War of Terror" on the Middle East and the rest of the world.

This is the blue print the Bush Administration is following:

http://www.newamericancentury.org/defensen...nalsecurity.htm

If you read closely you will begin to notice that the events playing out in world today are text book plays taken from this plan.

This must not be allowed to come to pass, all the rights and freedoms we enjoy today will become relics of the past and all the beliefs our ancestors died to instate and protect will be for nothing.