-Caveat Lector-
Begin forwarded message:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: August 20, 2007 11:12:44 AM PDT
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Say No to MexAmeriCanada, "the United States of Wal-Mart"
Protesters march on summit
as Bush, Calderon, Harper arrive
August 20, 2007 - 13:16
http://www.680news.com/news/national/article.jsp?content=n082025A
OTTAWA (CP) - Angry anarchists and family-friendly activists
converged on the posh Montebello resort in Quebec on Monday to
protest the North American Leaders' Summit, but concerns about
massive demonstrations fizzled.
About 10 busloads of protesters from Ottawa arrived just after noon
and spilled on to the highway running through the hamlet of
Montebello.
More than 500 people marched along the road toward the gate of the
summit compound which is ringed by a four-metre-high steel security
fence.
They chanted slogans and carried banners, including one reading:
"Say No To AmeriCanada."
Police stood guard along the perimeter and patrolled the area in
cars, motorcycles, ATVs and helicopters.
Hundreds more protesters were en route from Montreal aboard a
convoy of yellow school buses. They left Concordia University in
the morning, some wearing anarchist red-and-black flags and
carrying signs condemning U.S. President George W. Bush as a war
criminal.
Still, it was a far cry from previous meetings, such as the G-8,
APEC and the Summit of the Americas, when thousands of people
turned out for sometimes violent demonstrations.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived early in the afternoon by
helicopter at the massive log-framed Chateau Montebello where he is
to meet Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon to further the
Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP).
At the same time, Bush arrived by Air Force One at Ottawa airport
before boarding a helicopter for Montebello.
Sources have told The Canadian Press that the leaders will wrap up
their summit Tuesday with a call for a new border disaster protocol
to avoid a repeat of the crippling tie-ups that occurred after 9-11.
Protesters are barred from the compound but their activities are
being relayed to hotel lobby where they can be viewed on two video
monitors.
There are seemingly as many causes as protesters, who condemn North
American integration, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the
leaders' performance on the environment, the plight of aboriginals,
and the human-rights abuses committed in the war on terror.
One common complaint echoed by all is the secrecy surrounding the
meeting, which is to discuss the SPP.
Susan Howard-Azzey, a homemaker from St.catharines, Ont.,
criticized what she called the lack of transparency and
consultation in the process.
"I'm not impressed that the SPP is making such big decisions on
behalf of Canadians without consulting us and when we go out to the
streets we're criminalized."
Mandeep Dhillon, a spokeswoman for No One is Illegal, a group of
immigration activists based in Montreal, said the aim of protesters
is to disrupt the summit.
"The ultimate thing would be for this conference to be halted.
"I can't say who would be able to do this, but the walls that have
been established in Montebello deserve to come down."
Other protesters are less confrontational. A few hundred are labour
activists from Ottawa who are promoting a peaceful "family-
friendly" demonstration.
As Bush arrived in Ottawa, security in the summit compound was so
tight that even Harper's closest staff had to pass through security.
In Ottawa, there were no demonstrators at the heavily-guarded U.S.
Embassy and the only strangers on Parliament Hill were camera-
toting tourists.
The final communique from the two-day summit will include an order
from Harper, Bush and Calderon to their respective cabinet
ministers to create new border regulations for emergencies, said
sources in two countries.
The leaders want to see rules on who and what would be allowed to
cross North American borders amid crises like a terrorist attack or
an outbreak of avian flu.
The move is the latest effort to increase security while allowing
goods to flow freely, and stems from the chaotic aftermath of the
Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S.
The security clampdowns and protracted lineups six years ago cost
the North American economy billions of dollars and, by some
estimates, has since reduced Canadian exports to the U.S. by more
than $10 billion.
The border announcement is one of several expected at the summit.
The leaders also plan to announce that they will recognize the
research of each country's food and drug regime in an effort to
reduce costs and avoid duplication.
A Canada-Mexico deal is also brewing that would allow more Mexican
migrant workers into Canada under an expanded program for
agricultural labourers. The U.S. Congress killed a similar attempt
earlier this year to reach such an agreement between that country
and Mexico.
Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians said people shouldn't be
fooled about who really sets the agenda at these summits: the 30
business leaders who sit on the North American Competitiveness
Council.
The group comprises leaders from 10 companies in each country and
includes corporations like Wal-Mart, General Electric and weapons-
maker Lockheed Martin. They advise the three national governments
on facilitating trade.
Barlow called for a moratorium on the "profoundly anti-democratic"
Security and Prosperity Partnership until the citizens of all three
countries are consulted and their elected representatives are given
oversight over the business-driven initiative.
Flanked by U.S and Mexican opponents of the scheme and Canadian
labour activists, Barlow told a news conference Monday that big
business is trying to create a competitive North American trade bloc.
"And for this they need regulatory, resource, labour and
environmental convergence to the lowest common standards," she
said, predicting that it will ultimately include a common passport,
common currency and free trade in resources, including oil, gas and
water.
"This is not about security for people, social security, security
for the poor, environmental security or job security. This is about
security for the big corporations for North America."
Even before the summit began, it drew protests, including one
Sunday that resulted in a commercial rail line being temporarily
blocked in Montreal.
On Monday, the U.S. embassy in Ottawa was ringed with hundreds of
metal barricades and police. Those measures were in addition to the
concrete barriers that permanently surround the monolith set amidst
some of the capital's most popular tourist attractions.
But while the streets teemed with tourists, not a single protester
could be seen near the building.
A group of powerful business executives has been invited to make a
closed-door presentation Tuesday at the summit on changes they
believe the continent needs. No such invitation was extended to
scientists, environmentalists, or other social activists.
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