Montebello: Stop on the Road to North
American Union
JBS
Tuesday Aug 21, 2007
UPDATE 3 -- Canadian Paper: Montebello Intended to be Stop on
Road to Union
According to Canada's National Post, the outcome of the Montebello
summit will be drab, boring, and forgetable. "Despite all the fancy
talk, the diplomatic pomp and the apocalyptic protests that will emanate
over the next two days from Montebello, Que., the drab facts behind the
summit of leaders from Canada, the United States and Mexico are far less
dramatic than the grandiose meeting might suggest," announces the
report by Richard Foot of the CanWest News Service. According to Foot,
the summit will cover such exciting ground as "Regulations over food-colour
dyes, common standards for hazardous materials containers, [and] navigation
systems for North American airways...." The almost unspoken comment
in the story is "see, nothing funny going on here."
That's what you'd expect from the story, but it gets much more
interesting. In fact, the National Post admits that the summit
was intended to be the next stop on the road to forming the North American
Union. "This week's gathering inside the cedar walls of Chateau
Montebello -- a magnificent, 60-year-old, resort on the banks of the Ottawa
River -- was initially intended as a political pit stop on the road to
a stronger North American economic union," Foot reports matter-of-factly.
Along the way, the report suggests, critics (like the John Birch Society)
started getting in the way, and may now have become an impenetrable obstacle
to those hoping to build that economic union. "The SPP process could
survive its critics if the three leaders had the political clout to give
it momentum," Foot writes, "But Mr. Bush now occupies an unpopular,
lame-duck presidency. Mr. Harper and Mr. Calderon each have only a tenuous
hold on power and may soon each face another election. None seems determined
to invest much political energy into the process."
If the National Post report is any indication, the effort to
build a North American Union may be faltering, and that is something that
should cheer patriotic Americans (and Canadians and Mexicans).
Despite
protests, summit results likely more pomp than glory -- National
Post
UPDATE 2 -- Riot Police, Tear Gas Reported in Montebello
The Canadian news site Canoe.ca is reporting that riot police using tear
gas have clashed with protestors outside the SPP summit in Montebello.
"The decision to send out the riot police, some armed with tear gas,
was made late this morning. As groups of protesters shouted slogans phalanxes
of officers arrived and completely cordoned off the area of the Chateau"
where the summit is being held, said the report. Such rent-a-mob activity
at the summit should not be confused with legitimate and principled opposition.
Anarchist
and communist mob violence of this sort, which has been on display
at previous high-level meetings of heads of state, typically serves to
discredit legitimate, peaceful protest and opposition. As such the John
Birch Society condemns violent protest activity while nevertheless continuing
to call for public debate about, and proper legislative action to stop,
the SPP process.
Tensions
rise in Montebello -- Canoe.ca
UPDATE -- Robert Pastor Speaks
American University Professor Robert Pastor, often described as the architect
behind plans for a North American Union, says in an op-ed in the Latin
Business Chronicle that the Montebello summit agenda is not nearly
aggressive enough. According to Pastor, the "Bush Administration
and many Republicans have been intimidated by the criticism" from
opponents of the SPP and as a result are only pursuing a timid agenda.
While deploring the secrecy enshrouding all SPP efforts, Pastor nevertheless
points to a 2003 survey that claims that most in North America want to
see a merger of the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. According to Pastor, "A
majority in all three countries favored an economic union if they felt
it would improve their standard of living." Consequently, he complains,
"Whatever the three leaders actually do in Montebello, there will
be protests that they are doing too much, but the real problem is that
they are doing too little."
North
American Summit: More or Less? -- Latin Business Chronicle
SPP Summit Kicks Off
The third Security and Prospertity Partnership (SPP) summit of
North American leaders is underway in Montebello, Quebec. As described
by Canada.com "the three leaders are convening ... for a two-day
summit ... aimed at deepening the integration of Canada, Mexico and the
United States. The three leaders have met twice before and the agenda
for this year's summit includes border security, energy, the environment
and food and product safety."
As with past SPP summits, held to discuss, as the Canada.com report hints,
the deeping integration of the three North American nations in something
akin to a North American Union, this latest summit is being held behind
closed doors with little or no legislative oversight or participation.
To keep readers informed, the John Birch Society will provide links to
headlines related to the summit in this space througout the day.
Why we should
worry about the Montebello talks -- Halifax Chronicle-Herald
President
Bush to Hold Summit With Canada, Mexico Leaders -- Wall Street
Journal
North
American leaders meet in Quebec Monday -- Canada.com
Upcoming
Meeting Fuels 'North American Union' Fears -- CNSNews.com
Protests
begin ahead of Montebello summit -- CTV.ca News
Controversy
follows three-country accord into Canada -- Canada National Post
International
delegation denounces SPP on National Day of Action -- Canada News
Wire
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