Investigative Journalist presents Canadian political party positions on North American Union

In 1988, just after Brian Mulroney scribbled his signature on NAFTA, the Right Honourable John Turner declared Mulroney had “sold out” the country to the USA.

In an interview ten years later, Turner expanded on his views of the agreement: “By selling out, I meant, that once you yield the economic levers of sovereignty you eventually lose the political levers,” he explained to Policy Options (June, 1999). “My view of the deal is that it is not, nor was it ever, a free trade agreement… because the United States Congress did not yield its jurisdiction over trade. I’ve always believed that Canada does better negotiating multilaterally than we ever would in negotiating bilaterally with the United States.”

Unfortunately, current Prime Minister Steven Harper recently scribbled away even more of Canada’s freedom to trade multilaterally in light of supposed “Security and Prosperity.” He was backed by Quebec’s own Gilles Duceppe.

In the words of author G.W. F. Hegel, “Little wonder that Harper allied with Duceppe – a effective quasi-Republican and a separatist. Both… prefer a foreign country’s system of government over our Canadian system… The American leadership wants Canada’s natural resources at a cheap price. The road Harper and Duceppe are on will make Canada a third-rate trading partner with the USA.”

When asked to lend his perspective on this issue, Mr. Duceppe refused to comment. Ironically, the Bloc leader has built his entire campaign upon the aspirations of a separate Quebec: Yet when his country’s sovereignty is threatened, he refuses to comment? Does he realize that the smudging – and eventual eradication -- of Canadian and Mexican borders would actually widen the gap between Quebec and its cultural foundations?

Sadly, Mr. Duceppe’s eyes are locked on the same target as Harper and Bush’s: the pockets of large corporations, or the ‘shadow government.’ According to a translation of Duceppe’s El Universal article, he does not object to the idea of the ‘Amero’ – a common North American currency. After all, money is money right? His people’s identity may be up for sale, but perhaps money can ease the pain. Boldness for bucks: It’s a soul-swap. A trade the Big Business elites are stocking all of their assets in.

Nevertheless, in a cross-section of various Canadian political parties, most agree that Canada’s sovereignty matters more than silver or gold.

Connie Fogal, leader of the Canadian Action Party, believes we’ve already had our sovereignty stolen from us, “and now live under blatant dictatorial practice of the national leaders, and some provincial leaders, and their minions of three countries.”

In June 2005, a report by the nine Federal Cabinet Ministers entitled “Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America” was signed and implemented by companion ministers from Canada, the USA and Mexico; one of these ministers was David Emerson. When the Conservatives took over, Emerson was re-elected. His retort about moving over to the Conservatives was, “I do not know why people are so upset. I am just continuing the work I was doing before.” [Namely, the implementation of the NAU agenda]

In Ms. Fogal’s words, “The NAU has been the agenda of the North American corporate elite for over 20 years, since the FTA. The SPP is the final push for the NAU – with an ultimate goal of a union of the Americas, South and North into a global power block.” The intended method for unionizing all three countries is by privatizing everything. “There is to be no mixed economy anymore as was Canada’s tradition that worked so well… They know they cannot just take everything away too fast or there will be rebellion. ‘Kill the people slowly’ is the modus operandi, ‘and maybe they will never know what hit them.’ ”

Blair Longley, leader of the Marijuana Party of Canada, seconds Ms. Fogal’s strong sentiments. “Not only is there a growing gap between the rich and the poor; there is also an alarming erosion of economic security… All of these trade deals and security arrangements are about making that happen. There will be more and more social polarization, which means that wealth in Canada will become distributed more like in the rest of the world. We are on the path towards the privatization of the planet, with a tiny minority ending up owning almost everything… These trade deals are the triumphs of lies and coercion, which will have their own natural long-term corrections.”

NDP International Trade Critic Peter Julian, MP for Burnaby-New Westminster, is joining forces with Teresa Healy, spokesperson for the Canadian Labour Congress, and Jean-Yves Lefort, spokesperson for Common Frontiers. Together they’ve declared that they will be making every effort to stop the ‘stealth takeover of Canada’ by the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) and to reveal the truth of the matter to the public’s attention.

“This is the giving away of Canada’s command to the U.S. Republican administration and to North America’s largest corporations,” stated Julian. “We are seeing this with the Softwood Lumber Agreement and with the Canadian Wheat Board, as well as in a variety of other sectors. Stephen Harper is following the legacy of Paul Martin and the Liberal Party and is willing to give anything away in pursuit of so-called good Canada-U.S. relations.”

He continues: “What this means for Canada is lower standards and quality of life in many areas, such as food security, air safety, environmental norms, health care and labour rights. It’s a recipe for lowering standards in our country. This is unacceptable to most Canadians.”

The NDPs are fighting on behalf of the Canadian people to get full disclosure of any agreements the Harper government is entering into, and promise to ensure that Canadians are made aware of what’s at stake.

While softer in her approach to the issue, Tracy Parsons of the Progressive Canadian (PC) Party still recognizes the dangers of the NAU. She highlights the fact that, while the idea behind NAFTA may have been well-intended, the U.S. has taken advantage of its end.

“We have opened our borders to trade, and lived by the rules. Our partners to the south have not.” Overall, she says, “We have to note that the traditional reasons for open and free trade – that a booming economy will benefit all people – just didn’t materialize… In fact, the gap between rich and poor grew during this period.”

Ms. Parsons quickly clarifies that the Free Trade Agreement is not to blame; rather, “there were some flaws in the agreement that needed to be fixed and these have never been tackled. There is also the issue of whether the U.S. will respect its trade agreements and that, too, has not been tackled.”

In summary, she believes that the North American Union “will only benefit Canadians if we, in alliance with Mexico, can push the US to truly become a win-win trading partner.” Unfortunately, after approaching Liberal MP Stephane Dion about the threat to Canadian sovereignty posed by the NAU agenda via the SPP, he chose instead to skirt the issue. His response was pre-fabricated and vague, stressing the need for “North American cooperation while preserving and strengthening our national identity.”

Despite Dion’s supposed good intentions, one wonders how Canada’s national identity can be maintained when the Liberal Party fails to be forthcoming on such vital issues as the eradication of its own country’s borders.

Interestingly enough, Harper wasn’t the guy who signed the papers on the NAU at the Waco, Texas summit in 2005, launched by the stealth-styled Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. It was former Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin.

Sadly, the issue is not about enhancing trade between Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. It’s a matter of not being able to trust our trade partners. According to the NDP, CAP and PC Party, it’s only a matter of time before our identity as a country becomes swallowed up by the power-hungry United States.

Are we willing to sacrifice everything that makes Canada unique: our health-care system, our military, our agriculture, and our environment? With the NAU would come two-tier medicine, an increase in militarization (which, as Tracy Parsons points out, is already happening with our adopting the same stance as the US on the ‘war on terror’), and a finishing off small farmers in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. “Genetically moderated foods will thrive contrary to the interest of humans,” claims Ms. Fogal, “again – all in the interest of corporate profit, not the health of humans.”

Are we willing to jeopardize all of this for promises of ‘security and prosperity’ – promises made by a partner we cannot even trust?

“It is a question of the people in three nations having the right and the power to make rules about their own lives according to their own needs and desires,” concludes Fogal; “in effect, to exercise democracy.”

Unfortunately, a selection of political leaders failed to offer their perspective on the issue. Ken Dryden of the Liberal party was “too busy,” as was the Bloc’s Gilles Duceppe; the Green Party, while initially promising, failed to come through; NDP’s Libby Davies was again, too busy, and MP Garth Turner claimed to be “not expert enough to respond.” Countless others simply failed to respond.

With so many rejections or glib reflections on such a vital subject, it’s apparent that we as the Canadian public should stand up and make our voices heard. Silence can only mean one of two things: a) ignorance on the subject, or b) denial of the truth.

NDP MP Peter Julian states: “Canadians should know that the SPP process supports a North American Union (NAU). The NDP rejects the secretive process surrounding these ongoing discussions. Canadians will never support a political ideology which aims at turning North America into a fortress for corporate interests and neglects the interests of ordinary Canadians. Canadian sovereignty is not for sale to the highest bidder and the federal government has no authority to push for a NAU without a mandate from Canadians.”

No matter the reason behind our political leaders’ silence, it’s vital that we as the Canadian people speak up. After all, Mr. Turner’s prophecies are being fulfilled this very moment.

We need to shatter the glossed-over reality that our country is being sold out from under our feet. In the words of former Prime Minister Robert Borden, “I am beginning to feel more and more that in the end, and perhaps sooner than later, Canada must assume full sovereignty. She can give better service to… the United States and to the world that way.”

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