The Council replies: Letters to the editor
Prentice should open up discussions on Security and Prosperity Partnership, too secretive

By Stuart Trew
The Hill Times
November 19, 2007
Re: " 'Our government takes the issue of our economic competitiveness very seriously,' says Prentice," (The Hill Times, Nov. 5).

If Industry Minister Jim Prentice were truly interested in demystifying the Security and Prosperity Partnership, he might bring more Canadians into the secretive discussion about regulatory and security integration with the United States and Mexico.

Instead, in his recent speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which was reprinted in The Hill Times, Mr. Prentice recommended that NAFTA governments and private sectors do their parts "in explaining to employees, to unions, and to citizens what needs to be done to knock down some of the barriers to prosperity and that threaten our three countries."

In other words, what Canadians need is a new propaganda campaign about the SPP from the same people who have done their best to exclude us from the entire process since it was initiated in March 2005. With respect to our industry minister, the moment for propaganda has passed. The Canadian Press reported recently that opposition to the SPP's regulatory and security agendas has "struck a fatal blow to the whole concept." The really mystifying part is that the Harper Conservatives have yet to wake up to the reality that Canadians have rejected this corporate vision for North America.

Stuart Trew, Researcher, The Council of Canadians

Visit the IntegrateThis.ca website for more information about the SPP.