On Aug. 19th, a perfect late summer day in Ottawa, Canada, we joined our Canadian colleagues in a rally at the Parliament followed by a march to the U.S. and Mexican embassies to protest the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) meeting of Bush, Calderon and Harper. A meeting the mainstream media in the U.S. has totally blacked out.

Later we attended the Council of Canadians Forum on the hidden consequences of the SPP Leaders summit in Montebello. More than 500 activist[S] heard Elizabeth May, Green Party of Canada leader, condemn the SPP and promote a vision of a more just and sustainable North America. In her talk she cited the ongoing changes in national environmental, health and labor regulations. These changes increase the number of chemicals permitted, lower standards and quality of life in many areas, such as food security, air safety, environmental norms, health care and labor rights. For example, Canada is
raising pesticide limits on hundreds of fruits and vegetables to merge its policies with the United States. And these changes are being made at the behest of transnational corporations. The SPP is about letting big businesses set their own rules and having the public bear all the environmental and health risks of a deregulated market.

On August 20th the Canadian Green Party organized a counter summit at which the USGP was represented by Justine McCabe and Julia Willebrand, Co-chairs of the USGP International Committee. Justine brought greetings from USGP and informed the meeting of the USGP position in opposition to SPP.

Julia was asked to present a US perspective on SPP. Since our Canadian colleagues are well aware of the dangers of a race to the bottom, they know that the SPP is about increasing corporate profits by limiting what governments can do to protect its citizens from corporate abuse. So as a cautionary tale, Julia presented a picture of the ongoing privatization of community resources and services occurring in the US. As one example she cited the ever-increasing prison population and the concomitant growth of private prisons in the US as a dangerous precedent Canadians would wish to avoid and which SPP could make possible.

Janet Eaton, GP Canada International Trade critic who first raised USGP member¹s awareness about the menace of SPP provided a vivid historical presentation of the initiation and development of SPP.

Her power point presentation can be seen at:
http://www.greenparty.ca/en/policy/documents/deeper_look_spp/dr_janet_eaton

Since the SPP is not a formal treaty or agreement between countries but instead an ongoing dialogue¹, it is not accountable to legislative oversight. Despite the fact that high-level government meetings, which
include CEOs of the largest corporations, have been held for three years, the mainstream media has rarely covered any aspect being planned and executed. Since the U.S. public is kept ignorant of these plans for its future it is effectively removed from the decision-making process. The Green Party of the US must change that by bringing the fact of this dangerous descent into fascism to public awareness.

For more information on SPP and ways to take action:

"Behind Closed Doors: What they're not telling us about the Security and
Prosperity Partnership (SPP)
http://www.canadians.org/integratethis/backgrounders/guide/index.html

This cooperative effort by the US and Canadian Greens was publicly initiated by joint press releases highlighting that this collaboration not only furthers the national interests of both parties but as members
of the Global Green movement, extends common Green values of social and economic justice,
environmental sustainability, participatory democracy and nonviolence.

National Green parties join forces to fight North American Union
http://www.greenparty.ca/en/releases/16.08.2007

Canadian and US Green Parties blast secretive NAFTA-Plus trade-security deal
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_08_15.shtml

This report prepared and presented by:
Justine McCabe
Julia Willebrand
Co-chairs United States Green Party International Committee
intcomm@gp-us.org