NDP SLAMS SUMMIT SECRECY
De: "Julian, Peter - M.P."
Dear friends and fellow activists against the SPP,
Today, the NDP made
public information about the SPP, obtained under the Access to
Information Act. The details relate to the Security and Prosperity Ministerial Meeting held in Ottawa on February 23, 2007.
The meeting summary,
though heavily censored by the government, reveals in its words a
"wide-ranging" and "dense" agenda for the SPP, despite the Harper's
government's claims to the contrary.
It also states that
the SPP agenda established by those elite corporate members of the
North American Competitiveness Council were at the centre of the
Ministerial meeting.
Libby Davies, NDP
House Leader and I participated in Montebello with other activists to
protest the secrecy and agenda of the SPP. We met with many activists
and witnessed some of them being pepper-sprayed. What struck me most
about the protest is that the broad participation of a wide variety of
persons. Families, workers, people of all walks of life and from many
parts of the country converged in Montebello to expose and halt the SPP
agenda.
Last night, Paul
Dewar, MP (Ottawa-Centre), Libby Davies, MP (Vancouver East) and I
joined an enthusiastic crowd from the community from Ottawa area to
kick off the NDP's national campaign against the SPP. For two and half
years we have been fighting this issue at the House of Commons and now
the time has come to take it on the road. Tomorrow night, I will be in
Regina and in the next few days, I will be in Sault-Ste. Marie with
Tony Martin, NDP Critic on Social Policy, Fredericton, and Halifax with
Alexa McDonough, NDP Critic for Foreign Affairs and International Development.
I have attached below
the press release announcing the public meeting in Regina. If you are
in the Regina area, please feel free to join us.
Requests are flooding
from communities across the country to hold public forums on SPP. Stay
tuned for more dates. Please contact my office if you are interested in
hosting one. http://www.ndp.ca/stopspp
Thanks to all of you
for your support, your circulation of our petitions and your letters to
the Members of the Trade Committee in support of the NDP Motion to halt
the SPP.
Together we will win this fight.
Peter
Peter Julian, MP (Burnaby-New Westminster)
NDP International Trade Critic
From: NDP/NPD Communications
Sent: August 21, 2007 2:53 PM
To: NDP/NPD Communications
Subject: NDP SLAMS SUMMIT SECRECY / LE NPD DÉNONCE LE CARACTÈRE SECRET DU SOMMET
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 21, 2007
NDP SLAMS SUMMIT SECRECY
Documents reveal hidden aggressive SPP agenda
OTTAWA
– The NDP today criticised the Harper Conservatives’ handling of the
North American leaders’ Montebello summit for being dogged by ‘secrecy,
missed opportunities and insults’ by the prime minister.
Documents obtained by the
NDP through access-to-information reveal the so-called “wide-ranging”
and “dense” agenda of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP)
contained discussions of energy integration and the harmonization of
standards. Much of the document was censored by the government,
including information on energy security and smart and secure borders.
“Clearly, this document
shows that the SPP agenda is not about security and prosperity,” said
NDP International Trade critic, Peter Julian (Burnaby-New Westminster).
“The SPP’s agenda goes way beyond facilitating transportation across
the border, or developing an effective pandemic protection strategy.
The 30 CEOs who joined the leaders in closed-door meetings are driving
their big business priorities through the SPP agenda. Their
recommendations call for nothing less than the steady erosion of
Canada’s sovereignty and the quality of life for Canadians.”
NDP MP Paul Dewar (Ottawa
Centre) added, “Mr. Harper has also failed to assert Canadian
sovereignty and there is a real threat our Arctic will be claimed by
other countries. The prime minister should have used this Leader’s
Summit to show real leadership and put Canada back on top.”
NDP House Leader Libby
Davies (Vancouver East) joined the thousands of protesters in
Montebello yesterday and was extremely disappointed by the prime
minister’s dismissal of the dissenting voices.
“Yesterday, the prime
minister disgraced his office and insulted ordinary Canadians. He
should apologize to the peaceful activists that attended protests at
the summit, in Ottawa and nationwide, and he must realize that those
Canadians who are raising their voices with concern should not be
belittled or ignored.”
The NDP is the only caucus in the House of Commons opposing the Liberal-Conservative SPP agenda.
-30-
For more information please contact:
Rupinder Kaur, Media Officer, Office of Jack Layton: 613-222-5048
******************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 21, 2007
NDP MP JULIAN VISITS REGINA, MOOSE JAW TO EXPOSE SPP
REGINA
– NDP International Trade Critic Peter Julian (Burnaby-New Westminster)
will visit Regina on Wednesday as part of the NDP’s national campaign
to halt further implementation of the so-called Security and Prosperity
Partnership (SPP) agenda. The campaign was launched on Monday in
Ottawa.
“Harper is fast tracking the
complete sell-out of our sovereignty. We’ve seen this happen with the
softwood sell-out and the ongoing campaign for privatization of our
public services and policies. Like the Liberals before him, Harper is
ignoring the will of Parliament and excluding Canadians from the
decision-making process. I am appealing to all Canadians to join the
NDP in this fight,” noted NDP Leader Jack Layton.
“I’m excited to bring this
message across the country and to meet with people in Regina and Moose
Jaw to hear their thoughts,” said Julian. “After what happened with
equalization, the people of Saskatchewan cannot trust the Harper
Conservatives. I want to give them a chance to learn about and discuss
the SPP and bring their thoughts back to Ottawa.”
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST
22
MOOSE JAW & REGINA
12:30PM Lunch Meeting with Don Mitchell on SPP
Uptown Café
7:30 PM Public Forum on SPP
Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre, Multipurpose Room
2900 13th Ave, Regina
The Public Forum is sponsored by Palliser & Wascana NDP,
The Canadian Labour Congress, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour and the Regina and District Labour Council
