User:Hutcher/North American Union

North American Union (NAU) is a term used by citizens of the United States and Canada to describe an initiative by a public/private partnership of US, Canadian and Mexican officials, plus private citizens, who are working towards strengthening the political and economic ties of the their three countries to each other. Members of this public/private partnership, such as Andrés Rozental, president of the Mexican Council on International Affairs, state they intend to "build the idea of a North American community that would deal with the issue of broader economic and political integration". Robert Pastor, author of 'Toward a North American Community', "integration can be defined as a process by which two or more parties come together to form a whole or new relationship." . Political and social activists are concerned that this initiative will lead to the creation of a new political and economic entity that will supercede the current countries of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

This iniative is also referred to by the following names:
 * "Harmonization" - Robert Pastor
 * "Deep Integration" - The Independent Task Force for North America - Tom D’Aquino of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives
 * "NAFTA-plus"
 * "Grand Bargain" - Allan Gotlieb, Donner Foundation
 * "North American Security and Prosperity Initiative (NASPI)" - The Canadian Council of Chief Executives
 * "Big Idea" - Wendy Dobson, former head of the C.D. Howe Institute

History

 * January 3, 1975: US Congress enacts Trade Act of 1974 granting the President authority to negotiate trade deals
 * September 26, 1985: Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announces that Canada will try to reach a free trade agreement with the US despite being against it prior to his election
 * December 10, 1985: U.S. President Ronald Reagan officially informs Congress of his intention to enter into Fast Track trade talks with Canada
 * October 3, 1987: Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA/FTA) is finalized. U.S. trade representative Clayton Yeutter, "In twenty years, they will be sucked into the U.S. economy."
 * January 2, 1988: Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and President Ronald Reagan officially sign the CUSFTA/FTA
 * January 1, 1989: Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA/FTA) goes into effect
 * August 21, 1990: President Carlos Salinas de Gortari of Mexico proposes a free trade deal with the US []
 * February 5, 1991: US, Mexico free trade talks become trilateral at the request of Brian Mulroney
 * August 12, 1992: George H. W. Bush announces the signing of an agreement in principle on NAFTA
 * December 1993: Newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien signs NAFTA without changes, breaking his election promise to renegotiate NAFTA. U.S. President Bill Clinton signs NAFTA for the U.S.
 * December 11, 1994: The Summit of the Americas is held in Miami. Chile is officially invited into NAFTA. The Free Trade Area of the Americas or FTAA is initiated. According to the offical FTAA website, "the Heads of State and Government of the 34 democracies in the region agreed to construct a Free Trade Area of the Americas, or FTAA, in which barriers to trade and investment will be progressively eliminated. They agreed to complete negotiations towards this agreement by the year 2005 and to achieve substantial progress toward building the FTAA by 2000."
 * December 5, 1996: Signing in Ottawa of the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement by Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister of Canada and Eduardo Frei, President of Chile. The agreement frees 75% of trade between the two countries. It is the first free trade agreement signed between Chile and a member of the G7.
 * July 5, 1997: The Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement comes into effect.
 * April 17, 1998: The Chile-Mexico Free Trade Agreement is signed in Santiago, Chile by President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León, of Mexico, and President [Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle] of Chile.
 * August 1, 1999: The [Chile-Mexico Free Trade Agreement] comes into effect.
 * September, 1999: The Canadian think tank the Fraser Institute publishes a paper by Herbert G. Grubel titled "The Case for the Amero: The Economics and Politics of a North American Monetary Union." In the paper Grubel argues that a common currency named the "Amero" should be used in place of national currencies in North and South America.
 * July 4, 2000: Mexican president Vicente Fox proposes "Vision 20/20" plan for the creation of a common North American market. Free flow of labor as part of a social fund was part of the plan. It's model being the European Union institutions
 * August 2001: Robert Pastor's 2001 book "Toward a North American Community" is published. The book calls for the creation of a North American Union (NAU).
 * April 2001: Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and US President George W. Bush sign the "Declaration of Quebec City" at the Quebec City Summit of the Americas. "We, the democratically elected Heads of State and Government of the Americas ... to renew our commitment to hemispheric integration"
 * August 30, 2001: The Institute for International Economics issues a press release advocating infrastructure integration, a fund to reduce disparity, common customs union, "North American Passports" and a commone currency.
 * Sept 11, 2001: U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico shut down after the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York City. Business leaders in all three countries, worried that trade had come to a halt, revive the idea of Fortress North America - a continental economic and security zone.
 * December 6, 2001: New U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci publicly advocates "NAFTA-plus
 * December 12, 2001: Head of the Office of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and Canadian Deputy Prime Minister John Manley sign the "Smart Border Declaration" and it's "Action Plan to Enhance the Security of Our Shared Border". The plan has four pillars: Secure the flow of people, secure the flow of goods, secure infrastructure, and information. It includes shared customs data, a safe third-country agreement and harmonized commercial processing.
 * February 7, 2002: Robert Pastor gives invited testimony before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, House of Commons, Government of Canada, Ottawa


 * April 2002: The Canadian think tank the C.D. Howe Institute publishes the first paper in the "Border Papers" series, which they have described as "a project on Canada's choices regarding North American integration." The Border Papers were published with the financial backing of the Donner Canadian Foundation. Generally the border papers advocate deep integration between Canada and the U.S., and the first border paper "Shaping the Future of the North American Economic Space: A Framework for Action" by Wendy Dobson popularized the term "the Big Idea" as one euphemism for deep integration. To read the border papers, you can visit the C.D. Howe Institute website at www.cdhowe.org. Use the publication search form (1996 to current, PDF) and choose "border papers" from the "Serie contains" drop down menu.
 * June 28, 2002: John Manley and Tom Ridge announce progress on the Smart Border Declaration, including “stepped up intelligence cooperation with Canada,” “common standards for using biometric identifiers, such as fingerprints, facial recognition, and iris scanning, to confirm the identify of travelers,” and “a common approach to screen international air passengers before they arrive in either country and identify those who warrant additional security scrutiny.” see Maher Arar Incident
 * September 9, 2002: President Bush and Prime Minister Chrétien meet to discuss progress on the Smart Border Action Plan and ask that they be updated regularly on the work being done to harmonize our common border.
 * December 5, 2002: The text of the Safe Third Country Agreement is signed by officials of Canada and the United States as part of the Smart Border Action Plan. See the final text here: Final Text of the Safe Third Country Agreement Refugee support groups on both sides of the Canadian-U.S. border criticize the new agreement dealing with refugees for stipulating that refugees must seek asylum in whichever of the two countries they reach first. Critics say that preventing individuals who first set foot in the U.S. from making a claim in Canada will increase cases of human smuggling, and that other refugees will be forced to live without any kind of legal status in the U.S. See for example: 10 Reasons Why Safe Third Country is a Bad Deal
 * November 1-2, 2002: Robert Pastor presents "A North American Community. A Modest Proposal To the Trilateral Commission," to the North American Regional Meeting, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Pastor called for implementation of "a series of political proposals which would have authority over the sovereignty of the United States, Canada and Mexico. ... the creation of North American passports and a North American Customs and Immigrations, which would have authority over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the Department of Homeland Security. A North American Parliamentary Group would oversee the U.S. Congress. A Permanent Court on Trade and Investment would resolve disputes within NAFTA, exerting final authority over the judgments of the U.S. Supreme Court. A North American Commission would 'develop an integrated continental plan for transportation and infrastructure.'" See: A North American Community. A Modest Proposal To the Trilateral Commission
 * December 6, 2002: The White House issues an update on the progress of the Smart Border Action Plan. See: U.S. Canada Smart Border 30 Point Action Plan Update
 * December, 2002: US Secretary Colin Powell signs an agreement between the United States and Canada to establish a new bi-national planning group at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) headquarters in Colorado Springs. The new bi-national planning group is expected to release a report recommending how the militaries of U.S. and Canada can "work together more effectively to counter land-based and maritime threats." See: U.S. and Canada Sign Bi-National Agreement on Military Planning
 * January 2003: The Canadian Council of Chief Executives headed by Tom D'Aquino (also a member of the trinational Task Force on the Future of North America) launches the North American Security and Prosperity Initiative (NASPI) in January 2003 in response to an alleged "need for a comprehensive North American strategy integrating economic and security issues". NASPI has five main elements, which include: Reinventing borders, Maximizing regulatory efficiencies, Negotiation of a comprehensive resource security pact, Reinvigorating the North American defence alliance, and Creating a new institutional framework. See: North American Security and Prosperity Initiative (PDF).
 * April 3, 2003: The CCCE sets up an “Action Group on North American Security and Prosperity,” which is comprised of 30 CEOs including former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s former chief of staff, Derek Burney. On April 7, this action group meets with Tom Ridge, John Manley, then U.S. ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci and prominent U.S. neocon Richard Perle in Washington, D.C. to discuss the Security and Prosperity Initiative.
 * October 21, 2003: Dr. Robert Pastor gives testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives, International Relations Committee, Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Affairs on "U.S. Policy toward the Western Hemisphere:Challenges and Opportunities" in which he recommends the formation of a "North American Community."
 * January/February 2004: The Council on Foreign Relations publishes Robert Pastor's paper "North America's Second Decade," which advocates further North American integration. Read it at: North America's Second Decade
 * April 16, 2004: The CCCE holds its Spring Members meeting in Washington, D.C., bringing close to 100 CEOs together to discuss North American integration with politicians including John Manley, Condoleeza Rice and Jim Peterson.
 * April 2004: The Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) publishes a major discussion paper titled "New Frontiers: Building a 21st Century Canada-United States Partnership in North America." Some of the paper’s 15 recommendations expand on the NASPI framework in areas such as tariff harmonization, rules of origin, trade remedies, energy strategy, core defence priorities and the need to strengthen Canada-United States institutions, including the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD). Other recommendations focus on the process for developing and executing a comprehensive strategy, including the need for greater coordination across government departments, between federal and provincial governments and between the public and private sectors. See: Building a 21st Century Canada-United States Partnership in North America
 * October 2004: The Canada-Mexico Partnership (CMP) is launched during the visit of President Vicente Fox to Ottawa. See: Canada-Mexico Partnership (CMP)
 * November 1, 2004: The Independent Task Force on the Future of North America is formed. The task force is a trilateral task force charged with developing a "roadmap" to promote North American security and advance the well-being of citizens of all three countries. The task force is chaired by former Liberal Deputy Prime Minister John Manley. It is sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in association with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) and the Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales.
 * December 29, 2004: The Safe Third Country Agreement comes into force. See: Safe Third Country Agreement Comes Into Force Today
 * March 14, 2005: The Independent Task Force on the Future of North America releases "Creating a North American Community - Chairmen’s Statement." Three former high-ranking government officials from Canada, Mexico, and the United States call for a North American economic and security community by 2010 to address shared security threats, challenges to competitiveness, and interest in broad-based development across the three countries. Among its key recommendations are the establishment of a continental security perimeter, a common external tariff, a common border pass for all North Americans, a North American energy and natural resources strategy, and an annual meeting where North American leaders can discuss steps towards economic and security integration. See: Creating a North American Community Chairmen’s Statement
 * March 14, 2005: Robert Pastor, author of "Toward a North American Community" and member of the task force on the future of North America, publishes an article titled "The Paramount Challenge for North America: Closing the Development Gap," sponsored by the North American Development Bank, which recommends forming a North American Community as a way to address economic inequalities due to NAFTA between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. See: THE PARAMOUNT CHALLENGE FOR NORTH AMERICA: CLOSING THE DEVELOPMENT GAP (PDF)
 * March 23, 2005: The leaders of Canada, the United States and Mexico sign the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America at the trilateral summit in Waco, Texas. Canada is signed on by Prime Minister Paul Martin. See: www.spp.gov.
 * March 24, 2005: The 40 Point Smart Regulation Plan is launched as part of the SPP agreement. It is a far-reaching plan to introduce huge changes to Canada's regulatory system in order to eliminate some regulations and harmonize other regulations with the U.S. Reg Alcock, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board, launches the Government of Canada's implementation plan for Smart Regulation at a Newsmaker Breakfast at the National Press Club. For the original plan and updates see: Smart Regulation: Report on Actions and Plans
 * March 2005: Agreement to build the Texas NAFTA Superhighway: “A ‘Comprehensive Development Agreement’ [is] signed by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to build the ‘TTC-35 High Priority Corridor’ parallel to Interstate 35. The contracting party involved a limited partnership formed between Cintra Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte, S.A., a publically listed company headquartered in Spain, owned by the Madrid-based Groupo Ferrovial, and a San Antonio-based construction company, Zachry Construction Corp.” Texas Segment of NAFTA Super Highway Nears Construction, Jerome R. Corsi, June 2006, www.Humaneventsonline.com The proposed NAFTA superhighway will be a 10 lane super highway four football fields wide that will travel through the heart of the U.S. along Interstate 35, from the Mexican border at Laredo, Tex., to the Canadian border north of Duluth. Minn. The "Trans-Texas Corridor" or TTC will be the first leg of the NAFTA superhighway.
 * April 2005: U.S. Senate Bill 853 is introduced by Senator Richard G. Lugar (IN) and six cosponsors. “The North American Security Cooperative Act (NASCA) is touted as a bill to protect the American public from terrorists by creating the North American Union. The North American Union consists of three countries, U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with open borders, something that is proposed to be in effect by 2010. Thus, it would ensure the fulfillment of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America.” NASCA Rips America, April 2005, www.Freemarketnews.com
 * May 2005: The Council on Foreign Relations Press publishes the report of the Independent Task Force on the Future of North America, titled "Building a North American Community" (task force report 53). See: Building a North American Community
 * June 2005: A follow-up SPP meeting is held in Ottawa, Canada.
 * June 2005: A U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee policy paper is released: “The CFR did not mention the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), but it is obvious that it is part of the scheme. This was made clear by the Senate Republican Policy Committee policy paper released in June 2005. It argued that Congress should pass CAFTA … The Senate Republican policy paper argued that CAFTA ‘will promote democratic governance.’But there is nothing democratic about CAFTA’s many pages of grants of vague authority to foreign tribunals on which foreign judges can force us to change our domestic laws to be ‘no more burdensome than necessary’on foreign trade.” CFR's Plan to Integrate the U.S., Mexico and Canada, July 2005, www.Eagleforum.org
 * June 9, 2005: CNN's Lou Dobbs, reporting on Dr. Robert Pastor's congressional testimony as one of the six co-chairmen of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Independent Task Force on North America, began his evening broadcast with this announcement: "Good evening, everybody. Tonight, an astonishing proposal to expand our borders to incorporate Mexico and Canada and simultaneously further diminish U.S. sovereignty. Have our political elites gone mad?"
 * June 27, 2005: NDP critic for International Trade and Globalization, Peter Julian (Burnaby-New Westminster) says "The Liberal minority government is fast tracking Canada into an agenda of deep integration with the US and Mexico without a mandate from Canadians or consultation with Parliament". See NDP Demands Transparency In Can/US/Mexico Talks
 * July 2005: The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) passes in the U.S. House of Representatives by a 217-215 vote.
 * October 2005: The inaugural meeting of the North American Forum, which brings together U.S., Canadian and Mexican government and business representatives to discuss issues related to continental economic and social integration, is held at a secret location in Sonoma, California. Invitees to the event, which is chaired jointly by former U.S. secretary of state George Shultz, former Mexican finance minister Pedro Aspe, and former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed, include John Manley, Mexican ambassador to the U.S. Carlos de Icaza, Chevron CEO David O'Reilly, former head of the CIA James Woolsey, and a host of U.S. policy advisors to George W. Bush.
 * November 2005: Canadian Action Party leader Connie Fogal publishes an article called "Summary and Part 1:The Metamorphosis and Sabotage of Canada by Our Own Government- The North American Union." See Summary and Part 1:The Metamorphosis and Sabotage of Canada by Our Own Government The North American Union
 * January 2006: Conservative Stephen Harper is elected Prime Minister of Canada with a minority government.
 * January 10-11, 2006: Government officials and corporate leaders from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico meet in Louisville, Kentucky for a “Public-Private Dialogue” around the SPP. Discussion hits on “marrying policy issues with business priorities,” expanding the SPP “beyond those identified in the initial stages of the process,” and building a “genuine constituency for North American integration.” A North American council on competitiveness, comprised entirely of corporate leaders, is discussed.
 * March 31, 2006: At the Summit of the Americas in Cancun, Canada (under new Prime Minister Stephen Harper) along with the U.S. and Mexico release the Leaders' Joint Statement. The statement presents six action points to move toward a North American Union, aka a North American Community. These action points include: 1) Establishment of a Trilateral Regulatory Cooperative Framework 2) Establishment of the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC) 3) Provision for North American Emergency Management 4) Provision for Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza Management 5) Development of North American Energy Security 6) Assure Smart, Secure North American Borders. Read the full statement at: Leaders' Joint Statement
 * April 2006: A draft environmental impact statement on the proposed first leg of the "NAFTA superhighway", the "Trans-Texas Corridor" or TTC, is completed.
 * June 2006: Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado. demands superstate accounting from the Bush administration: “Responding to a Worldnetdaily.com report, Tom Tancredo is demanding the Bush administration fully disclose the activities of an office implementing a trilateral agreement with Mexico and Canada that apparently could lead to a North American union, despite having no authorization from Congress.” Tancredo Confronts 'Super-State' Effort, June 2006, www.Worldnetdaily.com
 * June 15, 2006: U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez convenes the first meeting of the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), the advisory group organized by the Department of Commerce (DOC) under the auspices of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) and announced by the leaders of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico on March 31, 2006.
 * July 2006: Public hearings on the proposed "NAFTA superhighway" begin in the U.S.
 * July 25, 2006: The article "Meet Robert Pastor, Father of the North American Union" is published. See: Meet Robert Pastor: Father of the North American Union
 * August 15, 2006: The NACC meets in Washington, D.C. to hash out priority issues for the SPP. The business leaders decide that the U.S. secretariat of the NACC will deal with “regulatory convergence,” the Canadian secretariat, housed by the CCCE, will deal with “border facilitation,” and the Mexican secretariat will handle “energy integration.” There is no media coverage of this event.
 * August 21, 2006: An article titled North American Union Threatens U.S. Sovereignty" is posted to informationliberation.com.
 * August 27, 2006: Patrick Wood (U.S.) publishes an article titled "Toward a North American Union" for The August Review. See: Toward a North American Union
 * August 28, 2006: A North American United Nations? by Republican Congressman Ron Paul (Texas) is published. See: A North American United Nations?
 * August 29, 2006: Patrick Buchanan (U.S.) criticizes a North American union in his article "The NAFTA super highway." See: The NAFTA super highway
 * September 12-14, 2006: A secret "North American Forum" on integration is held at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. Elite participants from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico are present to discuss “demographic and social dimensions of North American integration,” security cooperation and a “North American energy strategy.” It is ignored by the mainstream media. See the Vive le Canada.ca article for the secret agenda and participant list: Deep Integration Planned at Secret Conference Ignored by the Media
 * September 13, 2006: Maclean’s magazine finally covers the August 15 NACC meeting in an article by Luiza Savage titled “Meet NAFTA 2.0.” The Maclean's article on integration notes that according to Ron Covais, the president of the Americas for defence giant Lockheed Martin, a former Pentagon adviser to Dick Cheney, and one of the architects of North American integration, the political will to make deep integration of the continent happen will last only for "less than two years". According to the article, to make sure that the establishment of a North American Union will take place in that time, "The executives have boiled their priorities down to three: the Canadian CEOs are focusing on 'border crossing facilitation,' the Americans have taken on 'regulatory convergence,' and the Mexicans are looking at 'energy integration' in everything from electrical grids to the locating of liquid natural gas terminals. They plan to present recommendations to the ministers in October. This is how the future of North America now promises to be written: not in a sweeping trade agreement on which elections will turn, but by the accretion of hundreds of incremental changes implemented by executive agencies, bureaucracies and regulators. 'We've decided not to recommend any things that would require legislative changes,' says Covais. 'Because we won't get anywhere.' " See: Meet NAFTA 2.0
 * September 28, 2006: Stockwell Day says there was "nothing secret" about the forum on integration held in Banff. See: Nothing secret about Banff forum, says Stockwell Day
 * February 23, 2007: SPP Ministerial meeting is held in Ottawa, Canada, and attended by Canadian Ministry of Industry Maxime Bernier, Mexican Secretary of the Economy Eduardo Sojo, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter MacKay, Mexican Secretary of External Affairs Patricia Espinosa Castellano, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, Canadian Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day, and Mexican Secretary of the Interior Francisco Javier Ramirez Acuna. Officials also consult with corporate CEOs, members of the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC). The Council's 10 Canadian members were appointed last summer by Prime Minister Harper and given privileged access to government Ministers to push their corporate vision for continental "integration". In a statement, the ministers responsible for the SPP noted that they “recognize the importance of focusing on initiatives that will further competitiveness and quality of life in North America, and will continue to work together to successfully meet the security and prosperity challenges of the 21st century.” The agenda of the meeting is challenged by an alliance of citizen's groups in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. See: Tri-national ministerial meeting to star Rice and Chertoff, Trade, Competitiveness, and Security Issues at the Forefront of North American Ministerial Meeting and United States Strengthens Ties with Canada, Mexico: Neighbors coming together through Security and Prosperity Partnership, By David McKeeby
 * March 31-April 1, 2007: The Council of Canadians, the Canadian Labour Congress and other progressive organizations hold a teach-in in ottawa called Integrate This! Challenging the Security and Prosperity Partnership. See Integrate This!
 * April 26-27, 2007: A closed-door roundtable meeting on the Future of North American Environment 2025 is held in Calgary on April 26 and 27 2007. This is the final concluding roundtable initiated by three think tanks to address issues around where the Security and Prosperity Partnership is going. The report is to be sent to the three national governments, both for feedback and comments, at the end of June 2007. NDP MP Peter Julian crashes the meeting, and due to his presence there the Harper government pulls its delegation. Organisers tell Julian that the federal government delegation was basically stopped at the Airport from attending the final roundtable meetings on the subject.
 * April-May 2007: Thanks to the efforts of NDP International Trade Critic Peter Julian (Burnaby - New Westminster), the Standing Committee on International Trade holds the first ever hearings on the so-called "Security and Prosperity Partnership" (SPP) of North America. The televised hearings are held on April 26, May 1st and 3rd, 2007 in Ottawa. To read the transcripts of the hearings, see Info on SPP Hearings from NDP MP Peter Julian and Update on Hearings at Trade Committee re SPP from NDP MP Peter Julian Contributed by: sthompson
 * Thursday, May 10, 2007: Amid heated charges of a coverup, Tory MPs abruptly shut down parliamentary hearings on the SPP, a controversial plan to further integrate Canada and the U.S. They shut the hearings down in reaction to the testimony of University of Alberta professor and director of the Parkland Institute Gordon Laxer, who testifies that Canadians will be left "to freeze in the dark" if the government forges ahead with plans to integrate energy supplies across North America. In response, the chair of the committee, Conservative MP Leon Benoit (Vegreville-Wainwright), rules his testimony out of order for being "irrelevant" to the hearings. When opposition MPs on the committee vote down his ruling, Benoit blurts out that he is adjourning the meeting, and proceeds to storm out with two other Conservative MPs. [Some of this information was paraphrased from the article in the Ottawa Citizen. For full article see "Tory chair storms out of SPP hearing", Friday May 11, the Ottawa Citizen, Tory chair storms out of SPP hearing.] Later, Gordon Laxer's presentation to the trade committee on SPP is officially voted in as evidence by the committee. The full testimony is printed in both the Calgary Herald and the Edmonton Journal on May 16, 2007. You can read it on Vive at: Latest News from Parkland Institute: Laxer Creates Stir on the Hill; or see the Edmonton Journal article, Canada-first energy strategy needed.
 * July 9, 2007: NDP MP Peter Julian starts gathering signatures on a petition to stop the SPP. Signees "call upon the Government of Canada to stop further implementation of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) with the United States and Mexico until there is a democratic mandate from the people of Canada, Parliamentary oversight, and consideration of its profound consequences on Canada’s existence as a sovereign nation and its ability to adopt autonomous and sustainable economic, social, and environmental policies, and urge the Government of Canada to conduct a transparent and accountable public debate of the SPP process, involving meaningful public consultations with civil society and a full legislative review, including the work, recommendations, and reports of all SPP working groups, and a full debate and a vote in Parliament." See Sign the Petition to Stop the SPP and Deep Integration
 * UPCOMING August 20-21, 2007: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, George W. Bush, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon will meet for the planned third summit of the Security and Prosperity Partnership. August 20-21,Montebello, QC. Protests are being planned. We'll update details on this as we get them.

Partnership for Prosperity
"In September of 2001, during President Bush's first state visit, President Bush and President Fox launched the Partnership for Prosperity, a private-public alliance to harness the power of the private sector to foster an environment in which no Mexican feels compelled to leave his home for lack of jobs or opportunity."&mdash;Office of NAFTA and Inter-American Affairs

SPP Working Groups
"Canada has established an SPP working group within their Foreign Affairs department," Corsi reported May 30, 2006. "Mexico has placed the SPP within the office of the Secretaria de Economia and created an extensive website for the Alianza Para La Securidad y La Prosperidad de Améica del Norte (ASPAN). On this Mexican website, ASPAN is described as 'a permanent, tri-lateral process to create a major integration of North America.'"

NAFTA Super-Highways
"What is objectionable is the plan to form a European Union-style North American Super-Highway system whose primary goal is to establish trilateral links for the open passage of freight transportation and the virtually unrestrained 'migration' of people among the three countries. Building NAFTA Super-Highways that effectively erase the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada is a concern, especially if the NAFTA Super-Highways contribute to accomplishing in a de facto manner the integration of the United States into a North American Union, thereby threatening the currently established sovereignty of the United States," Corsi wrote June 30, 2006.

Permanent Tribunal
"The CFR plan clearly calls for the establishment of a 'permanent tribunal for North American dispute resolution' as part of the new regional North American Union (NAU) governmental structure that is proposed to go into place in 2010," Corsi wrote June 19, 2006. This tribunal would "trump" the U.S. Supreme Court.

Biometric Border Pass
"Instead of stopping North Americans on the borders, we ought to provide them with a secure, biometric Border Pass that would ease transit across the border like an E-Z pass permits our cars to speed through toll booths," Robert A. Pastor told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, June 9, 2005.

North American Emergency Management
North American Emergency Management (NAEM) is one of the priority initiatives set forth in the March 31, 2006, White House news release and the fact sheet posted on the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America website.

The function of NAEM would be similar to that of FEMA's operations during Hurricane Katrina. In his September 20, 2005, article "Glimpse Into The Future Of Global Collectivism - FEMA: Katrina," Chris Gupta wrote:
 * "The primary job of the military, FEMA, and Homeland Security is not to protect the American people in times of emergency but to protect the government in times of emergency and keep it functioning. Their primary assignment is, not to rescue people, but to control them. Their directive is to relocate families and businesses, confiscate property, commandeer goods, direct labor and services, and establish martial law. The reason FEMA and Homeland security failed to carry out an effective rescue operation [for Hurricane Katrina] is that this was not their primary mission, and the reason they blocked others from doing so is that any operations not controlled by the central authority are contrary to their directives. Their objective was to bring the entire area under the control of the federal government - and this they succeeded in doing very well. They did not fail in New Orleans. They were a huge success. Once this simple fact is understood, everything that happened in the wake of Katrina becomes understandable and logical.


 * "If there are new terrorist attacks against the United States or Great Britain (or any other country), what we witnessed in New Orleans may have been a glimpse into the future of global collectivism."

U.S. Legislation & Executive Orders

 * Executive Order: "Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Commission for Labor Cooperation, Border Environment Cooperation Commission, and North American Development Bank," White House, March 16, 1994. Signed by President Bill Clinton
 * Aviation and Transportation Safety Act of 2001 (S.1447) became Public Law 107-71 on November 19, 2001.
 * Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 (H.R.3525): "To enhance the border security of the United States, and for other purposes," introduced December 19, 2001, in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-WI) and became Public Law No: 107-173, April 18, 2002.
 * North American Cooperative Security Act (S. 853) introduced April 20, 2005, (109th Congress) in the U.S. Senate by Senator Richard Lugar (R-Indiana): "A bill to direct the Secretary of State to establish a program to bolster the mutual security and safety of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and for other purposes." The bill was read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
 * North American Cooperative Security Act (H.R. 2672) introduced May 26, 2005, (109th Congress) in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Katherine Harris (R-Florida): "To direct the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a program to enhance the mutual security and safety of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and for other purposes." The bill was referred to the House Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment on June 6, 2005.
 * Executive Order: "Protecting the Property Rights of the American People," White House, June 23, 2006. Signed by President George W. Bush
 * S. 3633 Protection against United Nations Taxation Act of 2006 introduced July 11, 2006, (109th Congress) in the U.S. Senate by Senator James Inhofe, et al. The legislation would "require the withholding of United States contributions to the United Nations until the President certifies that the United Nations is not engaged in global taxation schemes." The bill was read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

2001

 * "Joint Statement by President George Bush and President Vicente Fox Towards a Partnership for Prosperity. The Guanajuato Proposal," Office of the White House Press Secretary, February 16, 2001.
 * Joint Communique: "U.S.-Mexico Migration Talks And Plan of Action for Cooperation on Border Safety," Office of the Spokesman, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C., June 22, 2001.
 * Fact Sheet: "Partnership for Prosperity," Office of the White House Press Secretary, September 6, 2001.
 * "Action Plan for Creating a Secure and Smart Border. U.S. and Canada. An Efficient, Secure and Smart Border," Office of Homeland Security, December 12, 2001.

2002

 * "Specifics of Secure and Smart Border Action Plan," Office of Homeland Security, January 7, 2002. See U.S.-Canada Smart Borders Accord.
 * "Securing America's Borders Fact Sheet: Border Security," Office of the White House Press Secretary, January 25, 2002.
 * George W. Bush, "President Promotes Secure and Open Borders in El Paso," Remarks in El Paso, Texas, March 21, 2002.
 * Fact Sheet: "Smart Border: 22 Point Agreement&mdash;U.S. - Mexico Border Partnership Action Plan," Office of the White House Press Secretary, March 21, 2002.
 * Fact Sheet: "Specific Measures that Comprise Joint Action Plan with Mexico," Office of the White House Press Secretary, March 21, 2002.
 * George W. Bush and Vincente Foxe, "The Monterrey Commitments," Joint Statement, Monterrey, Mexico, March 22, 2002.
 * "Partnership for Prosperity." Report to President Vicente Fox and President George W. Bush, Monterrey, Mexico, March 22, 2002.
 * Fact Sheet: "U.S.-Mexico Partnership for Prosperity," Office of the White House Press Secretary, March 22, 2002.

2003

 * "Domenici Introduces Major Infrastructure, Security Bill to To Improve U.S. Southwest & Northern Ports of Entry. Security & Trade Needs Demand New Attention at Border Crossings," Office of Senator Pete V. Domenici, March 5, 2003.
 * Press Release: "U.S.-Mexico Border Partnership Joint Statement on Progress Achieved," U.S. Department of Homeland Security, April 23, 2003.
 * "The United States and the Summit of the Americas," U.S. Department of State, April 28, 2003.
 * "Partnership for Prosperity Report to President George W. Bush and President Vicente Fox." Released by the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Washington, D.C., November 12, 2003.

2004

 * "The Bush Administration's Western Hemisphere Policy." Ambassador Roger F. Noriega, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Remarks to the Council of the Americas, New York, New York, January 6, 2004.
 * Fact Sheet: "The U.S. and the Summit of the Americas: An Update on U.S. Actions to Implement the Hemisphere's Agenda." Released by the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Washington, D.C., January 6, 2004.
 * Fact Sheet: "Special Summit of the Americas: Declaration of Nuevo Leon," Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Washington, D.C., January 14, 2004.
 * "Ambassador's Speech: 'North American Integration: Migration, Trade and Security.' Is there a need for new institutions in North America?" Embassy of Mexico in Canada, April 2, 2004.
 * "U.S.-Mexico Partnership for Prosperity Launches New Initiatives," U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, June 28, 2004.
 * "Remarks by Ambassador Garza at the Seminar 'Reflecting on North American Integration: NAFTA, FTAA, and the Doha Round'," Embassy of the United States, Mexico, September 27, 2004.
 * News Release: "Common Security, Common Prosperity a New Partnership in North America," White House, November 30, 2004. re U.S.-Canada Smart Borders Accord
 * News Release: "Joint U.S.-Canada Agreement for Land Pre-Clearance Pilots," Office of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Press Secretary, December 17, 2004.

2005

 * Eric Green, News Release: "Bush Hosting March 23 Talks with Leaders of Mexico, Canada. Trilateral meeting to promote security, prosperity in region," U.S. Department of State, March 7, 2005.
 * Press Release: "Trinational Call for a North American Economic and Security Community by 2010," Council on Foreign Relations, March 14, 2005.
 * Rep. Henry J. Hyde, "The Emergence of the North American Community," House Committee on International Relations, March 18, 2005.
 * News Release: "U.S. Officials Review Agenda for North American Trilateral Meeting. Bush, Martin, Fox will explore ways to enhance security, prosperity," U.S. Department of State, March 22, 2005.
 * News Release: "North American Leaders Discuss Regional Partnership. Bush, Fox and Martin cite cooperation on security, prosperity," U.S. Department of State, March 23, 2005.
 * News Release: "North American Prosperity Depends on Security. United States, Canada, Mexico outline new security/prosperity pact," U.S. Department of State, March 23, 2005.
 * News Release: "North American Partnership Offers Agenda for Security. U.S., Mexico, Canada seek enhanced trade while fighting terrorism," U.S. Department of State, March 23, 2005.
 * News Release: "North American Partnership Offers Agenda for Prosperity. U.S., Mexico, Canada focus on trade, education, health, environment," U.S. Department of State, March 23, 2005.
 * News Release: "North American Leaders Unveil Security and Prosperity Partnership. Bush, Fox, Martin outline trilateral efforts during March 23 meeting," U.S. Department of State, March 23, 2005.
 * News Release: "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America Prosperity Agenda," White House, March 23, 2005.
 * News Release: "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America Security Agenda," White House, March 23, 2005.
 * Fact Sheet: "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America," White House, March 23, 2005.
 * "Notes for an address by His Excellency Gaëtan Lavertu, Canadian Ambassador to Mexico at El Colegio de México. Integration in North America: Dialogue, Political Cooperation and Institutions," Mexico City, April 11, 2005. Posted by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada; updated May 12, 2005.
 * "Task Force Urges Measures to Strengthen North American Competitiveness, Expand Trade, Ensure Border Security," Council on Foreign Relations, May 17, 2005.

2006

 * News Release: "North American Leaders Unveil Security and Prosperity Partnership. Bush, Fox, Martin outline trilateral efforts during March 23 meeting," U.S. Department of State, March 23, 2006.
 * Press Release: "Mexico-United States Prosperity Partnership Update," Presidencia de la Republica, Mexico City (Mexidata.info), March 25, 2006.
 * News Release: "The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America: Progress," White House, March 31, 2006.
 * News Release: "Leaders Note Progress on the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America," Canada's New Government, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Cancun, Mexico, March 31, 2006.

Published Works

 * Robert A. Pastor, "Toward a North American Community: Lessons from the Old World for the New," Institute for International Economics, August 2001 (Paperback), ISBN 0881323284.
 * "A Regional Development Policy for North America: Lessons from the Old World for the New." "Draft Paper to be presented to a Conference on 'NAFTA in the new Millennium', co-sponsored by the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, and the University of California, San Diego, May 25-25, 2001.
 * "Beyond Free Trade in North America: Narrowing the Development Gap." Paper adapted from the book and presented at a Conference at the Center for Mexican Studies, St. Antony's College, Oxford University, February 2003.
 * "Redesigning NAFTA for the 21st Century" (Chapter 1).


 * Peter Hakim and Robert E. Litan, eds, "The Future of North American Integration. Beyond NAFTA," Brookings Institution Press, 2002, Cloth Text ISBN 0815733984; Paper Text ISBN 0815733992.
 * Peter Andreas and Thomas J. Biersteker, eds., "The Rebordering of North America: Integration and Exclusion in a New Security Context," Routledge Press, 2003, ISBN 0415944678. Review.
 * Tom Tancredo, "In Mortal Danger: The Battle for America's Border and Security ," WND Press, 2006.