Americas' "deep integration" planned at secret con

by **darkbeforedawn** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 3:08 pm

Tuesday, September 19 2006 @ 01:25 PM MDT <a href="http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php?story=20060919132553106">www.vivelecanada.ca/artic...9132553106</a> Deep Integration Planned at Secret Conference Ignored by the Media Contributed by: sthompson Here's the scandal that should be outraging Canadians across the country. On September 12-14, elite proponents of deep integration from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico met at a secret conference at the Banff Springs Hotel. Stockwell Day, Tom d'Aquino and other high-profile Canadians were there. But the Hotel doesn't want to talk about it. No major media reported on the conference--not The Globe and Mail, not the National Post, not the Toronto Star, no one. Yet the topic of the conference, deep integration or the formation of a "North American Community" aka the North American Union, will profoundly affect everything in our lives from our health and security to the currency we use (soon to be the "Amero") to our very national identity. In essence, we will no longer be Canadians, but North Americans only--and worse, North Americans hog-tied in lock-step with the U.S. even as they gain open access to our energy resources. Our national media stays silent and so Canadians remain unaware that their own CCCE and most powerful politicians are pushing for integration with the U.S. and Mexico completely outside of the usual democratic process. The only newspaper to report anything on this as yet is the Banff Crag & Canyon, which is publishing an article on the conference today thanks to information provided by Mel Hurtig. See "North American Forum held in secret at Banff Springs Hotel", September 19, 2006, at <a href="http://www.banffcragandcanyon.com/story.php?id=255375">www.banffcragandcanyon.co...?id=255375</a> , or main link <a href="http://www.banffcragandcanyon.com.">www.banffcragandcanyon.com.</a> And of course here at Vive we are ready to do our part. Below please find the secret list of participants in the forum AND the agenda for the forum, thanks to Mel Hurtig's sources. I hope every one of our readers and supporters will take it upon themselves to call their local and national media and demand coverage of the conference and of integration itself. It is a scandal that this process is being conducted in secret. We must also all talk to our politicians and demand that this become an open public debate. We must call the usual suspects who were involved in this conference, especially the chairs and co-chairs, and ask why they conducted it in secret among other uncomfortable questions. And we must especially talk about this with each other, with our friends, family, and neighbours, and spread the word, asking our American and Mexican neighbours do the same. Otherwise, we will all remain in the dark--until it is too late. NORTH AMERICAN FORUM CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS (Internal Document, Not for Public Release) Report dated August 31, 2006 Forum Co-Chairs: Dr. Pedro Aspe Hon. Peter Lougheed Hon. George Shultz Canadian Participants Col. Peter Atkinson Special Advisor to Chief of Defence Staff Hon. Perrin Beatty Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Mr. Peter M. Boehm Assistant Deputy Minister, North America Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Mr. Thomas d’Aquino Canadian Council of Chief Executives Hon. Stockwell Day Minister of Public Safety, Government of Canada Dr. Wendy Dobson The Institute for International Business Mr. N. Murray Edwards Edco Financial Holdings Ltd. Mr. Ward Elcock Deputy Minister of National Defence Mr. Bill Elliott Associate Deputy Minister, Public Safety Dr. John English The Cdn Centre for International Governance Innovation Mr. Brian Felesky Felesky Flynn LLP Mr. Richard L. George Suncor Energy Inc. Dr. Roger Gibbins Canada West Foundation Rear Adm Roger Girouard Commander Joint Task Force Pacific, Cdn Forces Major Gen Daniel Gosselin Director General, International Security Policy Mr. James K. Gray Canada West Foundation Mr. Fred Green Canadian Pacific Railway Mr. V. Peter Harder Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Paul J. Hill Harvard Developments Inc. General Rick Hillier Chief of the Defence Staff Mr. Pierre Marc Johnston Heenan Blaikie Mr. James Kinnear Pengrowth Corporation Mr. Harold N. Kvisle TransCanada Corporation Hon. John P. Manley McCarthy Tetrault LLP Mr. Ron Mannix Coril Holdings Ltd. Mr. Ron Mathison Matco Investments Hon. Anne McLellan Senior Counsel, Bennett Jones Hon. Greg Melchin Minister of Energy, Government of Alberta Ms.Sharon Murphy Chevron Canada Ms. Sheila O’Brien President, Corporate Director, Belvedere Investments Hon. Gordon O’Connor Minister of Defense, Government of Canada Mr. Berel Rodal International Center on Nonviolent Conflict Mr. Gordon Smith Chairman, The International Development Research Centre American Participants Ms. Deborah Bolton Political Advisor to Commander, US Northcom Mr. Ron T. Covais, President, The Americas, Lockheed Martin Corporation Sec. Kenneth W. Dam Max Pam Professor Emeritus of American & Foreign Law and Senior Lecturer, University of Chicago Law School Mr. Dan Fisk Senior Director, Western Hemisphere, National Security Council Sec. Ryan Henry Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Ms. Carla A. Hills Chairman & CEO, Hills & Co. Ms. Caryn Hollis DASD (Acting) Western Hemisphere Affairs Mr. Bill Irwin Manager - International Government Affairs; Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Chevron Corporation Mr. Robert G. James President, Enterprise Asset Management Inc. Admiral Tim Keating Commander, US Northern Command Mr. Floyd Kvamme Chair, President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology; Director, Centre for Global Security Res. Dr. Ronald F. Lehman II Director, Center for Global Security Research, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Mr. William W. McIlhenny Policy Planning Council for Western Hemisphere Affairs Dr. Peter McPherson President, National Association of State Universities & Land-Grant Colleges Ms. Doris Meissner Senior Fellow, Migration Policy Institute Dr. George Miller Director, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Mr. George Nethercutt Chairman, US Section of the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, US – Canada (Security) Mary Anastasia O’Grady Journalist for Wall Street Journal (Area Specialist) Dr. Robert A. Pastor Director, Center for North American Studies, American University, Washington, DC Dr. William Perry Co-Director, Preventive Defense Project Lt. Gen. Gene Renuart USAF Senior Military Assist. to Sec. Rumsfeld Mr. Eric Ruff Department of Defense Press Secretary Sec. Donald R. Rumsfeld Secretary of Defense, US Department of Defense Dr. James Schlesinger Former Sec. Of Energy & Defense Mr. William Schneider President, International Planning Services Sec. Clay Sell Deputy Secretary of Energy, US Dept. of Energy Dr. Thomas A. Shannon Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere A Dr. David G. Victor Director, Program on Energy & Sustainable Development, Center for Environmental Science & Policy Maj. Gen. Mark A Volcheff Director, Plans, Policy & Strategy, NORAD-NORTHCOM Ms. Jane Wales President & CEO, World Affairs Council of Northern California Mr. R. James Woolsey Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton Mexican Participants: Emb Andrés Rozental (Mexican Coordinator) – Mexican Council on Foreign Relations Silvia Hernández Former Senator and Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on North America Mario Molina 1995 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Fernando Chico Pardo CEO, Promecap Juan Gallardo CEO, Grupo GEUSA Gerónimo Gutiérrez Deputy Foreign Minister for North America Luis de la Calle Consultant. Former Deputy Minister of Economy Agustín Barrios Gómez Solutions Abroad Vinicio Suro PEMEX Eduardo Medina Mora Secretary of Public Security Carlos Heredia State Government of Michoacán Jaime Zabludowsky Consultant. Former trade negotiator Manuel Arango CEO, Grupo Concord Jorge Santibañez President, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte Luis Rubio CIDAC Mónica Serrano El Colegio de México, Señor Fellow Oxford University Arturo Sarukhan Coordinator of Int’l Affairs, Campaign of Felipe Calderon Juan Camilo Mouriño General Coordinator of President Elect’s transition team Ernesto Cordero Coordinator for Public Policy Issues Ambassadors/Consul General: Mr. Carlos de Icaza, Ambassador of Mexico to the United States Mr. Gaëtan Lavertu Ambassador of Canada to Mexico Ms. Maria Teresa Garcia Segovia de Madero, Ambassador of Mexico to Canada Mr. Thomas Huffaker U.S. Consul General in Calgary (on DOD’s list) Mr. John Dickson Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy in Ottawa (representing Ambassador of US to Canada) Mr. Colin Robertson Minister & Head, Washington Advocacy Secretariat, (representing Ambassador of Canada to US) ------------------------------------------------ Draft Detailed September 1, 2006 Agenda Internal Document North American Forum Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Banff, Alberta September 12-14, 2006 Under the Joint Chairmanship of: The Hon. George Shultz, Former U.S. Secretary of State The Hon. Pedro Aspe, Former Finance Minister of Mexico The Hon. Peter Lougheed, Former Premier of Alberta Continental Prosperity in the New Security Environment Session I: Opening comments by Messrs. Aspe, Lougheed and Shultz Session II: A Vision for North America: Issues and Options Session III: Toward a North American Energy Strategy Session IV: Opportunities for Security Cooperation in North America (Parts I and II) Session V: Demographic and Social Dimensions of North American Integration Session VI: Border Infrastructure and Continental Prosperity Session VII: Roundtable Conversation with the Co-Chairs Draft September 1, 2006 Agenda North American Forum The Fairmont Banff Springs Banff, Alberta, Canada September 12-14, 2006 Under the Joint Chairmanship of: The Hon. George Shultz, Former U.S. Secretary of State The Hon. Pedro Aspe, Former Finance Minister of Mexico The Hon. Peter Lougheed, Former Premier of Alberta Continental Prosperity in the New Security Environment Tuesday, September 12th 3:00 to Advance Registration 4:30 pm Location: Heritage Hall 5:00 pm Registration Location: Oval Room 5:45 pm Opening and Welcoming Reception Location: Conservatory in the Cascade Ballroom 6:45 pm Dinner & Keynote Address Location: Cascade Ballroom 8:00 pm Keynote Address – “Energy and Environment: a vision for North America” Dr. Mario Molina, 1995 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Wednesday, September 13th 7:30 am Continental Breakfast & Registration Location: Alhambra Room 8:15 am Keynote Address - Hon. Greg Melchin, Minister of Energy, Government of Alberta Q & A 8:45 – 9:00 a.m. 9:00 am SESSION I: OPENING COMMENTS BY MESSRS. SHULTZ, ASPE AND LOUGHEED Location: Alhambra Room SESSION II: A VISION FOR NORTH AMERICA: ISSUES & OPTIONS Location: Alhambra Room 9:30 am PANEL: Moderator: Dr. Thomas A. Shannon, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Panelists: Robert Pastor, Director, Center for North American Studies, American University Roger Gibbins, President & CEO, Canada West Foundation Andrés Rozental, Mexican Council on Foreign Relations 10:05 am ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION 10:45 am Break SESSION III: TOWARD A NORTH AMERICAN ENERGY STRATEGY Location: Alhambra Room 11:05 am REMARKS: Secretary Clay Sell, Deputy Secretary of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy 11:25 am PANEL: Moderator: N. Murray Edwards, Vice Chairman, Canadian Natural Resources Limited Panelists: Richard George, President & CEO, Suncor Energy Inc. David Victor, Director, Program on Energy & Sustainable Development, Center for Environmental Science & Policy Vinicio Suro, Planning & Evaluation Subdirector, PEMEX 12 noon ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION 12:45 pm Break 1:00 pm Lunch Location: Cascade Ballroom 1:30 pm Keynote Address: Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, US Department of Defense SESSION IV: OPPORTUNITIES FOR SECURITY COOPERATION IN NORTH AMERICA - Military-to-military cooperation Location: Alhambra Room 2:30 pm PANEL: Moderator: William J. Perry, former US Secretary of Defense Panelists: Admiral Tim Keating, Commander NORAD/USNORTHCOM Major General Daniel Gosselin, Director General, International Security Policy Gerónimo Gutiérrez, Undersecretary for North America, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 3:05 pm ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION 4:00 pm Break SESSION IV: OPPORTUNITIES FOR SECURITY COOPERATION IN NORTH AMERICA CONTINUED Location: Alhambra Room 4:15 pm PANEL: Moderator: William Schneider, President, International Planning Services Panelists: Ward Elcock, Deputy Minister of National Defence Eduardo Medina-Mora, Secretary of Public Safety Ryan Henry, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy 4:50 pm ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION 5:45 pm Wrap-up of daytime sessions 6:30 pm Reception Location: Conservatory in the Cascade Ballroom 7:00 pm Dinner & Keynote Address Location: Cascade Ballroom 8:10 pm Keynote Address - The Hon. Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, Government of Canada Thursday, September 14th 7:00 am Breakfast Location: Alhambra Room 7:15 am Keynote Address - Floyd Kvamme, Chairman, President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology Q & A – 7:40 to 8:00 a.m. SESSION V: DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF NORTH AMERICAN INTEGRATION Location: Alhambra Room 8:00 am PANEL: Moderator: Andrés Rozental, Mexican Council on Foreign Relations Panelists : Dr. Wendy Dobson, the Institute for International Business Carlos Heredia, Chief International Affairs Advisor to the Governor of the State of Michoacán in Mexico Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow, Migration Policy Institute 8:35 am ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION 9:30 am Break SESSION VI: BORDER INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONTINENTAL PROSPERITY Location: Alhambra Room 9:45 am PANEL: Moderator: Hon. John P. Manley, McCarthy Tetrault LLP Panelists: Thomas d’Aquino, Canadian Council of Chief Executives Carla Hills, Chairman & CEO, Hills & Co. Luis de la Calle, Consultor 10:20 am ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION 11:00 am SESSION VII: ROUNDTABLE CONVERSATION WITH THE CO-CHAIRS Location: Alhambra Room Moderator: Jane Wales, President and CEO, World Affairs Council of Northern California Presenters: George Shultz, Co-Chair, North American Forum Peter Lougheed, Co-Chair, North American Forum Pedro Aspe, Co-Chair, North American Forum 12:00 pm Adjourn 12:30 pm Informal lunch Location: Alhambra Room [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on September 20, 2006] Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=darkbeforedawn>darkbeforedawn</A> at: 9/24/06 1:10 pm

by JD » Sun Sep 24, 2006 7:47 pm

If true, this is a HUGE story. Might explain America's nonchalant attitude towards Mexican illegal immigration (ie they are all going to be "us" soon anyways...) The Canadian attendance is fascinating. Very heavily biased towards Alberta, and the energy industry in particular. I notice there are serious players from both the Liberal Party and the currently ruling Conservatives. The Conservatives have both long term "liberal" tories like Lougheed, and the new neocon variety currently in power. Quebecers would have an absolute FIT if this happened essentially without their representation. The documents available apparently came from Mel Hurtig, who is an old time Canadian Nationalist, and and time Liberal. Would appear that he hasn't sold out. Absolute silence from MSM from what I can see, with the exception of the local Banff paper. The text from its article is below: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ North American Forum held in secret at Banff Springs Hotel • U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld listed as keynote speaker; critics say presence of “war criminal” should have been announced By Aaron Paton Tuesday September 19, 2006 Aaron Doncaster holds the sign he carried around the Banff Springs protesting the conference that was scheduled to involve U.S. Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld. Brendan Nogue Banff Crag & Canyon A handful of Banff residents are outraged the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel hosted American political leaders in a series of secret meetings with political and business leaders from Canada, Mexico and the United States. And they’re suggesting the conference included a man some consider to be the most powerful man in America: U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. An internal document obtained by the Banff Crag & Canyon shows that Rumsfeld was scheduled to be a keynote speaker on Wednesday, Sept. 13, although no one at the hotel would confirm or deny that he was in Banff. Reported sightings of Rumsfeld couldn’t be confirmed by the Crag, but his speech was supposed to have been entitled: Opportunities for Security Co-operation in North America -- Military-to-military Co-operation. It was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Sgt. Wayne Wiebe of the Banff RCMP said he had heard that internationally protected persons (IPPs) like Rumsfeld may have been coming to Banff last week but increased police security was not requested by the Banff Springs. The 2006 North American Forum, entitled Continental Prosperity in the New Security Environment, was hosted by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives with help from the Canada West Foundation at the Springs from Sept. 12 to 14. The first North American Forum that happened in October, 2005 in Sonoma, Calif. was also kept secret. Banff taxi driver Chris Foote said he heard rumblings of Rumsfeld’s alleged visit soon after he noticed that a Mexican Flag had been placed atop the Banff Springs. “People should know if these people are getting together and talking,” Foote said. “(Canada, Mexico and America) have three conservative governments now and all of the sudden this is happening.” Foote, a former Green Party candidate in Wild Rose, added that whether or not Rumsfeld was in town, many people in Banff would be appalled that the Springs was supposedly hosting a man he termed a “war criminal,” and will protest at the Banff Springs on Monday, Sept. 25 at 3 p.m. Former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed co-chaired the event alongside former U.S. secretary of state George Shultz and former Mexican finance minister Pedro Aspe. Canadians scheduled to attend included Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day, Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier and Alberta Energy Minister Greg Melchin. American invitees included Rumsfeld, his assistant, Lt. Gen. Gene Renuart and former secretary of energy and defence James Schlesinger. The list also includes businessmen such as Roger Gibbins, president and CEO of Canada West Foundation, and Ron T. Covais, president of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, which is the largest weapons manufacturer in the United States. Topics included “A Vision for North America,” “A North American Energy Strategy,” “Demographic and Social Dimensions of North American Integration,” and “Opportunities for Security Co-operation.” John Larsen, spokesman for the North American Forum, said that the public was not notified of the closed and private meeting and would not confirm or deny that Rumsfeld or anyone else was in attendance. He said he did not know who paid for the forum. “There are all kinds of conferences going on at the Banff Springs that draw illuminaries and if those conferences are private in nature then I think we also have to respect that these people, by nature of the offices that they hold, still have a right to a certain degree of privacy,” Larsen said. He added that the meetings are not meant to be secret and that individuals are allowed to say if they attended the forum. “People that are relatively senior in business… if they’re going to come to these things and put their open and frank discussions on the table in order for those conversations to be as fruitful as possible they want to think that there’s some (confidentiality). “You can imagine that if this was all televised or open to public scrutiny, the nature of the conversations and ultimately what you would be able to do with those conversations and how far you might be able to advance the solutions around it would be different.” The only media member invited to the event was the Wall Street Journal’s Mary Anastasia O’Grady, according to the list of participants provided to the Crag. Banff resident Aaron Doncaster heard that Rumsfeld may have been coming last week and handed out pamphlets to customers and hotel workers at the Banff Springs soon after the event had ended. “It disturbs me because he’s got a lawsuit against him from the American Civil Liberties Association for the torture and abuse of prisoners of war in U.S. military custody,” Doncaster said. He added that the public should have been notified of the forum regardless of Rumsfeld’s presence in Banff. “Protesters have a right to be heard,” Doncaster said. “That’s the most democratic way we can show our disapproval of our elected officials.” A peaceful protest will be held outside the Banff Springs Hotel next Monday, Sept.25 at 3 p.m. on the sidewalk of Spray Avenue. The pamphlet advertising says “We are protesting the Banff Springs Hotel’s involvement in this crime of treason against Canadian, American and Mexican Citizens.” Banff Springs spokesperson Lori Grant said it’s against the hotel’s policy to talk about any meetings or guests at the hotel. “In Canada we have the right to protest, so they can,” Grant said. All documents obtained by the Crag were obtained from Canadian publisher and politician Mel Hurtig. He’s the author of political writings such as The Betrayal of Canada, The Vanishing Country and Rushing to Armageddon. “It’s astonishing that there could be such an important meeting of so many high-level people from government and other organizations where apparently the desire was to not let the public know about these meetings,” Hurtig said. “All Canadians had best be concerned about the purpose of this conference and what went on at the conference. “The fact that they’re having these meetings in secret is of even greater concern.” Stockwell Day and Peter Lougheed did not immediately return phone calls but the office of Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Harper was not in Banff last week. Rumours circulating in Banff said the hotel’s fourth floor was taken up by the conference and that many of its attendees showed up in the middle of the night in buses.

by **greencrow0** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 8:11 pm

I've been following this story for some time via Alex Jones who reports regularly on it...although I've not read anything about this latest meeting. Yes, this is definitely a wet dream of the neo-cons...did you see the map showing the big highway that's going to be started next year? It will run all the way from the Mexican border, through Texas right up to Manitoba and then split off east and west. Nobody seems to be for it except the neocon/elite. I know the Obradorian Mexicans aren't for it...it's one of their gripes. It's a resource grab...plain and simple. gc

by **greencrow0** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 8:23 pm

<a href="http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/july2006/260706rfidcard.htm">www.prisonplanet.com/arti...idcard.htm</a> the story from Alex Jones...scroll down for a map of the 'Super Highway' gc

by **greencrow0** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 11:31 am

<a href="http://infowars.com/articles/nwo/north_american_students_trained_for_merger.htm">infowars.com/articles/nwo...merger.htm</a> This Deep Integration is supposed to be in full throttle by 2010. My Question: Why Do WE have to be the ones who integrate with the US...why not some OTHER country [like Israel]? Oh, I forgot location, location, location <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/embarassed.gif ALT=":o">

by **greencrow0** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 6:33 am

<a href="http://infowars.com/articles/nwo/spp_docs_reveal_bush_cfr_admin_coup.htm">infowars.com/articles/nwo...n_coup.htm</a> With a whimper....not a bang! gc

by **terryintacoma** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 7:10 am

The cable news networks actually had a hold of this story one day, maybe a couple months ago. (I'd been reading about it on the David Icke website myself.) One reporter asked the whitehouse for a response and they acted like "It's no big secret. It's right there on the whitehouse website." I haven't heard anything since. They dropped it real fast and went back to swat-teams hunting vicious killers in the woods of uhhhh... Flordia probably.

by **greencrow0** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 11:31 am

Yes, terry, the biggest facet of this story is the non-response by the media. This is what I call a 'sneak attack' of civilians or a 'stealth attack'. Then when it's a fait accompli...they'll say...hey we told you about this and your governments consented. This was agreed to by the governments Years ago. That's why we need a vigilent press...which of course we don't have. gc

by **greencrow0** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 8:44 pm

from rabble.ca Harper's pride tied to military muscle It was not until recently that Harper revealed his disdain for Canada's three decades of peacekeeping. by Murray Dobbin September 28, 2006 It is alarming for many Canadians to watch Stephen Harper, the head of a minority government with the support of fewer than 40 per cent of citizens, turn Canada into a nation of war. But that is what is happening. The roots of Harper's preference for war go to the core of his view of government: maintaining a strong, war-fighting armed forces is one of the few roles that Harper believes government should have. He is fighting a war against a battle-hardened and determined enemy in one of the most the most fiercely independent nations on earth. The complexity of Afghan society confounds all but a few who would try to understand it. Yet, for Stephen Harper, understanding Afghanistan seems almost irrelevant. But it is relevant because this is a war that Canada and the West cannot win, any more than Britain and the Soviets could before us. And Canada will share disproportionately in its ultimate loss in terms of dead and wounded, billions of dollars wasted and our international reputation sullied for a long time to come. It will go down in history as one of our country's biggest foreign policy disasters. Stephen Harper's contempt for Canada and what it became in the decades following the Second World War is firmly on the record. Most of his comments — his sneering dismissal of our egalitarianism and sense of community — relate to social programs like medicare. He once declared Canada “...a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its...social services to mask its second-rate status.” It was not until recently that he revealed his disdain for Canada's three decades of peacekeeping. In a CBC interview conducted as Parliament resumed sitting this month, Harper showed that he relished the fact that Canadian soldiers were war-fighting, and dismissed Canada's peacekeeping history as virtual cowardice: “For a lot of the last 30 or 40 years, we were the ones hanging back.” He even mused that the deaths of Canadian soldiers were a boost for the military — cathartic after years of not being able to kill or die like real soldiers. “I can tell you it's certainly engaged our military. It's, I think, made them a better military notwithstanding — and maybe in some way because of — the casualties.” Utterly blind to how the rest of the world sees the conflict in Afghanistan, Harper told the CBC that Canada's role in Afghanistan is “...certainly raising Canada's leadership role, once again, in the United Nations and in the world community.” You have only to look at Harper's history and his government's “five priorities” to understand why he would get Canada and himself deeper into a conflict he cannot win. For five years in the middle of his political career, Harper was with the National Citizens Coalition, an extreme right-wing organization that was founded by an insurance company millionaire explicitly to fight public medicare. Its slogan is “More freedom through less government.” It is virtually impossible for Stephen Harper to recognize Canadian leadership in any field — such as medicare — that he believes Canada should not be involved in. For the Conservative prime minister, the Afghanistan conflict may be literally the first time that Canada has shown real leadership in decades. Stephen Harper can finally be proud of Canada, now that we are making war. It does not even matter to him that more question the country's commitment to the increasingly distorted mission in Afghanistan (49 per cent) than support the mission (38 per cent). Embarrassed for years about living in a socialist country, Harper can now hold his head high where it counts: in Calgary and Washington, D.C. Four of Harper's five priorities following the last election reflect his “less government” imperative. Cutting taxes is critical to creating “less government” because so long as you have robust revenue (even surpluses), citizens will expect you to deliver those things they desire. Combatting crime is one of the “core” activities of Canada for Harper and all neo-cons. While priority number three, cleaning up government, is a noble cause, many experts on the effective running of government say that aspects of his huge Accountability Act will serve to paralyze the federal government. His “child care” grants were transparently designed to ensure that government would not be involved in the provision of child care at all. In the secretive and tightly controlled world of the Harper government, it isn't always easy to determine who Harper is listening to for advice. But his disdain for government and his enormous intellectual arrogance suggest that bureaucrats, including civilian military officials and the diplomatic corps, are not high on his list. These are the people who would have tried to give Harper an objective analysis of how the Afghanistan conflict was going back in February when he took over as prime minister. But given that they were part of a military establishment that was responsible for the peacekeeping culture he detested, he was unlikely to listen to any cautionary advice. They were part of the problem, not part of the solution. He was much more likely to listen to those running the U.S. (whom he has admired to the point of worship for many years) and to those Canadian generals who were also rejecting the peacekeeping culture. In fact, Harper's predecessor Paul Martin had already signalled a political change. Jean Chrétien warned about military demands for money: “It's never enough...They all need more and they all have plans for more.” But Martin eagerly listened to the war generals and to Bay Street who also supported a stronger military integrated into the U.S. war machine. Already the seventh-highest spender in NATO at nearly $14 billion, Martin added $12.8 billion over five years. Conservatives will top that by a further $5.3 billion, putting spending much higher than at any time during the Cold War. Both Martin and Harper were bending over backwards to please George Bush. U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci, in 2002, made a remarkable admission: the only order he received from the White House when he was appointed was to get Canada to dramatically increase military spending. It isn't just the money, it's how it will be spent. As defence analyst Steven Staples points out: “Without billions of dollars, the military can't afford to buy the high-tech weaponry required for joint operations with the Americans, the most lethal and technologically advanced fighting force in history...Defence spending fuels military integration [with the U.S].” Harper is even more committed to the idea of fully integrated armed forces as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership, a formal integration agreement between the three NAFTA countries that will see huge areas of government policy “harmonized,” including energy, water, drug testing, security, immigration and refugees and more. But military integration is the key to other areas of continental integration — such as open borders — that Canadian corporations want. “Security trumps trade,” Paul Cellucci said repeatedly in lobbying other political parties and Bay Street against Chrétien's refusal to increase the military budget. They won the money battle, but that's not enough. As Staples says: “Afghanistan is the proving ground for Canada-U.S. military integration.” Which is partly why Harper extended the mission for two years and is so determined — against history, against logic and in cynical betrayal of Canadian soldiers, to “win.” Murray Dobbin writes from Vancouver. This column has appeared in The Tyee. This the first in a three-part series. Next: How the West destroyed Afghanistan. ========================= Not with a bang...but a whimper. gc

by **jingofever** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 9:27 pm

"Harper is even more committed to the idea of fully integrated armed forces as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership, a formal integration agreement between the three NAFTA countries that will see huge areas of government policy “harmonized,” including energy, water, drug testing, security, immigration and refugees and more." This should cause people to cross Canada off their list of places to dodge a draft. Does Canada have any other conceivable refugee problems?

by **greencrow0** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 11:42 pm

Yes, If I were trying to avoid the military draft I would definitely NOT come to Canada. I am starting to think about Harper....I would like to know a bit more about his background....Like....did he ever take any 'training' in the US....<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/glasses.gif ALT="8)"> and such. gc

by JD » Sun Oct 01, 2006 2:24 pm

His brother is nice in an Asperger's Syndrome nerdy kinda fashion. Apparently in the workplace his brother raises the roof by being completely clueless in how to deal with other people. This all happened before Stephen hit it big so is not a function of little brother being too big for his britches. More Asperger like behaviour IMO. His brother looks up to Stephen in a big way. Had lots of interesting things to say about the relationship between Stephen and Preston Manning. Basically they got to dislike each other very much. Apparently Stephen's wife is pretty cool lady; I have mutual friends. Hard working and very smart. She coaches Stephen a lot on how to socially behave, dress, etc. She needs to do more of it LOL. Harper is VERY intelligent. No doubt about it. It remains to be seen how good of leader he is; you can't run a gov't on your brains no matter how smart you are. You need to harness the collective genius of the team around you and that takes a leader. I've only talked with Stephen a few minutes; run into him while he was waiting at the courthouse when he was with the NCC appealing some decision. I was more fascinated by the attendance of Anne Mcllelan and Murray Edwards at the integration meeting. This is liberal blue-blood at a neocon fest. Edwards in particular is interesting. An Alberta Liberal. One of the richest men in Canada. Most powerful oilman in Canada; and one of the most powerful men period. There are lots of stories about him I won't regale; some of them are true. I will say that Edwards is a very impressive guy. I wouldn't be surpised to see Edwards stepping up to a national leadership role in a few years; maybe running the privy council or something. Unlikely as Prime Minister.

by **greencrow0** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 3:47 pm

Hi JD thanks for the background. I hear he's a religious fundie...do you know anything about that? I wonder if he ever spent any length of time in the states... <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/glasses.gif ALT="8)"> gc

by JD » Sun Oct 01, 2006 4:07 pm

I don't think he is a fundie; that was part of the issue he had with Manning who is a fundie. I don't think he did spend time in the States either. No I think the Canadians that are excited to get into Union with the US are pumped up without neocon mind control techniques being applied to them. The question is; why TF are they so excited to give up Canada?

Americas' "deep integration" planned at secret con

Americas' "deep integration" planned at secret con

WOW!

Re: WOW!

Re: WOW!

NA University Students being trained for NA 'Parliament'

Latest Update on 'Deep Integration'

Re: Latest Update on 'Deep Integration'

Re: Latest Update on 'Deep Integration'

Canada's Afghanistan venture...towards integration

RE: Canada's Afghanistan venture...towards integration

Re: RE: Canada's Afghanistan venture...towards integration

Don't Know too much about Steven.......

Re: Don't Know too much about Steven.......

Why TF?

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