NDP trade Critic Peter Julian tabled a motion on February 12 in the House of Commons that would make the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) working groups more accountable. Some might recall that it was because of Julian's efforts that the Standing Committee on International Trade held hearings on the SPP last year in Canada.
In his recent motion Julian said, “the government should ensure that Parliament is informed and consulted on the progress of each of the working groups of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America by mandating that each working group file with Parliament a quarterly report to be reviewed by the appropriate standing committee, which should include information on each working group meeting, specific issues discussed, status report on existing objectives, projects and agendas, including any new additional actions or projects decided on by the working groups, and an account of which stakeholders were consulted.”
Upwards of 20 working groups along with over 300 agencies are quietly and with little or no scrutiny harmonizing regulations, writing policy initiative, and recommendations. They are integrating our laws into a North American structure, and by engaging in policy making they must be made more accountable. All to often, their activities go unnoticed without any proper public or governmental oversight.
It is in the shadows that a North American Union is being forged by unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats working side by side with the business elite. The whole SPP process lacks transparency, and this motion tabled by the NDP will hopefully shed more light on the working groups. The North American Union is being created incrementally, expanding upon NAFTA and using the SPP as its framework.
While the NDP should be applauded for their efforts, this is just another step in exposing and defeating this agenda. A North American Union is being created, and it is the working groups that are laying the foundation for deeper integration. The only way to stop this agenda is to walk away from it, disband the working groups, and cancel any harmonization that might have already taken place.
This is a greed-driven agenda, and if completed, it will represent the complete corporate takeover of North America, the end of our borders, sovereignty, and another step towards global governance. Ultimately it should be the people of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico who decide on a North American Union.
