Security and Prosperity Partnership Meeting: Will it Affect You?

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This meeting is the fourth meeting. The first first meeting took place March 23 2005 in Waco, Texas. At that time President Bush, Mexican President Vincente Fox, and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin agreed to set up the SPP.

In the second meeting in Cancun in March 2006

"the leaders promised to "co-ordinate, advise and consult on issues of joint concern."

The third meeting was just about checking in.

What do the three countries say the purpose of the meeting is?

"In a rapidly changing world, we must develop new avenues of cooperation that will make our open societies safer and more secure, our businesses more competitive, and our economies more resilient,"

According to the leaders the North American partnership is committing to reach the highest results to advance the security and well- being of their people.

As part of their efforts to protect North America from external threats, to prevent and respond to threats within North America, and to streamline legitimate cross-border trade and travel, the three countries will implement common border-security strategies, enhance infrastructure protection, implement a common approach to emergency response, implement improvements to aviation and maritime security, enhance intelligence partnerships, combat transnational threats, and implement a border-facilitation strategy.

Their goal also is to raise the competitiveness and improve the quality of life in North America. They want to reduce the costs of trade and improve the environment by making people more aware of the things that need to be done.

The text of the joint statement, that was released by the White House can be found here

How do Canadians think this will affect them?

Those in Canada who oppose the SPP believe the United States is wanting to have the control of the resources of Canada and Mexico.

The SPP is "quite literally about eliminating Canada's ability to set independent regulatory standards, environmental protection, energy security, foreign, military, immigration and a frighteningly wide range of other policies," according to the Council of Canadians, an anti-SPP group.

Council of Canadians National Chairperson Maude Barlow wrote,

"the decisions that Harper, Bush and Calderon make on Aug. 20 and 21 will affect the food we eat, the air we breathe and the human rights and civil liberties we enjoy."

Dana Gabriel, author of the New World Order Must Be Stopped, states the SPP wants to remove the barriers and to have access to both Canada's and Mexico's natural resources. He believes the purpose is for U.S. corporations to have more control over their gas and oil reserves.

What are some concerns for those in the U.S.A.?

Some of the fears are the U.S. are it will lose its sovereignty. With a North American Union each country will have to have the approval of the other two countries to enact any new policies.

It is also felt by some in the U.S. that it is a scheme to do away with borders so the U.S. will have control for U.S. corporations to control the trade and capital flows for their gain.

Something not very well known is those who support the North American Union idea slipped something into the defeated immigration reform act. It was mostly not noticed because of the disagreements that did defeat the bill. This statement was in the bill,

"It is the sense of Congress that the United States and Mexico should accelerate the implementation of the Partnership for Prosperity to help generate economic growth and improve the standard of living in Mexico."

The bill was to boost the economy of Mexico with the support of the U.S. by strengthening their education and training programs. It was to give better health care to

"poor and underserved" people in Mexico

. The U.S. would also assist to

"establish a program with the private sector to cover the health care needs of Mexican nationals temporarily employed in the United States."

According to Dr. Jerome Corsi, author of The Late Great USA

"This was the first attempt by the SPP to go public, and it failed. They thought nobody would notice. They were wrong."

Many from the U.S. who oppose the SPP fear their immigration and labor policies will be forfeited to the decisions of the other countries, especially Mexico.

There is a lack of openness about what is going on in these meetings that gives fear to Canadians and Americans. Without openness it makes people wonder just what goals the governments have and what will be the outcome of these meetings.