[cacruden]

North America should become a secure single trading unit, task force says


WASHINGTON (CP) - Canada, the United States and Mexico should become a single trading space surrounded by a strong security barrier to ensure North America's prosperity, an independent task force says.

In a statement to be released Monday, the tri-national task force, which includes former Canadian deputy prime minister John Manley, said the plan should include a three-country border pass with biometric identifiers so people can move around easily. A common external tariff on goods would erase regulatory differences and ease congestion at ports, said the statement, and more defence and police co-operation would increase safety.

There should also be a more efficient way to solve trade disputes under NAFTA to prevent expensive battles like those over softwood lumber and beef, said the brief report, released as leaders of the three countries prepare to meet next week in Texas.

"We propose a community based on the premise that each member benefits from its neighbor's success and is diminished by its problems," said the task force, also chaired by Pedro Aspe, former Mexican treasury secretary and former Massachusetts governor William Weld.

"The boundaries of the community would be defined by a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter. Within this area, the movement of people and products would be legal, orderly and safe."

The idea is not to create another European union with a huge bureaucracy, said the statement, but to develop more collaboration among three sovereign countries.

Among the recommendations:

-Expand the North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) to include maritime security.

-Create a tri-national threat intelligence centre and jointly train officers from the three countries.

-Develop a strategy to protect North American energy supplies and common conservation measures.

-Establish a North American investment fund to help Mexico's economy.

-Expand scholarship and exchange programs and a network for North American studies.

-Make next week's three-country summit an annual event and establish a North American advisory council to monitor progress on decisions.

Many of the sweeping suggestions about closer collaboration will be a hard sell at next week's meeting between President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Paul Martin and Mexico's Vicente Fox.

The agenda is focused on security, environment and public health issues.

Still, Fox has suggested they work on expanding NAFTA and Martin is particularly interested in finding a way to solve trade problems before they end up as legal battles.

 

[bizorky]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

Oh well, so much for global-mindedness. Up go the walls.




Tintinnuntius meus sonat!

 

[cacruden]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

Here's the release:

Council on Foreign Relations Press Release

And here's the full 15-page statement in pdf format:

Creating a North American Community

Lowing tarifs to the lowest of the three countries -- sounds like a lower wall in this case :b

 

[samplain]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

The North American model is much different then S. America or Europe, cause there's only one big power. There are no others to keep it in check. For this reason, Canada or Mexico would be almost subject to whatever policies US believes is correct.

Even on an American perspective, dealing with 2 other lesser thans may not be positive.

 

[andreapalladio]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

The Globe story on this also mention that the recommendations called for harmonization of immigration and refugee policies, which kill the whole idea for me right there. Why should we let our refugee policy be dictated by the Chimp in Chief.

 

[unimaginative2]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

Our model would be a country with the most hypocritical immigration policy in the world. Maintain tight laws on the books to keep most people out, while looking the other way as millions of illegal immigrants pour across the southern border to be exploited for cheap labour without any protection from labour laws.

 

[shawnmicallef]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

I wish we could join Europe.

 

[afransen TO]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

Me too, shawn.

Yielding more sovereignty to Washington would be stupid. And that is what it would be, too. Washington would dictate policy on immigration, trade, security, etc. to Canada and Mexico. To call it a collaboration is a ridiculous joke.

So very, very stupid. Why are people so obsessed with the idea that yielding our sovereignty to the USA as the key to untold riches. Hate to break it those people, but the USA isn't going to be a wellspring of wealth forever. We should really be focussing on increasing trade with the rest of the world, especially the up-and-comers (China, India, South America, and Europe).

NAFTA has already not done much to help Canada. We have less defense against American protectionism than ever (they already hold all the cards on energy policy, etc.), and American corporations dictate government policy on a wide range of issues via Chapter 11. To boot, our standard of living hasn't exactly grown stupendously since NAFTA came into effect. Where are the benefits? We gave up so much, and gained so little.

 

[ganjavih]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

What's with Manley? He criticises Martin for acting like Washington lapdog while running against him and then he periodically comes up with ideas like this.

What a fruit.

 

[cacruden]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

"NAFTA has already not done much to help Canada. We have less defense against American protectionism than ever (they already hold all the cards on energy policy, etc.), and American corporations dictate government policy on a wide range of issues via Chapter 11. To boot, our standard of living hasn't exactly grown stupendously since NAFTA came into effect. Where are the benefits? We gave up so much, and gained so little."

* Since 1989, Canada-U.S. trade has nearly tripled from $235.2 billion to $677.8 billion in 2002. In 2002, the U.S. accounted for 80.8 percent of Canada's total exports, up from 71.1 percent in 1989.

* Merchandise exports to the U.S. expanded by 250 percent since 1989 to reach $345.4 bil-lion in 2002 and account for 87.2 percent of Canada's total merchandise exports. Imports from the U.S. grew by 150 percent over the same period to reach $218.3 billion which contributed to Canada's $127.1 billion merchandise trade surplus with the U.S.

* The NAFTA is the world's largest trade bloc with a gross domestic product (GDP), at present, of US$11.4 trillion, about one-third of the world's total and seven percentage points more than that of the European Union (E.U.).

* $1.9 billion of goods and services crosses the Canada-U.S. border every day, making the Canada-U.S. trade relationship the largest in the world.

* The U.S. economy is also heavily dependent on trade and investment linkages with Canada; this dependence has increased over the past decade as production in each country has become increasingly interdependent. Canada is the most important destination for exports from 39 U.S. states and the number one supplier of energy, including oil, to that country.

 

[cacruden]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

"What's with Manley? He criticises Martin for acting like a shington's lapdog while running against him and then he periodically comes up with ideas like this."

First, Manley was always one of the most pro-American Liberals (in Cabinet at least). The "criticism" was all politics, trying to show his "liberal" side to the left wing of the party.

The overall direction that this report is taking -- is to ensure an open border -- reduce delays at the border -- of which half our entire GDP is reliant on (directly or indirectly).

These are two of the items that Manley considered when working on the report (DFAIT):

"The susceptibility of Canada-U.S. trade to increased security and delays at the border is one of the most challenging aspects to Canadian trade policy over the medium term."

"Services are a relatively small and declining share of Canada-U.S. trade; however, this is mostly due to a rapid increase in merchandise trade rather than to poor performance of services, which expanded at an average annual rate of 8.8 percent for exports and 6.5 per-cent for imports between 1989 and 2002."

This is why the common security perimeter and immigration and refugee standards were on the table (and a fund to help southern Mexico). The target is to open up the borders to total labour mobility (legal labour) within NAFTA.

 

[spmarshall]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

Yeah, Manley's a real nutcase.

Let's see - Europe has three big economies - UK, France, Germany, with several other middleweights - such as Italy and Spain. Not one country has the ability to boss anyone else around. More US-centric "harmonization" will be the equivalent of lumping Germany with Slovakia and the Czech Republic and calling that an economy of equals.

The US wants our resources, especially if there aren't Wyoming ranchers or Idaho lumberjacks crying foul about unfair subsidies or risks that aren't really there. That means oil and water, people. That's what it seems to be about to me.

 

[cacruden]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

"Our model would be a country with the most hypocritical immigration policy in the world. Maintain tight laws on the books to keep most people out, while looking the other way as millions of illegal immigrants pour across the southern border to be exploited for cheap labour without any protection from labour laws."

There is probably 10+ million illegal immigrants in the United States. The majority of these illegal immigrants are from Mexico. The recommendations contained within this report is moving towards total labour mobility within NAFTA. It is not something that will happen overnight, but the end result will be that many of those that are illegal in the United States will become legal.

Laws in the United States in regards are tighter than they are in Canada -- because most people immigrating here -- prefer to immigrate to the United States. In fact 70% of our undocumented refugee claimants -- come up through the United States (which is why we pushed for an agreement in that area -- so that the country they first landed in -- was where they applied for refugee status). A large part of the "refugees" that are in the system -- are not refugees -- but people coming here for economic reasons.

 

[cacruden]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

"I wish we could join Europe."

Funny, when I was living in England -- I heard a number of people opine about prefering to be part of NAFTA. Of course I thought that was really stupid -- people just not thinking pratically. Englands place is in the EU, Canada's place is in NAFTA.

 

[BrianHawkins1]

Re: North America should become a secure single trading unit

" 'Fortress America' sparks new fears"


Secure border would be shared
Critics fear loss of resource control

TIM HARPER
WASHINGTON BUREAU

Mar. 15, 2005

www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs...8793972154


WASHINGTON—Canadians are being offered a new vision of a Fortress North America in which the continent is wrapped in a security perimeter from the Arctic all the way to the Guatemalan border.

A trilateral commission yesterday unveiled a series of proposals which also urge Ottawa, Washington and Mexico City to create a high-tech, biometric security system to speed passage of law-abiding travellers across borders that would ultimately diminish in importance, much as they have in the countries of the European Union.

The commission calls for trilateral threat-intelligence centres and would jointly train law enforcement agents in the three countries. It would also expand NORAD with an eye to Mexico's defence and even swap bureaucrats among the countries' respective homeland security departments.

The report, written for the U.S.-based Council on Foreign Relations, an independent but influential organization that specializes in the study of international affairs, is the work of Canada's former deputy prime minister John Manley, American William Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts, and Pedro Aspe, a former Mexican finance minister.

"The security of North America is indivisible," Manley said, stressing in an interview that the commission hopes to influence the trilateral summit taking place in Texas March 23.

Manley said the task force wants to challenge Prime Minister Paul Martin, U.S. President George W. Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox to look beyond details and "think big ... show some vision."

But the report set off alarm bells in Canada, where critics immediately branded it as a push to surrender Canadian control over its resources and an abdication of sovereign decision-making, while succumbing to America's security agenda.

While Manley said Washington would not necessarily dictate the terms of any continental agreement, Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan said it would be "irresponsible" for Ottawa to turn over information to Washington on a wholesale basis.

When Martin and Fox meet Bush at the summit next week, continental security is expected to be near the top of the agenda.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week raised again the spectre of Al Qaeda terrorists seeking entry to the U.S. from Canada as well as Mexico. And Washington is also concerned with the smuggling of high-potency marijuana across the 49th parallel.

But the three co-chairs are also advocating unprecedented integration at a time when relations between Mexico and Washington, and Ottawa and Washington, have significantly cooled over a series of irritants. For America, these have involved immigration and drug violence to the south, and missile defence and trade to the north.

One of the task force's most contentious proposals is a call for the three governments to work together on a North American energy strategy that would safeguard supplies for the continent, looking specifically at the security of infrastructure to guard against terrorists blowing up pipelines.

Canada already supplies the U.S. with more than 95 per cent of its imported natural gas and 100 per cent of its imported electricity.

In Calgary, Martin said North American security is just as important to Canada as it is to the United States.

"Sept. 11 changed the world and we don't think Canada is immune, and we obviously take security very, very seriously," Martin said.

McLellan, who followed Manley in the post, said her government has worked with Washington step-by-step on security concerns, and that's the way it intends to proceed.

"Where it makes sense for us to share systems, share information, and work together in identifying those high-risk goods ... high-risk people, we will continue to do so," she said. "Anything else would be irresponsible."

NDP Leader Jack Layton said in an interview the energy proposals could mean Canada would give up the right to determine where its natural gas supplies would go in the event of a shortage.

"We would lose our right to control supplies for our needs first," he said. "This would not be right for Canada to jump holus-bolus into an agreement that gives Washington the right to direct supplies of natural gas."

He said Canadians should be asking some tough questions about any continental agreement because it was hard to see how any deal could be brokered on a level playing field.

"This is not Europe, where you have countries of comparable size with comparable economies," Layton cautioned.

The three co-chairs say they would like to see these sweeping changes instituted within five years.

"It took five years to fight World War II," Weld said. "We can harmonize a few government departments in that time."

Manley went on to challenge the three leaders to be "architects of the future, rather than custodians of the past."

He said those worried about planes again being flown into buildings are still fighting "the last war" when they should be focused on risks such as a dirty bomb in a suitcase, or the cargo container the countries do not have the means to inspect.

"The U.S. will not be safe without the whole-hearted support of its neighbours," Manley said.

Instead, he hopes the countries will move beyond the border accord he negotiated with former homeland security chief Tom Ridge to integrate visa regulations, asylum laws, more sharing of information on those entering and exiting the countries and providing speed passes to frequent travellers to ease long lines at airports and land border crossings.

That could include joint "border authorities" modelled after binational panels which oversee the Great Lakes, Manley said.

Maude Barlow, president of the Council of Canadians, called the Manley plan a call for "an unprecedented surrender of Canadian sovereignty."

"This is very clear that this is to satisfy a George W. Bush security agenda," she said.

"I think it is deplorable that big business on both sides of the border are continuing to exploit security fears to push the Bush agenda."

She said that under the Manley plan, all Canadian resources, including water, would be at risk, that the Canadian health-care system could not be protected, and that a refugee coming to Canada with no intention of ever going to the United States would still be subject to Washington's approval.

Barlow said it was important for Canadians to remember that Manley wants to become prime minister, so this task force cannot be dismissed as the agenda simply of big business.

Manley warned the rest of the world is not waiting for North America to get its act together.

Instead, with China and India emerging as economic and potential military powers and the European Union having coalesced around a common currency and few inner border controls, it's time for North America to look at what it wants to be in 2010, Manley said.

Weld said bureaucrats in all three countries who want to move incrementally have their "heads in the sand" and would fight these proposals with "every last drop of their blood."

It's time to "downgrade" internal borders within the continent, Weld said, and an external security perimeter could extend as far as North American-bound passengers embarking in a country like Hong Kong.

"It's not armed guards on the beaches," he said.

Manley said the U.S. cannot be made to feel safe merely by increased security at the Canada-U.S. border, where delays are already too long and federal agents are asked to enforce some 50 different pieces of legislation.

"We have to recognize we are in a common North American community," he said.

Robert Pastor, an American co-chair and the vice-president of international affairs at Washington's American University, said it was no longer enough to have meetings with the head of the U.S. homeland security and his Canadian counterpart, but time to have the departments "twin personnel" or exchange officials with each other.

"Canadians thinking of an alliance with Mexico is a problem," Pastor said.

"Some of that is changing and more and more people are seeing the advantage of having Mexico at the table.

"Canadians are always concerned about getting the attention of the U.S., but if you bring Mexico to the table, you get double or triple the attention in Washington," he said.

With files from Sean Gordon