USMCA / NAFTA
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U.S., Mexico, and Canada Sign ‘Progressive’ USMCA Regional Government Scheme
Mexican senator says judges on USMCA bi-nation panels will have ‘regional jurisdiction’
The New American, Dec 11, 2019 – [Senator Ricardo Monreal Ávila of Mexico’s socialist National Regeneration Movement, known by its Spanish acronym MORENA] didn’t waste any time in touting the supranational nature of the USMCA. “It will now be easier to establish panels of regional jurisdiction, or with regional jurisdiction, composed of judges from both countries that address all types of differences that may arise on any subject covered by the treaty,” Monreal proclaimed.
The “regional jurisdiction” Monreal described would operate outside the established judicial systems or courts of Mexico, the United States, and Canada and not be subject them — thus potentially subordinating U.S. citizens and companies to these panels in the event of a dispute — much like NAFTA’s international dispute settlement mechanisms or “NAFTA courts.”
….On the subject of integration, Freeland added, “These amendments will ensure that rules-based trade between our three countries will continue to support the economic prosperity of all of our people and the global competitiveness of North America as a region.” (Emphasis added.) In other words, the USMCA is not intended to strengthen the individual competitiveness of Canada, the United States, and Mexico as independent sovereign nations, but as an amalgamated “region,” similar to the European Union’s Eurozone or common market.
R-CALF USA says beef industry ‘ignored’ in USMCA agreement, urges Congress to vote against
No restoration of country-of origin labels (COOL) on imported beef
DRGNews (Dakota Radio Group, South Dakota), Dec 11, 2019 – R-CALF USA, the nation’s largest producer-only cattle trade association that lobbies on behalf of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers released the following statements following announcement of an agreement between House Democrats and the White House on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
“Once again the House of Representatives and the White House have reached an agreement on a measure that will provide windfall profits for Agribusiness giants at the expense of America’s hard-working cattle farmers and ranchers….
“In fact, the new USMCA is worse than the old NAFTA because at least for several years during the old NAFTA American cattle farmers and ranchers received the tool they needed to finally compete against the growing volume of cheaper imported beef and cattle from Canada and Mexico. From 2013 through 2015, mandatory country-of-origin labels for beef empowered America’s cattle producers to finally begin competing against this growing tide of cheaper, undifferentiated foreign beef.
“We’ve asked Congress and the President to, at the very least, restore mandatory country-of-origin labels (COOL) so American cattle farmers and ranchers could compete against the duty-free, cheaper and undifferentiated cattle and beef flowing into our country and depressing our markets.
“We’ve been ignored.
“We should now expect the downward trends caused by NAFTA to continue, if not accelerate, under the USMCA.
Moving Jobs to Mexico Was a Feature, Not a Bug, of NAFTA
By Dean Baker, FAIR, Dec 4, 2019 – The Washington Post (11/21/19) gave readers the official story about NAFTA, diverging seriously from reality, in a piece on the status of negotiations on the new NAFTA. The piece tells readers:
NAFTA was meant to expand trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico by removing tariffs and other barriers on products as they were shipped between countries. The pact did open up trade, but it also proved disruptive in terms of creating new manufacturing supply chains and relocating businesses and jobs.
This implies that the disruption in terms of shifting jobs to Mexico to take advantage of low-wage labor was an accidental outcome. In fact, this was a main point of the deal, as was widely noted by economists at the time. Proponents of the deal argued that it was necessary for US manufacturers to have access to low-cost labor in Mexico to remain competitive internationally. No one who followed the debate at the time should have been in the least surprised by the loss of high-paying, union manufacturing jobs to Mexico; that is exactly the result that NAFTA was designed for.
Economist Dean Baker is a senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, DC.
What’s Wrong With the USMCA?
The New American, Nov 5, 2018 – ….Taking the president’s words at face value, one might think that NAFTA is dead and that the USMCA is a huge win for America that will safeguard its national sovereignty. Unfortunately, his rhetoric belies the reality. The pact is even worse than NAFTA regarding undermining American sovereignty and self-determination, in favor of North American integration extending beyond trade to include labor and environmental policies. It is, in fact, so bad that the globalists who had lambasted Trump for renegotiating NAFTA praised him afterward….
Chapter 30 of the USMCA establishes the creation of a “Free Trade Commission,” which is broader in scope and power than the original 1994 NAFTA Free Trade Commission. According to Article 30.2, the USMCA reads,
“The Commission shall”:
(a) consider matters relating to the implementation or operation of this Agreement;
(b) consider proposals to amend or modify this Agreement;
(c) supervise the work of committees, working groups, and other subsidiary bodies established under this Agreement;
(d) consider ways to further enhance trade and investment between the Parties;
(e) adopt and update the Rules of Procedure and Code of conduct; and
(f) review the roster established under Article 31.8 (Roster and Qualifications of Panelists) every three years and, when appropriate, constitute a new roster.
In other words, the USMCA’s Free Trade Commission can make changes to the agreement itself, implement changes to the agreement, change the rules by which it operates, approve who serves on its lower subordinate committees, and oversee the work of those committees like an international bureaucracy or government — all without the consent or approval of Congress….
In fact, a North American Competitiveness Committee is to be established with “a view to promoting further economic integration among the Parties” (i.e., the United States, Mexico, and Canada) and “enhancing the competitiveness of North American exports.” (Emphasis added.) It reads as though the purpose is to make the North American bloc competitive with other trade blocs such as the EU, ASEAN, and Eurasian Economic Union, but of course, this is simply a ploy by the Deep State to abolish the modern international system of sovereign nation-states to, in turn, replace it with a transitional world order composed of interdependent transnational unions, with the view of further global integration toward a socialistic one-world economic union….
The new USMCA’s Free Trade Commission fits the criteria of James Madison’s definition of “tyranny”: Writing in The Federalist, No. 47, Founding Father James Madison stated, “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”
The USMCA underscores the urgent need not only to get out of the original NAFTA but to likewise reject the USMCA and all other so-called trade agreements that erode American sovereignty through the establishment of transnational executive commissions and that subordinate the United States to international regimes such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization, and ILO….
This article originally appeared in the November 19, 2018 print edition of The New American.
Do we really want U.S. police working on Canadian soil? Victoria Times Colonist, August 26, 2012 – Maybe concerns got lost in the Olympic news tidal wave, or maybe nobody cared. But it is a fact that the Integrated Cross Border Law Enforcement Operations Act became law in Canada with only whispers of public doubts. The new law enables armed United States law enforcement officers to cross the Canadian border in pursuit of American lawbreakers. And, once across the line, grants them “the same power to enforce an act of Parliament as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”
MERGER ‘ISN’T JUST DESIRABLE BUT INEVITABLE’
North American Union: US & Canada in play? – Prince Arthur Herald (Canada), April 30, 2014 – Diane Francis, National Post Editor-at-Large and Bestselling Author of Merger of the Century …. states that “a merger between the two countries isn’t just desirable but inevitable”…. According to Ms. Francis, over the last several decades, “Canada has become more like America and America more like Canada”….
Hilary Clinton and Jeb Bush have sent Diane Francis complimentary letters thus far…. In 2011, a poll by Harris/Decima showed that 65% of Canadians backed greater integration with the U.S. and supported a plan to eliminate the border by blending US and Canadian customs, immigration, security and law enforcement efforts.
For sure, the U.S. is becoming more like socialist Canada. “North American healthcare,” anyone?
‘MADE IN NORTH AMERICA’:
Energy issues seen as unifying force in North America
Dallas News, Sept 30, 2014 – The task force was chaired by retired U.S. Gen. David Petraeus and former World Bank president Robert Zoellick. Its 137-page report, known as the Independent Task Report No. 71, will be released Wednesday at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City….
“In sum, we recommend a new partnership for North America, a new model for the world of integration and cooperation among sovereign states,” the report says. “The foundation for U.S. foreign policy in years to come should be ‘Made in North America.’”
The phrase “integration and cooperation among sovereign states” is a euphemism. In reality, the CFR advocates “cooperation among sovereign states” to surrender their sovereignty, superseded by a “North American” jurisdiction.
![NAmrca-Time for New Focus [CFR] - Cover](https://circumspectnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NAmrca-Time-for-New-Focus-CFR-Cover-e1413132155758.jpg)
Report Launch: CFR-Sponsored Independent Task Force on North America
NY Event: Council on Foreign Relations, Oct. 1, 2014 | DC Event: Council on Foreign Relations, Oct. 2, 2014
Creating a North America workforce (at 7:39)
Defend North America borders, not US (at 13:40)
Download CFR “Independent Task Force” Report No. 71 – North America: Time for a New Focus (PDF)
What comes ‘after America’? – Jerome Corsi, WND, July 5, 2014 – In recent weeks, both General David Petraeus and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have woven into public speeches the theme of combining the United States, Canada and Mexico into a single, North American Union. “After America, there is North America,” explained Petraeus, the former U.S. military commander and former head of the CIA, to a panel entitled “After America, What?” held at the Margaret Thatcher Conference on Liberty on June 18, 2014, hosted by the Center for Policy Studies in Great Britain.
“The combination of US advantages in technology, low-cost energy and innovation, together with Mexico’s low cost of labor, is making the North American bloc more economically competitive as labor costs rise elsewhere.” David Petraeus (at 26:27)
College students are told 18 states offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. Check out how they react
The Blaze, April 18, 2019 – At least 18 states offer in-state tuition for illegal immigrant students, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Armed with those facts, Campus Reform’s Cabot Phillips recently teamed up with itsmikeaye_ to ask University of Nevada, Las Vegas, students their opinions concerning illegal immigrant students getting in-state tuition. The reactions were unanimous: Not cool.
‘Free flow of goods, services, and people’ would include access for education
Trump says Mexico auto tariff threat supersedes new NAFTA pact
‘This will supersede USMCA’ if ‘for any reason Mexico stops apprehending and bringing the illegals back to where they came from’
Politico, April 5, 2019 – President Donald Trump said Friday that the deal his administration struck with Mexico on its auto exports won’t count if the country fails to stop Central American migrants from illegally crossing the border to enter the United States.
If “for any reason Mexico stops apprehending and bringing the illegals back to where they came from, the U.S. will be forced to Tariff at 25 percent all cars made in Mexico and shipped over the Border to us. If that doesn’t work, which it will, I will close the Border,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
“This will supersede USMCA,” Trump continued, referring to the new North American trade deal, which has yet to be ratified in the U.S., Mexico or Canada. “Likewise I am looking at an economic penalty for the 500 Billion Dollars in illegal DRUGS that are shipped and smuggled through Mexico and across our Southern Border. Over 100,00 Americans die each year, sooo many families destroyed!”
US Border Agents to Inspect US-Bound Trucks on Mexican Soil
Sharing Intelligence, ‘Joint Border Management in its Early Stages’
‘Closer Border Ties’ include only cross-border airport outside the European Union
Chicago Tribune, Jan 12, 2016 – For the first time, U.S. border authorities will inspect trucks entering the United States on Mexican soil, working simultaneously with Mexican counterparts. The new facility in Tijuana, which aims to reduce congestion and speed cargo crossings into San Diego, overcame resistance in Mexico to letting U.S. officials carry guns…. It is the latest demonstration of closer border ties. Last month, a group of U.S. and Mexican investors opened an air terminal in San Diego with a bridge that crosses a razor-wire border fence to Tijuana’s existing airport, believed to be the only cross-border airport outside the European Union
Obama Claims Power to Make Illegal Immigrants Eligible for Social Security, Disability
CNS News, April 6, 2016 – Does the president of the United States have the power to unilaterally tell millions of individuals who are violating federal law that he will not enforce that law against them now, that they may continue to violate that law in the future and that he will take action that makes them eligible for federal benefit programs for which they are not currently eligible due to their unlawful status? Through Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, President Barack Obama is telling the Supreme Court exactly this right now.
Hillary: I Would Open Obamacare Exchanges to Immigrants, Open to Giving Subsidies To Illegal Immigrants
Breitbart, Oct 13, 2015 – Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated, “I want to open up the opportunity for immigrants to be able to buy in to the exchanges under the Affordable Care Act” and that she would be open to illegal immigrants getting the same subsidies during Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate.
Instead of blanket trade agreements, Donald Trump wants to negotiate one-on-one with countries
No more NAFTA, TPP
Washington Post, May 2, 2016 – Donald Trump wants the United States to stop negotiating blanket trade deals that include a number of countries, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, and instead negotiate one-on-one with individual countries.
“I don’t mind making agreements, but we shouldn’t make agreements with 12 countries,” Trump said at a rally in this Indiana college town Monday night. “We should make agreements with one-on-one. One-on-one. One-on-one. And you know what? If they don’t treat us right, we pull the agreement.”
Nancy Pelosi Calls The Humanitarian Crisis At The US Border An ‘Opportunity’ – Business Insider, June 28, 2014 – “This is a community with a border going through it. And this crisis — that some call a ‘crisis’ — we have to view as an opportunity,” Pelosi told reporters at a press conference.
Recall that the European Common Market was first named the “European Community” on the incremental path toward becoming today’s “European Union.”
Border Meltdown: Obama Delivering 290,000 Illegals To U.S. Homes – Daily Caller, July 5, 2014 – A second New York Times article report revealed that officials have caught an additional 240,000 Central American migrants since April, and are transporting many of them to their destinations throughout the United States.
Boehner Omnibus Gives Social Security Benefits to Illegal Aliens Under Obama Amnesty
Breitbart, Dec 10, 2014 – Pages 958 and 959 of the 1,603-page omnibus spending bill from House Speaker John Boehner include a provision that gives Social Security benefits to illegal aliens under President Barack Obama’s executive amnesty…. Despite omitting language that would prohibit any funding for any part of Obama’s executive amnesty, congressional leaders did include 451 other times where they prohibited funding from being used for a given purpose.
House votes to repeal meat labeling law under threat of retaliation from Canada and Mexico – U.S. News & World Report, June 10, 2015 – House Republicans voted Wednesday to repeal a law requiring country-of-origin labels on packages of meat — a move to avoid costly trade retaliation from Canada and Mexico.
House votes to repeal country-of-origin labeling on meat – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Associated Press, June 11, 2015 – The law was included in the 2002 and 2008 farm bills at the behest of northern U.S. ranchers who compete with the Canadian cattle industry. It also was backed by consumer advocates who say it helps shoppers know where their food comes from.
Mexico energy reform could create North American powerhouse – Houston Business Journal, May 7, 2014 – As Mexico prepares to open itself to international energy investment, politicians and energy executives said the move could lead to a strong North American energy collaborative…. Congressman Bill Flores, R-Waco, said the developments should lead to a “regional powerhouse that I think can be stronger than OPEC.”
Enter “North America” into Henry Kissinger’s “new mercantilism” of “competing regional units.”
A tally of thirteen is depicted over North America as Senator Dianne Feinstein describes NSA chart’s “events disrupted”: “…thirteen in the homeland, twenty five in Europe, five in Africa…”
Welcome to the Homeland, Mexico and Canada!
YAHOO! News, August 1, 2013 – You may notice, as we did, the odd use of “homeland” in this context. It’s a tired critique by now, noting how the adoption of this expression to refer to the United States echoes weird Communist rhetoric from the mid-20th century. Regardless: Isn’t “homeland” a weird term? But you may also be surprised to learn that our homeland now includes both Mexico and Canada, two areas that we understood to be autonomous nations that are not part of the United States.
Surprise. Stephen Harper’s U.S. border deal does imperil Canadian sovereignty
Toronto Star, August 1, 2013 – The U.S. government wants American police agents working in Canada exempted from Canadian law. If this is a surprise, it shouldn’t be….Announced in 2011, the so-called North American perimeter security pact would give Washington the right to have its agents and police officers operate alongside their Canadian counterparts within Canada….Theoretically, Canadian agents could operate with similar powers in the U.S. in order to provide an appearance of reciprocity.
Proponents of incremental ‘North American integration’ in their own words:
VIDEO: NAFTA20: Arturo Sarukhan, Mex Ambassador to US
VIDEO: COMMON SECURITY PERIMETER FOR NORTH AMERICA
VIDEO: UNITED WE FALL – Canadian video exposes North American integration.
CANADIAN, U.S. OFFICERS COULD SOON CROSS BORDERS TO PURSUE SUSPECTS – Vancouver Sun, May 17, 2012 Shared waterways along the Canada-U.S. border soon could be patrolled by vessels staffed with armed Canadian and American officers who have the authority to freely cross into each other’s territories in pursuit of suspected criminals….Some, however, are concerned about issues of sovereignty and due process, especially as authorities are looking eventually to create a land-based version of the program.
‘BABY STEPS’ TO US AGENTS ON CANADIAN SOIL: RCMP – Embassy (Canada), May 16, 2012 – The RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] is planning to ease Canadians into the idea of United States law enforcement agents pursuing suspects across the land border and onto Canadian soil through “baby steps,” say two top Mounties. “We recognized early that this approach would raise concerns about sovereignty, of privacy, and civil liberties of Canadians,” RCMP Chief Superintendent Joe Oliver, the Mounties’ director general for border integrity, told the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence on May 14.
Criticism by Conservative MP shows depth of unease over omnibus budget bill – National Post (Canada), May 23, 2012 – To give just two examples: the bill grants U.S. law enforcement agents the same power to enforce Canadian Acts of Parliament as members of the RCMP….The government is aware the prospect of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arresting Canadians on their native soil is controversial….
The North American Idea: A Vision of a Continental Future
Robert A. Pastor (Oxford University Press, 2011) Reviewed by Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs (Council on Foreign Relations), Nov.-Dec. 2011 – Public opinion polls suggest that the citizens of Canada, Mexico, and the United States are ready for greater regional cooperation. To deflect “sovereignty-zealots” and other myopic opponents of broader integration, Pastor calls on leaders to articulate a hopeful vision of integration while making practical progress on immediate problems. His book constitutes a brave master plan…
U.S. official muses about joint border controls with Canada – Yahoo! News Canada, March 6, 2012 – Imagine a ‘North American’ customs agent inspecting your luggage as you return from your European vacation. According to a report in the Globe and Mail, a top U.S. Homeland Security official says it could happen.
U.S. passports on verge of elimination?
Soros-funded plan champions ‘North American Union’
WND, Jan 28, 2015 – A Soros-funded group arguing to replace the U.S. passport with a North American passport appears ready to take up the mantle of championing the concept of a European Union-style regional government to supersede the sovereignty of the United States, Mexico and Canada, fulfilling the dream of the late American University professor Robert Pastor.
‘Three amigos’ summit: Can US, Mexico, and Canada modernize NAFTA?
Christian Science Monitor, Feb 19, 2014 – The plan is to modernize NAFTA by way of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a much broader trade accord being negotiated by 12 Pacific Basin countries – including the three NAFTA partners. The TPP, whose rules would apply to NAFTA trade, would regulate trade in sectors like e-commerce and some services that didn’t even exist when NAFTA was negotiated. It will also address issues like labor and environmental standards that were purposely left off the NAFTA table…. NAFTA “detonated the integrated supply and production chains” that mean the three countries increasingly produce “North American” and not national products…
Obama Wants 100,000 Mexican Students Studying in U.S. Every Year
‘Three Amigos’ agree on ‘trusted traveler’ program
USA Today, Feb 19, 2014 – North American leaders agreed Wednesday on creating a continent-wide “trusted traveler” program, allowing vetted individuals to cross borders quickly…. The leaders also agreed on measures to harmonize customs data, improve infrastructure and increase co-operation with Central America…. Obama said he wanted 100,000 Mexican students studying in the United States every year…
Nicholson talks defence with U.S., Mexico – Niagara Falls Review (Canada), April 27, 2014 – “Canada, the United States and Mexico share common goals and interests about the defence and security of North America,” said Nicholson. “The (meeting) has given us a valuable opportunity to further deepen our cooperation and collaboration towards our common goals of ensuring the security of our citizens and our continent.”
US senator calls for integrated, powerful Western Hemisphere – Global Times |Xinhua (China), Feb 19, 2014 – [Menendez] made it clear that the regional integration will not only cover trading but also other areas such as education, science and technology…
Europe, Mexico to seek new trade pact to deepen North American ties Today’s Zaman (Turkey), May 11, 2015 – The European Union and Mexico will launch negotiations towards a new free-trade agreement later this year, as Europe seeks to tie its economy closer to North America following a deal with Canada and efforts to sign an accord with the United States.
U.S., Mexico mull relaxing border for ‘trusted’ travelers – UPI, Feb 19, 2014 – The agreement, which would let frequent international travelers willing to undergo background checks and pay a $100 fee avoid immigration lines and expedite customs declaration when traveling within North America, was expected to be announced Wednesday…. The deal, at a time of stalled U.S. immigration reform, would underscore the disparity between accelerating U.S.-Mexican financial integration and creating U.S. laws affecting the 11 million immigrants living in the United States without legal permission, the newspaper said.
N. American leaders look East to revamp NAFTA – The China Post, Feb 19, 2014 – “It is not in the interest of the three countries to reopen the North American Free Trade Agreement,” said Mexican Deputy Foreign Minister Sergio Alcocer. “The negotiations are taking place via the TPP to cover those items that were not included in the agreement 20 years ago,” he added.
US and Mexico set to relax border controls for ‘trusted’ business travellers
The Guardian (London), Feb 18, 2014 – Officials speaking in advance of the North American leaders summit say a centrepiece of their communique is likely to be a new agreement to speed up the movement of executives and other regular travellers, primarily by establishing a single continent-wide system of pre-screening for certain individuals.
Mexican ambassador announces inspection-free border crossings – MySanAntonio (San Antonio Express-News) November 16, 2012 – “Welcome to San Antonio, the NAFTA city,” declared San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro at tonight’s opening of the NAFTA 20 conference held in San Antonio….Then the Ambassador [Arturo Sarukhan] eagerly divulged that within the next 3-5 days, the Mexican government is prepared to announce pre-inspection facilities in Mexico where goods entering that country headed for the United States would be inspected at these Mexican facilities and allowed to enter the U.S. without stopping at the border. Companies would be pre-certified and vetted by the two governments in a tremendous leap toward erasing the United States border with Mexico and achieve one of NAFTA’s chief goals — to create a common economic and security perimeter, a true North American Union.
Mexican drug wars in Chicago – what now? – By Robert Pastor, Latitude News, September 4, 2012 – We need to devise new ways to collaborate with Mexico and our neighbor to the north, Canada, to address the drug war as well as the many other challenges that ignore the borders and fences we build. Some in the U.S. oppose integrating law enforcement with Mexico and Canada as a betrayal of American sovereignty. I personally have been attacked as the “architect of the North American
Union”…
Robert Pastor is Professor, Founder, and Director of the Center for North American Studies at American University in Washington and the author of The North American Idea: A Vision of a Continental Future. He was National Security Advisor for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs in the White House during the Carter Administration.
[The drug war crisis was enabled by the deliberate dereliction of public officials to control the border and by nefarious false flag programs such as “Fast and Furious,” not only as a pretext for more gun control, but also to install Robert Pastor’s North American “solutions.” Conveniently for the globalists, Obama and Canada’s Harper were right on time with their cross-border law enforcement scheme.]
Why Republicans Are Suddenly Pro-Immigration Reform – The Atlantic, November 14, 2012 – The GOP establishment has long wanted to pass comprehensive immigration reform but been cowed by its activist base. Tuesday’s election gave them an opening.
[This must be seen in its context toward a “free flow” of people and commerce within a North American continental perimeter. This “free flow” is a key goal of all the world’s geopolitical regional integration programs to eliminate the sovereignty of nations under regional governance.]
Canada And The United States, A Singular Partnership – Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, August 20, 2012 – The Editor interviews John F. Prato, Consul General of Canada in New York.
Prato: The goal of the Action Plan is to make the perimeter of North America more secure than ever and relieve pressures at the border itself so we can free up the flows of legitimate people, goods and services….For example, goods arriving in Canada or the United States from outside the North American perimeter will be screened once at their first point of arrival. They would then be shipped directly to their North American destination without the need for duplicate inspections along the way, even if they cross the land border.
Plan speeds flow of goods to U.S. – Minister unable to provide cost of ‘inspected once, cleared twice’ pilot project
The Province (Canada), October 22, 2012 – Canada Border Services Agency personnel will inspect cargo and secure it with high-security bolt seals, negating the need for another inspection at the U.S. border.
A Common Purpose – Windsor Star (Canada), Feb. 21, 2012 – The overall goal is to create a continental security perimeter to better share information, facilitate the free flow of goods and services and make the necessary infrastructure improvements at border crossings. The perimeter would serve as the first line of defence against terrorists and other security threats to external borders, ports and airports. It would pave the way for the faster flow of people and goods and services across our traditional border through the harmonization of regulations and practices.
Canada And The United States, A Singular Partnership – Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, August 20, 2012 – The Editor interviews John F. Prato, Consul General of Canada in New York. Prato: The goal of the Action Plan is to make the perimeter of North America more secure than ever and relieve pressures at the border itself so we can free up the flows of legitimate people, goods and services….For example, goods arriving in Canada or the United States from outside the North American perimeter will be screened once at their first point of arrival. They would then be shipped directly to their North American destination without the need for duplicate inspections along the way, even if they cross the land border.
The utopian evil of free trade – WND, October 14, 2012 – Free-trade advocates often point to the free movement of goods, capital and labor in the domestic economy and ask why the same system cannot work internationally since it works so well within the national borders. The reason is simple: The nation cannot continue to exist if the same degree of labor movement takes place across the borders as it presently does within them.
NAFTA Tribunals:
An Improved NAFTA? Investor-State Arbitration Provisions Under the Colombia-US Free Trade Agreement
JD Supra (Press Release), February 3, 2012 – Chapter 11 of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was the first international trade agreement provision to give foreign investors a direct cause of action for investment disputes against the host government in a binding international tribunal, commonly known as “investor-state arbitration.” However, NAFTA investor-state arbitration continues to be a source of debate. Critics argue that the text is ambiguous, causing some to misinterpret the provision as a threat to national sovereignty. But, despite its many critics, the United States has adopted a NAFTA style investor-state arbitration provisions within its own trade policy. As a result, almost all free trade agreements signed by the United States after the NAFTA’s implementation include new versions of the agreement’s investor-state dispute provisions. The recently approved Colombia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (“CFTA”) is no exception. From the Archives: Review of U.S. Rulings by Nafta Tribunals Stirs Worries – New York Times, April 18, 2004 – T]he tribunal declared a Mississippi court’s judgment at odds with international law, leaving the United States government potentially liable for hundreds of millions of dollars…. “This is the biggest threat to United States judicial independence that no one has heard of and even fewer people understand,” said John D. Echeverria, a law professor at Georgetown University…. The availability of this additional layer of review, above even the United States supreme Court, is a significant development, legal scholars said….The tribunals have the potential to upset the settled American constitutional order.
Beyond the Border is too timid – By Stephen Blank, Winnipeg Free Press, Dec. 21, 2011 – To compete in the emerging global economy, we need to think in terms of big ideas — about free trade in freight transportation, a North American energy strategy and a North American infrastructure strategy. Keeping heads down, under the legislative radar, is an attractive but dangerous approach….If we act like conspirators, we will surely be suspected of conspiracy. [Too late on that one, Mr. Blank.]
Buy North American and save ourselves – By Robert Pastor, Globe and Mail (Canada), Feb. 11, 2012 – “Buy North American” could be the mantra for helping the U.S. recognize the importance of both neighbours…. Thus, the best way to multiply our exports and accelerate growth would be to create a seamless market and construct a North American transportation and infrastructure grid….The “North American idea” has to be big enough to inspire people in all three countries to forge a formidable region able to compete with a dynamic East Asia.
NAFTA Hits State Again – Decatur (AL) Daily, April 20, 2012 – The North American Free Trade Agreement took another swipe at Alabama on Wednesday….Audi’s board of directors announced it would build its $2 billion SUV plant in Mexico. It cited free trade agreements as a major factor in its decision. The primary market for the high-priced vehicle, of course, is the United States. As a result of NAFTA, Audi can build the vehicles in Mexico and ship them to the United States without penalty.
Beyond Energy Independence: US Could Become Exporter – Aol Energy, July 10, 2012 – For the US, aspiring to be merely energy independent is “too modest,” says Manhattan Institute Adjunct Fellow Mark Mills. Instead, the US should collaborate with Canada and Mexico to not only fulfill domestic needs but make North America the world’s largest energy supplier, Mills says in a new report, “Unleashing the North American Energy Colossus.”
[This is the argument that will be heard increasingly to persuade economically stressed Americans to compromise U.S. sovereignty and accept greater integration of the North American continent. The U.S. could simply develop its own resources to be an “energy powerhouse” independent of Canada and Mexico.]
Pastors Support Immigration Reform – ChristianityToday, Nov 18, 2013 – Fifty-eight percent of Protestant pastors agree with the statement: “I am in favor of immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for those who are currently in the country illegally.” Just over half (51 percent) agree that, “Immigration reform will help our church, denomination or movement reach Hispanic Americans.”
Such pastors are willingly ignorant of the fact that this “reform” is part of an insidious, systematic process of harmonizing North America into a regional governance more resembling Mexico’s than the constitutional government of the U.S. These pastors’ support is empowering the very world system that pastors are charged to preach against, which vows to reverse God’s decree at the Tower of Babel that established the sovereignty of nations (Deuteronomy 32:8; Acts 17:26).
Evangelicals and US immigration reform – Bakersfield Californian, Nov 8, 2013 – Of the major American religious groups, white evangelicals are the most skeptical about immigration. According to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center’s Religion and Public Life Project, more than 60 percent believe that the growing number of immigrants “threatens traditional American customs and values” and more than half view immigrants as economic burdens rather than contributors. At the same time, many evangelical leaders and institutions — including the National Association of Evangelicals, and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention — are high-profile advocates for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for undocumented workers.
Obama Pushes Immigration Reform After Meeting with McCain – Breitbart.com, Nov 8, 2013 – One day after asking Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to meet with him in the White House to determine strategies for passing comprehensive immigration reform, President Barack Obama made another push for the controversial legislation on Friday in a speech in New Orleans. Obama urged House Republicans to pass immigration reform legislation “this year.” He claimed comprehensive immigration reform should “not be a partisan issue,” citing George W. Bush’s embrace of the legislation that turned off conservatives.
House Republicans back US immigration reform bill – Workpermit.com, Nov 8, 2013 – These two Republicans are the only Republican members of the House of Representatives (or ‘the House’ as it is known) who have openly backed the Act. There are 435 seats in the House, of which 231 are held by Republicans. 200 are held by Democrats.
Gov. Christie Voices Support For In-State Tuition For Undocumented Immigrants – Fox News Latino, Oct 14, 2013 – Gov. Chris Christie said at a Latino gala over the weekend that New Jersey should allow undocumented immigrants to attend public colleges at the same tuition rates as other residents of the state.
Carney: Keystone Pipeline Would ‘Sacrifice American Sovereignty’ – Breitbart, April 23, 2012 – In a press conference on Friday, White House press secretary Jay Carney responded to the recent new Keystone pipeline bill passed by Congress earlier this week, as theWashington Examiner reports: “It would be preemptively sacrificing American sovereignty” to approve the pipeline, White Hosue [sic] Press Secretary Jay Carney said, because a route for the northern portion of the pipeline has not been established…..Jay Carney feigns concern about America’s sovereignty over an abundant source of energy from an ally, but seems to have little to no concern about the fact that the nation is grossly indebted to foreign countries.
[Actually, both Carney and the writer are partly right, but also misleading: Carney is indeed feigning concern about American sovereignty in an election year, since Obama’s “Beyond the Border” agreement with Canada’s Prime Minister Harper is already harmonizing the countries’ infrastructures toward North American integration. The Keystone Pipeline is just another part of their North American transportation infrastructure.]
North American energy independence remains elusive – Arab News (Saudi Arabia), April 8, 2012 – This emerging North American energy landscape, free from dependence on Middle East, is based on a number of factors. Shale gas developments gave rise to this revolution, and it was soon complemented by tight oil in the United Sates, the oil sand of Canada and the growing energy outflow from Mexico.
[The internationalist media will continue to assert that U.S. economic independence must require a North American context. In reality, the U.S. has the resources itself without the need a Keystone Pipeline, North American Highway, or any other “regional mechanism.” In order for the U.S. to reclaim economic independence, we must see environmentalist and business regulatory strangleholds, Middle East oil crises and their accompanying terrorism for what they are: created conflicts to force the United States into North American regional governance within the globalists’ New World Order of regions.]
Mexico’s Election: A Vote for Peace, a Plan for War – The Nation, July 11, 2012 – For the first time…the CIA and US military personnel are working side by side to plan operations, which are “devised to get around Mexican laws that prohibit foreign military and police from operating on its soil.” The Obama administration is sending aerial drones deep into Mexican territory to track the traffickers and coordinate de facto counterterrorism efforts. One US official at the Northern Command says, “the military is trying to take what it did in Afghanistan and do the same in Mexico.” This isn’t hyperbole; the US ambassador to Mexico is Earl Anthony Wayne, who was America’s deputy ambassador in Kabul from 2009 through 2011.
MEXICO NOW ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN NORTHAMERICAN JOINT EXERCISES – San Antonio Express, May 3, 2012 – NAFTA isn’t NATO, at least not yet. However, the North American defense ministers’ conference hosted by Canada the last week of March sent the low-key but categorically public message that Mexico has emerged as the U.S. and Canada’s regional security partner.
Towards a North American Police State and Security Perimeter: US-Canada “Beyond the Border Agreement” – GlobalResearch.ca, May 14, 2012 – Through the Beyond the Border agreement released in December 2011, the U.S. and Canada are quietly implementing initiatives that are working towards establishing a North American security perimeter….As the U.S.-Canada action plan implementation process continues, there still remains many concerns with the further integration and militarization of the northern border. This includes the loss of sovereignty and risks to privacy rights related to more cross-border sharing of personal information. While there have been online consultations surrounding the perimeter security agreement, there has yet to be any open public hearings or congressional and parliamentary debates.
HARMONIZATION OF REGULATIONS, INDUSTRY
Regulatory Cooperation Council to harmonize economic regimes – Canadian Sailings, June 12, 2012 – The bilateral Canada–United States Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) was created by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama in February 2011 as part of the broader Beyond the Border action plan. RCC’s mandate is to align regulatory approaches across a broad spectrum of industries, including agriculture and food, health and personal care products and workplace chemicals, environment and transportation.
Canada, U.S. a step closer to harmonized regulations – 24 Hours Vancouver, August 3, 2012 – The embassy confirms the joint Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council now has a fully laid-out plan for what steps officials will take over the next two years to create common regulations in a host of areas, including transport along the St. Lawrence Seaway, meat inspections and new car safety standards.
Retail Council of Canada calls for harmonizing standards with U.S. – Daily Exchange (Canada), Dec. 30, 2011 – “Our members are committed to providing Canadian consumers with the safest products that meet all government standards,” said Diane J. Brisebois, president and CEO of RCC, adding that consumers need to be assured that different standards do not mean different quality. “Our members feel that the standards should be the same across North America.”
cross-border law enforcement – Buffalo News, April 18, 2012 – “Beyond the Border” is one of two initiatives recently announced by U.S. and Canadian leaders. The other, which has received less attention, is called the Regulatory Cooperation Council. The council aims to harmonize regulations between the two countries that can interfere with cross-border trade….Some regulations are already aligned through deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA], she said. “What we need to do now is expand it to other sectors.”
Challenges Facing the Manufacturing Industry – MFR Tech, March 21, 2012 – The whitepaper—which references President Obama’s plan to revive the industry, as well as some recent, astounding statistics—explains why manufacturing is so critical to economic growth, and determines that “Made in North America” is a priority, as Canada, Mexico and the U.S. are all dependent on one another.
Nafta should look beyond its borders to the world – Financial Times (London), April 17, 2012 (Google News link) – The challenge is to deepen integration to export to other regions, particularly Asia….To achieve that, increasing exports of finished manufacturing goods at competitive prices implies co-producing them with Mexico. And that requires even deeper industrial integration.
North American countries adopt pandemic coordination plan – Vaccine News, April 5, 2012 – The plan includes the development of an interconnected surveillance system and early warning mechanism, as well as protocols for transporting laboratory samples. The three countries have also agreed to conduct joint epidemiological investigations of viruses that could cause pandemics and outbreaks of animal influenza that could threaten human health.
North America is a process – Ottawa Citizen, April 3, 2012 – The Canada-U.S. Chamber of Commerce fell apart years ago and the North American Competitiveness Council’s influence was damaged by its association with the apparently sovereignty-threatening Security and Prosperity Partnership….It is surely time that such an organization – a North American Chamber of Commerce, perhaps? – be created, networked with business and workers associations, regional bodies, and business and policy schools. Given recent deadlocks on specific North American issues, perhaps we should be thinking more about governance.
Obama Hosts Calderon, Harper to Boost N. American Economy – Bloomberg, April 2, 2012 – The top leaders of the U.S., Canada and Mexico hold a trilateral North American Leaders’ Summit at the White House today to thrash out conflicts in energy and regulations to boost economic competitiveness and increase jobs….The summit may yield more progress on two separate studies aimed at harmonizing border-crossing issues that hamper the movement of commerce, analysts said….The fastest way “to create jobs and double exports is for the three governments to work together on continental plans for transportation, education and infrastructure” [Robert] Pastor wrote in the Miami Herald on Nov. 15.
NAFTA Members Cooperate on Consumer Product Safety – Apparel Magazine, March 19, 2012 – The First North America Consumer Product Safety Summit was held at the CPSC Headquarters in Bethesda, Md., in September 2011, where representatives from the consumer product safety agencies of the NAFTA countries of the United States, Canada, and Mexico met to discuss the coordination and promotion of safety in products manufactured and sold across the region.
The road to Washington runs through Mexico – By Robert Pastor, Toronto Star, Jan. 22, 2012 – Canada has the reputation of a multilateralist, except in the one region that matters most — North America. Why? Some suggest Canadians fear being tainted by association with Mexico’s violence. Others believe its “special relationship” with the United States gives it an advantage that it would lose if it allied with Mexico….Instead of competing against each other to gain access to Asian markets, our three countries should focus on continental competitiveness and approach China together on issues related to currency, unfair trade practices and climate change.
NAFTA is a production bloc, not a trading bloc – Troy Media, Nov. 2011 – What we have here is a single economy shared by two countries, Canada and the U.S.A (and increasingly a third, Mexico). So NAFTA is not (despite its name) about trade, it is about production. Brian Lee Crowley, Managing Director, Macdonald-Laurier Institute, to the Council of State Governments Meeting in Seattle on Oct. 15, 2011
Those coping with job loss hope for better days ahead – Globe and Mail, Feb. 21, 2012 – As part of our ongoing coverage of the decline of manufacturing jobs in Canada, The Globe and Mail invited readers to share their stories…. Murray MacDonald, 49, Elmvale, Ont. – I would love to see retailers with only North American-made products. I think Canadian-made is great too, but in reality we must co-operate with our largest and closest ally, the U.S.A. We are in this labour shift to Asia together. I am sad to see U.S. protectionist action to take jobs home. Hopefully North America can unite for the greater good.
INTEGRATED MILITARY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, INTEL SHARING
Deep Military Integration: Towards a North American Combined Military Force – Global Research (Canada), Feb. 7, 2012 – In his speech in front of the PJBD, [Canada Defense Minister Peter MacKay] also called for, “increased military involvement implementing the Beyond the Border strategy, saying the Canadian Forces and its American counterparts should be supporting civilian agencies monitoring the cross-border security.”
Defence agreements signed with U.S. – CBC (Canada Broadcasting Corp.), Jan. 25, 2012 – “This has already been done to a certain degree, but there is still room for more integrated collaboration — domestically and bi-nationally,” MacKay said. “I think that we need to begin to consider partnerships from the ground up – from the local first responders to international organizations.”
Canada, U.S. set ground rules for responding to armed attack – Montreal Gazette, Jan. 24, 2012 – The Combined Defence Plan has been under discussion for several years and would further integrate cross-border military co-operation….Canada and the U.S. also will extend the Civil Assistance Plan, which allows for the deployment of troops and equipment from one country to the other in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack. Unlike with the Combined Defence Plan, this would be to assist civilian agencies.
NDP wants new cross-border police law studied separately – Embassy (Canada), April 28, 2012 – The NDP is calling on the Harper government to yank amendments it has bundled with its budget bill, ones that pave the way for Canadian and United States maritime officials to operate in each other’s territory, and present them as separate legislation….The Canada-US perimeter plan currently being hammered out also calls for a new land-based version of the program, which the RCMP has said could hand US Federal Bureau of Investigation and US Drug Enforcement Administration agents access to Canadian soil.
Is Canadian sovereignty at risk with cross-border policing? – CBC News (Canada), July 11, 2012 – When the Conservative government passed its controversial omnibus budget bill last month, it included new powers for certain U.S. law enforcement agents that critics say could have ramifications for Canadian sovereignty. The Integrated Cross Border Law Enforcement Operations Act now makes it possible for American officers to cross the border into Canada where, as the act states, they have “the same power to enforce an act of Parliament as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.” This means they’ll be armed and have the powers to arrest suspects in Canadian territory.
Accountability questions arise in cross-border policing law – Embassy (Canada), May 2, 2012 – The Harper government’s plan to permanently legalize the ability of certain American agents to cross the border and enforce Canadian law in shared waterways will include aerial police surveillance over land, raising several questions over national jurisdiction and police accountability in the minds of opposition and academic observers.
Stopping SOPA (Stop Online Privacy Act) hasn’t stopped cyber security threats – from government – Calgary Herald, April 23, 2012 – That’s due to the little known but highly impactful Canada-US agreement known as Beyond the Border: A shared vision for perimeter security and economic competitiveness. That deal maps out the integration of border management, trade facilitation and increased security between the two countries. It means that a U.S. cybersecurity strategy adopted today may well become a Canadian cybersecurity strategy tomorrow.
Privacy rights and a thinning Canada-U.S. border – Chronicle Herald (Canada), Dec. 29, 2011 – And once you start opening the information tap, how do you say no to further requests by the U.S. for additional information? What if U.S. officials wanted access to the names of all those who emigrated to Canada in a certain year?
Effects Of The New Canada-U.S. Border Deal – San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 5, 2012 – All this, of course, means that there would be greater information sharing between the two countries, which is turning out to be a cause of concern for many. There are concerns about the larger issue of safety of national sovereignty for both countries….In a global situation where co-operation among countries is becoming paramount, the making and implementing of this cross border deal, with greater information sharing, is only just the beginning of a long road.
Big business attends perimeter talks in Washington – Embassy (Canada), Feb. 8, 2012 – New information has emerged on the perimeter security plan between Canada and the United States, with hundreds of government and industry representatives meeting in Washington last week….The jam-packed, day-long Jan. 31 meeting covered everything from agriculture and food to pharmaceuticals, veterinary drugs, emission standards, transportation, nanotechnology, disease, vehicle safety standards, and occupational safety issues….The border action plan announced in December indicates that by the end of last month, Canada and the United States would “determine the way ahead” on how to share information and evidence between their police forces and intelligence agencies. A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ian Trites,….indicated that a series of meetings have already taken place that tackle legal problems associated with harmonizing intelligence sharing.
Hundreds of frontline border officers to be axed: Union – Embassy (Canada), April 18, 2012 – Cuts to the Canada Border Services Agency could impact the country’s Perimeter border plan with the United States or ruffle feathers in Washington, say union and opposition members—but the US Embassy says it has full confidence in Canada….Prime Minister Stephen Harper stood beside US President Barack Obama in Washington on Dec. 7 to announce two border plans: the Action Plan on Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness, which will align much of how Canada and the US share information and evidence between police forces and intelligence agencies, and the Action Plan on Regulatory Co-operation, which will align many trade regulations.
INTEGRATED ‘NORTH AMERICAN’ INFRASTRUCTURE
TransCanada Expects Keystone XL Approval After Obama Re-election – Fox Business, (This article was originally published Friday.) Published November 12, 2012 Dow Jones Newswires – November 9, 2012 – TransCanada Corp. (TRP) still expects to receive White House approval for its 830,000-barrels-a-day Keystone XL pipeline project after President Barack Obama’s re-election, the company said Wednesday.
Re-Elected Obama Has No Reason to Block Keystone Pipeline – Bloomberg, November 13, 2012 – Since then, the company has rerouted and….now Obama has won re-election, removing any need to pretend the pipeline’s surpassing value to U.S. energy security is undermined by its environmental risks.
Keystone pipeline pushed to forefront – Obama pressed for quick decision – Washington Times, November 7, 2012 – With a second term now in hand, President Obama no longer can delay a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline and must either side with environmentalists within his party or greenlight a major step toward North American energy independence.
Texas Keystone Pipeline Critics Resist Use of Eminent Domain – AOL Energy, October 25, 2012 – In a state that has always been heavily dependent on oil, Crawford acknowledged she’s in a minority in resisting the industry but said she’s motivated by what she called TransCanada’s “bullying” tactics, and by the fact that it is a foreign corporation, whose product she said seems likely to be sent for export rather than to increase North American energy independence.
Former Suncor CEO says B.C. pipelines a matter of Canadian sovereignty
Calgary Herald, October 14, 2012 – In the book, George said he considers Keystone XL to be a “double-edged sword” for Canada.”While it will boost this country’s crude oil sales to the United States, it also will bind Canada more tightly to the U.S. market. This prospect brings some inherent dangers with it, yet I rarely heard that discussed in the exchanges between the two sides.”
Part of Keystone pipeline to go ahead, company says – MSNBC, Feb. 27, 2012 – In the meantime, the company noted Monday, the section from Cushing, Okla., to the Texas Gulf Coast will be built….The section north of Nebraska is currently being built…
Houston’s I-69 traffic expected to soar to 350,000 by 2035 – Houston Chronicle, August 6, 2012 – Experts say traffic will increase regardless of whether the so-called NAFTA Superhighway, envisioned two decades ago as a trade route from Mexico through Houston to Canada, is fully built. Gov. Rick Perry initially proposed a more elaborate Trans-Texas Corridor that would be an entirely new thoroughfare that included room for rail and utilities.
[The North American Highway system is part of the North American regional infrastructure project that includes the Keystone pipeline. Similar regional infrastructure projects are underway in the ASEAN region, SAARC, the Arab League, the GCC, the African Union, and UNASUR.]
A New Chapter of NAFTA Unfolds – Financial Post (National Post – Canada), August 29, 2012 – “San Antonio is the hub of NAFTA,” says [Mexican Business Association Chairman Eduardo Bravo]. “It…serves as a vital center for NAFTA related surface trade and logistics, with Interstate 35—the Pan American Highway—and Interstate 10 providing unparalleled distribution access for every direction in North America.”
Rep says highway threatens U.S. sovereignty – Yuma Sun, April 5, 2012 – Rep. David Stevens, R-Sierra Vista, told his colleagues they should do whatever they can to stop construction of the proposed I-11 highway….“There’s been an attempt over the years to build what’s called the Canamex Highway,” he said, creating an unbroken line of roads from Nogales to the Canadian border….“There are people at this point who want to try to make North America one country,”
Trade corridors need protection from protectionism – Winnipeg Free Press, September 25, 2012 – Improving transportation for the flow of people and movement of goods is the focus of this week’s meeting in Winnipeg of the North American Corridor Coalition (NASCO), the tri-national association of heartland states and provinces, cities and business that support more than a trillion dollars in continental commerce.The infrastructure that serves our production chains — our roads and rail lines, our sea and airports, our power grids and pipelines that fuel our factories and offices — must link seamlessly.
[NASCO was one of the original point organizations pushing the North American Highway system, as shown in this illustration from a few years ago. At that time, the idea of a North American Highway was derided as a “conspiracy theory,” and many politicians denied the plan’s existence, but it is now is admitted and openly advocated by globalists. The highway is part of a North American infrastructure plan that includes railroads, pipelines and utility grids. The Keystone X pipeline is part of the network.]
A pan-Canadian pipeline? No, thanks. – iPolitics (Canada), September 21, 2012 – North American energy independence, in addition to the perimeter security deal currently being implemented, would be the perfect precondition for joint North American foreign policy ventures….
Teamsters Respond to Government on Mexican Truck Program – Bradenton Herald, March 8, 2012 – “The FMCSA makes the bizarre argument that our members aren’t harmed by a program that opens the border to low-paid truck drivers and dangerous, dirty trucks….U.S. commercial truck drivers must follow all U.S. safety regulations while Mexican drivers only need to follow selected Mexican regulations. The government is flat-out wrong to say Mexican trucks and drivers meet equivalent standards.”
CONTINENTAL SECURITY PERIMETER
A Perimeter Approach To Security And The Transformation Of The U.S.-Canada Border – Counter Currents, March 14, 2012 – Through a series of bilateral meetings, U.S. and Canadian officials are busy working out the details of the perimeter security action plan. This includes a recent joint crime forum which dealt with border and law enforcement issues. These various discussions are part of the implementation process which when finished would bring about the complete transformation of the northern border and another step closer in the creation of a fully integrated North American security perimeter.
The End of Canada as a Sovereign Nation State? Canada, the US and the “Security Perimeter” – Global Research (Canada), Dec. 17, 2011 – The security agreement uses the threat of terrorism, crime and health securities to announce an increasing merger of the two countries’ border security, including an integrated entry-exit system that will involve full sharing of individuals’ biometric details between the two governments by 2014 and even the creation of integrated cross-border law enforcement teams with authority to collect intelligence and conduct criminal investigations on either side of the border.
The Pretext for a North American Homeland Security Perimeter – OpEd News, Dec. 12, 2011 – Prime Minister Harper proclaimed that, “These agreements create a new, modern order for a new century. Together, they represent the most significant steps forward in Canada-U.S. cooperation since the North American Free Trade Agreement.”
NAFTA Triumverate Moves to Further Cement Continental Union – Pacific Free Press, April 10, 2012 – On April 2, President Barack Obama hosted Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon for the sixth North American Leaders Summit….In their joint communique, the leaders recognized, “the growing regional and federal cooperation in the area of continental energy, including electricity generation… They emphasized the need to deepen, “cooperation to enhance our collective energy security, including the safe and efficient exploration and exploitation of resources.”….Mexico’s drug war is increasingly being seen as a continental problem that requires continental solutions which is further pushing the NAFTA partnership into a common security front. This is escalating the militarization of the borders, integration in areas of law enforcement and the military, as well as advancing the development of a North American security perimeter.
Canadian government announces faster travel to US for Nexus card holders – Workpermit.com, Dec. 30, 2011 – The Nexus program is available for pre-approved, low-risk travellers into Canada and the US at designated air, land and marine ports of entry.
MP expresses outrage at border crossing cuts – Keremeos Review, Dec. 21, 2011 – Four border crossings in southern British Columbia are earmarked for closure or reduced services as part of the recently announced Canada-U.S. perimeter security deal….”That these negotiations were being conducted in secret for over a year is unacceptable, why weren’t these communities consulted? Where is the business case? What are the risks? The NDP categorically opposes any ill conceived border schemes that compromise our economy, sovereignty and security.”
Do the math – Dodge Globe, Dec, 16, 2011 – Unfortunately, as Ross Perot predicted, the U.S. trade surplus rapidly evaporated, and our trade deficit has now escalated to devastating heights. The U.S. economy was sucker punched with a $500 billion trade deficit in 2010. Using the “free traders’” own figures, 20,000 jobs per $billion trade equates to 10 Million lost manufacturing jobs.
Civil liberties, privacy groups cry foul as PM hails historic border deal – Vancouver Observer (Canada), Dec. 7, 2011 – “Basically, it’s surrendering a lot of decision-making on who is legitimate and who isn’t, who is allowed into the country or not — it’s surrendering to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” said Stuart Trew, trade campaigner with the Council of Canadians….The deal includes sharing intelligence on people entering and leaving both countries, identifying “radicalized” individuals as security concerns, allowing U.S. and Canadian armed police to operate on cross-border teams, sharing a single perimeter for cargo screening and speeding up border crossings with fast lanes and more easily accessed pass-cards.
Border deal a hard barrier for Harper’s critics to cross – Globe and Mail (Canada), Nov. 27, 2011 – It will be part of the continental security perimeter that is one of the key elements of the accord….But the proposal will play to fears that the Conservatives are selling out this country’s sovereignty and undermining privacy rights in exchange for some illusory access to American markets.
Years after NAFTA, first long-haul Mexican truck enters U.S. – Reuters, October 21, 2011 – The first Mexican truck bound for the U.S. interior crossed at the international bridge at Laredo, Texas, on Friday, carrying electronic equipment destined for suburban Dallas and fulfilling a controversial provision of the 1994 North American Free Trade Act.
Placing a New North American Initiative in its Economic Policy Context
[This document, released by WikiLeaks on April 28, 2011, is a 2005 U.S. embassy cable from Ottawa signed by then-U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci.]
THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION OUTSIDE USG CHANNELS – 2005-01-28….CURRENCY UNION: Canadian economists are split on whether a return to a fixed exchange rate, or adopting the U.S. dollar, would benefit Canada in current circumstances…. The central bank governor has taken the position that “monetary union is an issue that should be considered once we have made more progress towards establishing a single market.”
Beyond the Border Action Plan – Yahoo! Finance | Press Release: Public Safety Canada, Thu, Jun 28, 2012 Today, the Joint Statement of Privacy Principles was released by the Governments of Canada and the United States under the Beyond the Border Action Plan: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness….They represent an important step forward by creating a framework of common rules for the cross-border sharing of personal information. The principles provide Canadians and Americans the rules under which our two governments will collaborate to protect their privacy rights in implementing the Action Plan. “These principles put privacy at the forefront of the Border Action Plan and will help to ensure that the privacy rights of Canadians are respected as we work with the United States to secure our perimeter while accelerating and improving the legitimate flow of people, goods and services across our border,” said the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety.
And if the “legitimate flow of people” does not include illegal immigrants, just make them “legal,” as the heirarchies of both the republican and democratic parties are attempting to do with “Dream Act” amnesty:
Barbour Backs Work Permits for Illegal Immigrants – Wall Street Journal, June 15, 2012 – [Former Repbulican Party Chairman] Haley Barbour didn’t know it the time, but he unwittingly gave a robust endorsement Friday morning to the Obama administration’s surprise decision to give work permits to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants working in the U.S….“America is in a global battle for capital and labor,” he said, praising the work ethic of the millions of Hispanics who have come to the U.S. without proper documentation, including the many who work in Mississippi’s poultry factories. “We need more people in America who want to work.”
Obama’s Immigration Move Disrupts Rubio’s Dream – NPR, June 20, 2012 – With Obama’s executive action, [Senator Marco] Rubio’s effort at building a compromise appears dead for now. In some ways, that may let him off the hook. The chances that he’d be able to convince conservative Republicans in an election year to support a bill to help young illegal immigrants was always somewhere between unlikely and impossible.
Canada and the United States Establish Joint Port Operations Committees at Eight Canadian Airports – MarketWatch, June 10, 2012 – As part of their commitment under the Beyond the Border Action Plan for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness, Canada and the United States announce the establishment of Binational Port Operations Committees at eight Canadian airports that provide a U.S. preclearance service.