Must Boost NAFTA: Charest

not surprising. he was part of mulroney's cabinet

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"George Bush has declared the war on terrorism to be the cause of his generation. The cause of Canadian sovereignty will be ours." - John Godfrey, MP for Don Va

Oh great! That's all we need- a double dose of poison.

Forget about this investment garbage and sign actual trade agreements. I also don't see the need to sign trade agreements that are so sweeping in their scope as it is entirely possible to negotiate trade agreements that deal with each industry and ensure that both countries compete on a more or less equal footing. This would have to include labor laws and human rights becoming part of the negotiations, as these play an important role in competition within an industry. For example, it is very difficult for manufacturers in the west to compete with Chinese and Indian workers who make less than $1 per day.

Canada is in a very strategic position to start making these sorts of demands, as these "third world" countries (third world only in the sense that they pay and treat their workers so badly) are desperate for our resources so I think this is very doable and only requires someone in government with the will to make it happen.

I'd forgotten that good point...he was the federalist who "saved" us from the Mulroney problem....he must have been VERY young at that time...26?

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The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfield deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.

- Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, The Iraqi Informat

Agreed...I'd rather not send resources outside of our own borders without adding value.

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The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfield deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.

- Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, The Iraqi Informat

Well thank you Premier Charest- for adding your voice
to the concept of NAFTA plus. I am sure that most of
Canada's political 'elite', namely, the Premier's, the
PMO's office, and the Senior Deputy Ministers will be
jumping to join in on this idea.

You can bet the NAFTA plus wagon to be negotiated by
the Canadian political 'elite' at the urging and direction
of the Four Horseman of the Canadian Apocalpyse,
namely, the Council of Chief Executives, the CD Howe
Institute, The Fraser Institute, and Canwest, will place,
like 'pawns for the taking', our water, energy, culture,
media ownership, immigration , environmental,
continental defence & security, and common property
resources on the negotiation table.

So what is the response? (A) To fight this 'deep
integtation' NAFTA Plus idea, issue by issue and (b) to
hold public hearings, and put forth, like the Council of
Canadians is doing an alternative vision for a sovereign
Canada ---all of which is commendable or, to do (a)
and (b), but also at least to begin the discussion on the
topic of (c) how it is that elitist Executive Federalism
empowers an oligarcy of political and business leaders
to shape and determine a continentalist 'deep
integration' destiny for this country?

That later inquiry can only lead to consideration of the
existing 'constitutional & institutional frame' and the
urgent need for a constitutional constituent assembly
so that we the people of Canada can write 'new rules' of
how we wish to govern ourselves within a sovereign
Canada.

Surely, friends of Canada must realize that a sovereign
nation simply cannot exist within the confines of a
colonial constitution that empowers poltiical and
corporate oligarchy while disempowering the creative
urgings of millions of Canadians for a sovereign
Canada.

Indeed, if the Four Horsemen seek new rules for a
deeply integrated 'continentalist' Canada, we, the
people of Canada have equal rights to seek new
democratic rules to govern ourselves, to diminish the
power of oligarcy, to protect and advance our
sovereignty, to establish our independence &
inter-dependence in a multi-polar world - not the
uni-polar world that USA seeks to create.

They want a world government. They won't get it, but will Canada be a casualty?