Destroying Canadian Sovereignty

Becoming full-fledged participants in this madness is what is in store if Canada's business leaders have their way. Of course, they stand to make a lot of profit out of the deal. The rest of us, however, will pay the price. Recently their attitudes were plainly exposed when the Paul Martin government wisely declined to participate in the ballistic missile defence scam. James Westlake, Chair of the Chamber of Commerce, criticized the move because it might affect business relations. Business relations are more important than sovereignty? That tells you on which side of the border Westlake's loyalties lie. And Tom d'Aquino, head of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, criticized Martin's decision, calling it “pandering to vocal opponents” — an interesting way to characterize Martin's response to the position of a majority of Canadians. Would that we had much more of the same kind of pandering. So much for d'Aquino's appreciation for democracy and his respect for Canadians. Martin and his government would be well advised to remain very leery of George W. Bush and the reactionaries behind him who are driving U.S. policy. There is no good in any of it except for the Halliburtons and others who will grow fat on the taxpayers' money. It would be a crime if Canada were to join the U.S. in its folly, contributing Canadian money and lives so that a handful of our business élites could nose up to the trough with their American counterparts. It would be a folly, because in the end, the things that set us apart as Canadians--and make Canada one of the most desirable places in the world to live--would disappear, as more and more of what it is to be Canadian is surrendered to the demands of a closer relationship with the U.S. Rather than seeking closer ties to the United States, ties that might very well destroy us, Canada should be looking abroad to Europe and South America for allies and closer trade relations. This would be prudent because as the U.S. moves farther and farther right, away from its founding ideals and into the pit of what may well become fascism, we lose what we have in common with Americans while what we have in common with Europe and some of the new democratic regimes in South America grows. In addition, any economy that is too dependent on the U.S. for its survival will be in deep trouble once the Americans' reckless fiscal policy finally catches up to them and the dollar collapses. It could well be that d'Aquino and his ilk are betting on a horse that is about to break its leg. It is a bet we should not place. This week Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the UN, released a report on the future of the UN, a report that incorporates many Canadian ideas for reform of the organization. In it he says, “we will not enjoy development without security, we will not enjoy security without development, and we will enjoy neither without respect for human rights.” Whether the U.S. endorses this report remains to be seen in light of their miserable human rights record these days, but it is a report worth endorsing. It represents a better vision than anything we've seen from the Americans or our business leaders, and is more Canadian, too. Jerry West is the editor of The Record, an independent, progressive newspaper published every other Wednesday in Gold River, British Columbia. [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on March 27, 2005]