Wednesday, November 7, 2007. CBC News

 The City of Ottawa and the province of Quebec each spent millions to boost security during a western Quebec summit attended by U.S. President George W. Bush, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Prime Minister Stephen Harper this summer — even though Ottawa police never went to the summit. The Quebec provincial police spent more than $7 million to secure the perimeter outside the Fairmont Château Montebello resort during the summit of North American leaders Aug. 20 and 21, the force confirmed to CBC Tuesday.

» click here to continue reading

Phil Couvrette , CanWest News Service . Tuesday, November 06, 2007

One of a number of police and security forces ensuring protection at the Montebello summit bringing together North American leaders this year, the Quebec provincial police spent over $7 million on the event alone CanWest News Service has learned. On Aug. 20 Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.S. President George W. Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon convened in the Quebec town some 80 kilometres east of Ottawa for a two-day summit as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership. The initiative aims to deepen the integration of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Security was both tight and expensive, especially as a three-metre high fence was raised to surround Chateau Montebello where the meetings took place, to keep hundreds of protesters away.

» click here to continue reading

Plan Mexico, Laura Carlsen | October 30, 2007. Foreign Policy In Focus www.fpif.org

After months of talks, President George W. Bush finally announced the “security cooperation” plan for Mexico. On October 22, he sent a request for $500 million in supplemental aid for 2008 as part of a $1.4 billion dollar multi-year package. No surprises there. The Bush administration has been negotiating the package with President Felipe Calderon’s administration for months. In the lead-up to the announcement, both governments marshaled studies and statistics to support the dual –and contradictory– thesis that the drug war in the United States and Mexico has reached a crisis point and that current efforts on both sides of the border have been very successful. From what’s known of it, the package — officially dubbed the “Mérida Initiative” but more commonly referred to as “Plan Mexico” — contains direct donations of military and intelligence equipment, and training programs for Mexican law enforcement officials. A White House fact sheet lists surveillance equipment, helicopters and aircraft, scanners for border revisions, communications systems, and training programs for “strengthening the institutions of justice.” An additional $50 million dollars is earmarked for Central American countries to support their fight against “gangs, drugs, and arms.”

» click here to continue reading

Short movie and speaking presentations followed by open discussion and strategizing…

Monday September 24th from 6-8 pm. SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings.

* Slideshow and short films straight from Montebello!
* Excerpts from Film “A View from the Summit” on the FTAA protests in Quebec City in 2001
* Speakers including Myriam Hernandez (Mexican activist) on the impacts of SPP on Mexico, Cecily Nicholson (No One is Illegal) on the war at home, and Stopwar.ca on the occupation of Afghanistan.
* Open discussion and strategizing on the Campaign to Scrap the SPP!

August 20th was a continental day of action against the Security and Prosperity Partnership Agreement. In Montebello, approximately 2000-4000 protestors converged to oppose the Security and Prosperity Partnership Agreement and the meeting of Harper, Bush, and Calderon. Vancouver was documented as having the largest protest outside of Montebello, with approximately 600 people demonstrating their resistance throughout the day in a series of actions. The struggle against the SPP did not start on August 20th, nor should it have ended on August 20th.

Join us in short films, brief presentations, and open discussion on continuing the campaign to Scrap the SPP! For more information, email noii-van@resist.ca or call 778 885 0040

On August 20th between 300-400 people marched through downtown Vancouver, unceded Coast Salish Territory, to resist and reject the colonial and capitalist agenda of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). The march was part of a continental day of action to resist the SPP and the meeting of Bush, Harper, and Calderon in Montebello, Quebec at a SPP Summit. The march sought to draw attention to the Canadian government’s active involvement in the SPP’s creation, as well as the role of the Canadian government and corporations in colonial projects both at home and abroad.

[Click here for audio from the “Resist SPP” panel on August 16th. Speakers include: Kat Norris, Garth Mullins, Cecily Nicholson, Fred Muzin, Erika Del Carmen Fuchs, Sean Parlan. Filmed and recorded by Pumpkinhead Production Company.]

» click here to continue reading