STATEMENT BY NORTH AMERICAN SOCIAL NETWORKS ON THE FUTURE OF NAFTA

Martin-Bush-Fox Summit in Texas
THE DAMAGE DONE TO HUMAN SECURITY BY NAFTA SHOULD BE AT THE TOP OF
THEIR AGENDA
Any discussion on deeper integration or ‘NAFTA-plus’ is premature

On March 23rd NAFTA’s ‘three amigos’ will be meeting at the Bush ranch in Texas. Paul Martin, George Bush and Vicente Fox will take this opportunity to have a private discussion about actively promoting a deeper integration agenda for North America.

Issues such as a North American energy pact, the harmonization of migration policies, and beefing up security under the guise of the war on terrorism will figure prominently at this heads of state meeting. These themes represent the slippery slope towards a ‘NAFTA plus’, representing a general melding of national policies with the aim of eliminating in each of the three countries what the large corporations refer to as those incompatibilities that limit ‘economic efficiency’.

However, some 11 years after the implementation of NAFTA, it is possible to measure the impact that this accord has had on the people in each of the three countries. These citizens have the right to expect that their political leadership will now prioritize tackling problems affecting social, cultural, environmental and economic rights that accompany economic integration. Before thinking about deepening the process of integration for the three North American countries, it is imperative that the experience under NAFTA be opened up to public debate.

Tri-national Colloquium NAFTA After Ten Years: Social Impact and Future Perspectives September 17-18-19, 2004 Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Salle Marie-Gérin-Lajoie, Montréal (QC), Canada

The Quebec Network on Continental Integration (RQIC), in collaboration with Common Frontiers Canada, RMALC, ART and the HSA, hosted the tri-national Colloquium «10 years of NAFTA: Social Impact and Future Perspectives», held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on September 17-18-19, 2004.

While the negotiations on the creation of a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the talks at the World Trade Organization (WTO) are deadlocked, business interests in Mexico, the United States and Canada are pushing for deep integration in North America. 10 years after NAFTA’s implementation the Accord stands at a turning point. Behind «deep integration» or «NAFTA+» lies big business’ concern with harmonizing regulations in order to eliminate obstacles curtailing ‘economic efficiencies’. Border crossings should be wide open for trade in goods and for business travellers. The direction is towards an eventual ‘customs union’ with a common monetary system, ‘smart’ borders and a single security perimeter. Governments are under pressure to give up more sovereignty over some natural resources (like oil and gas) to meet private sector expectations built around a continental energy pact.

The move towards ‘deep integration’ poses a significant challenge to social movements in North America.