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Nexius
Ruler



Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 3,960
Loc: Earth
Last seen: 13 years, 3 months
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Liberal-fucked free trade.... again
#13898326 - 02/03/11 07:58 AM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
OTTAWA—After months of secret negotiations, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama are expected Friday to authorize the most sweeping overhaul of Canada-U.S. border and security cooperation in decades.
The agreement to be signed at a White House meeting will open the way to a bilateral pact with the potential to give Washington a much bigger say in Canada’s border security, immigration controls and information-sharing with American law agencies.
The deal, which is said to reflect Harper’s vision of closer U.S.-Canada cooperation, could pose the biggest challenge to Canadian sovereignty since the free-trade negotiations of the 1980s. And it is prompting angry demands for the Conservative government to provide more information before this new set of negotiations with Washington goes any farther.
Harper has said little about the talks but a draft of a six-page agreement prepared for his and Obama’s signatures authorizes officials from both countries to begin work urgently on “a shared vision for perimeter security and competitiveness.”
It would essentially see Canada and the U.S. moving toward a shared security perimeter around the two countries. Besides improving anti-terrorist capability, the goal would be to unravel the increasingly congested Canada-U.S. border and ease bilateral trade.
“We share responsibility for the safety, security and resilience of Canada and the United States and we intend to address threats at the earliest point possible, including outside the perimeter of our two countries,” says the draft agreement.
It calls for closer cooperation among police, security and military officials, as well as shared border management facilities, increased exchanges of law enforcement information and enhanced cooperation by authorities on both sides of the border to verify travellers’ identities and “conduct screening at the earliest possible opportunity.”
“We intend to look for opportunities to integrate our efforts and where practicable, to work together to develop joint facilities and programs — within and beyond the United States and Canada — to increase efficiency and effectiveness for both security and trade,” the draft agreement said.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said Wednesday, “Everybody wants to make it easier to get goods and services across that border and people across that border but not at the price of Canadian sovereignty on issues like intelligence, on issues like immigration.
“This is basic stuff and Canadians are entitled to a public debate about this. We’re saying bring this back to the House of Commons, no secret deals,” he said.
The NDP’s Jack Layton said, “We think that there should be a thorough discussion here about the extent to which he may be compromising our sovereignty. We of course want to work with our friends in the U.S. on issues. But we don’t want to compromise our ability to set our own policies.”
Harper didn’t comment on the issue in the Commons Wednesday. But in a television interview in December, he dismissed the idea that his government would harmonize Canada’s immigration and refugee policies with the U.S.
“Obviously, we’re trying to work with our American friends to see how we can, you know, strengthen our security and economic arrangement in a way that obviously protects our interests and our sovereignty but also protects Canada’s vital access to the American market,” Harper told CTV.
As envisioned in the draft agreement, senior government officials in the Prime Minister’s department and the White House will be given four months to come up with a joint plan of action to implement closer security and border arrangements.
Canadian business has become increasingly alarmed about the security-related hurdles slowing commercial traffic at the U.S.-Canada border since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. At the same time, the deal being contemplated by Harper and Obama is raising questions about how much sovereign control Ottawa will have to concede to convince the Americans to streamline border procedures.
“It seems to be giving up way too much for getting hardly anything in return,” said Stuart Trew, trade campaigner with the Council of Canadians. “There’s no guarantee the border’s going to become ‘thinner,’” he said in an interview.
“This is potentially huge for Canada,” Trew added. “And regardless of what people think about free trade, I think the alarm bells go off when you start talking about sensitive policy issues such as immigration, refugee policy and privacy.”
The Harper government has been aware for some time that the proposed pact with the U.S. could prompt adverse reaction from Canadians.
A confidential communications strategy leaked recently from the department of public safety said, “Greater information-sharing is part of the initiative. The safeguarding of privacy and sovereignty will be of concern for Canadians.”
The deal might prompt objections from federal privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart and from groups concerned about Canadians’ civil liberties, the strategy paper said.
Harper and Obama are also expected to discuss the political upheaval in Egypt and energy initiatives.
Go figure, god damn liberals.... why do they even exist....
They're destroying this country; and have been since FDR
-------------------- Light travels faster than sound, which is why some people appear bright, until you hear them speak
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nanomagnetic
cascadian



Registered: 12/26/09
Posts: 218
Loc: The Rose City
Last seen: 4 years, 5 months
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Re: Liberal-fucked free trade.... again [Re: Nexius]
#13899305 - 02/03/11 12:06 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Yeah...did you read the article?
-------------------- Being an ant is the worst mindfuck ever. They can never hold on to any memories, or come up with any real ideas, or even understand what the fuck is going on, ever. The Century of the Self: Happiness Machines; The Engineering of Consent; There's a Policeman Inside All Our Heads, He Must be Destroyed; Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people, citizens of distant epochs, who never knew one another. Books break the shackles of time. ~carl sagan
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Keij
HERP'N DERP



Registered: 01/27/11
Posts: 189
Last seen: 13 years, 1 month
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Re: Liberal-fucked free trade.... again [Re: Nexius]
#13900449 - 02/03/11 04:05 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Nexius said: Go figure, god damn liberals.... why do they even exist....
They're destroying this country; and have been since FDR

IAWTC.
-------------------- List of Substances:
2CI, 2CE, 2CB, Cocaine, DMT, DXM, Ketamine, LSA, LSD, Marijuana, MDMA, Psilocybin, Salvia
HATERS GONNA HATE Some people say I'm a compulsive liar. I like to think of it more as compulsive idiot.
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GI_Luvmoney
Vote Republican!


Registered: 05/10/09
Posts: 939
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Re: Liberal-fucked free trade.... again [Re: Keij]
#13910223 - 02/05/11 12:49 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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With all the left wing Canadian Bush bashing they must be pissing in their pants now that left wing Obummer is plotting greater control of Canada.
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ScavengerType


Registered: 01/24/08
Posts: 5,784
Loc: The North
Last seen: 10 years, 6 months
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Re: Liberal-fucked free trade.... again [Re: Keij]
#13919391 - 02/07/11 02:23 AM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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I'm kind of annoyed with this as a Canadian. I can see some merit in streamlining regulations so that allow cross border trade with the US, but if it leads to more draconian regulations on our other imports it may not be worth it. Further the idea of what would happen with these securities and agreements when/as the US economy degrades, is somewhat unnerving to me.
I don't see why Americans are opposed to this and I don't see why the OP blames liberals for this either.
-------------------- "Have you ever seen what happens when a grenade goes off in a school? Do you really know what you’re doing when you order shock and awe? Are you prepared to kneel beside a dying soldier and tell him why he went to Iraq, or why he went to any war?" "The things that are done in the name of the shareholder are, to me, as terrifying as the things that are done—dare I say it—in the name of God. Montesquieu said, "There have never been so many civil wars as in the Kingdom of God." And I begin to feel that’s true. The shareholder is the excuse for everything." - Author and former M6/M5 agent John le Carré on Democracy Now. Conquer's Club
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dshow
Nomad



Registered: 01/22/09
Posts: 5,255
Last seen: 12 years, 5 months
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Re: Liberal-fucked free trade.... again [Re: ScavengerType]
#13923927 - 02/07/11 09:02 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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blame libs, blame repubs. all corrupted. the ones who believe in either party are funny. join the bandwagon
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ScavengerType


Registered: 01/24/08
Posts: 5,784
Loc: The North
Last seen: 10 years, 6 months
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Re: Liberal-fucked free trade.... again [Re: dshow]
#13925333 - 02/08/11 12:47 AM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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This is just a continuation of the SPP discussions that were started earlier except it seems for better or worse to have Mexico left out.
-------------------- "Have you ever seen what happens when a grenade goes off in a school? Do you really know what you’re doing when you order shock and awe? Are you prepared to kneel beside a dying soldier and tell him why he went to Iraq, or why he went to any war?" "The things that are done in the name of the shareholder are, to me, as terrifying as the things that are done—dare I say it—in the name of God. Montesquieu said, "There have never been so many civil wars as in the Kingdom of God." And I begin to feel that’s true. The shareholder is the excuse for everything." - Author and former M6/M5 agent John le Carré on Democracy Now. Conquer's Club
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Grav


Registered: 02/06/02
Posts: 4,454
Loc:
Last seen: 11 years, 4 months
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Re: Liberal-fucked free trade.... again [Re: ScavengerType]
#13926288 - 02/08/11 08:40 AM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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all aboard the N.A.U. express
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johnm214


Registered: 05/31/07
Posts: 17,582
Loc: Americas
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Re: Liberal-fucked free trade.... again [Re: Nexius]
#13927133 - 02/08/11 12:34 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Why do you keep copy pasting news stories? Your supposed to start the discussion. Saying liberals have been destroying the country since FDR without even so much as an argument is not "starting the discussion".
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gluke bastid
Stinky Bum



Registered: 12/20/00
Posts: 3,322
Loc: Charm City
Last seen: 5 years, 7 months
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Re: Liberal-fucked free trade.... again [Re: johnm214]
#13928158 - 02/08/11 03:36 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
johnm214 said: Why do you keep copy pasting news stories? Your supposed to start the discussion. Saying liberals have been destroying the country since FDR without even so much as an argument is not "starting the discussion".
I also don't really see how Washington D.C. having a bigger say in Canadian border policies is "liberal. A argument that is an example of Obama cherry picking Neo-Conservativist ideas would be feasible. But I wouldn't even go that far. It just seems like one country exercising influence over its poorer neighbor.
If the OP wants to start a discussion maybe he could point out how this is "liberal."
As someone who routinely brings his merchandise into Canada, I can't help but wonder how this will affect already tedious border crossings.
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Society in every form is a blessing, but government at its best is but a necessary evil - Thomas Paine
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ScavengerType


Registered: 01/24/08
Posts: 5,784
Loc: The North
Last seen: 10 years, 6 months
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Re: Liberal-fucked free trade.... again [Re: gluke bastid]
#13928983 - 02/08/11 05:41 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Also considdering the topic includes canada who's centrist party is called the Liberals, using the term is odd. Why not just say democrat.
Frankly in Canada and the US, support for these measures like FTAA and SPP and this has been non-partisan. Bush started SPP talks, Obama continues it. In canada a Lib leader was in power when the initial SPP discussions were started and supported them, then the conservatives continue them. Even though aspects of the talks are unpopular among the citizenry on both sides there is no contention of the issue between parties and thus no (purely) hypothetical democratic choice in the matter.
-------------------- "Have you ever seen what happens when a grenade goes off in a school? Do you really know what you’re doing when you order shock and awe? Are you prepared to kneel beside a dying soldier and tell him why he went to Iraq, or why he went to any war?" "The things that are done in the name of the shareholder are, to me, as terrifying as the things that are done—dare I say it—in the name of God. Montesquieu said, "There have never been so many civil wars as in the Kingdom of God." And I begin to feel that’s true. The shareholder is the excuse for everything." - Author and former M6/M5 agent John le Carré on Democracy Now. Conquer's Club
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