Prentice: We need to 'demystify' the SPP

OH, yeah, us conspiracy theorists, we were so WRONG when we said it existed!


Jim Prentice, the federal Industry Minister, says governments and business leaders in North America must do a better job of selling the virtues of closer economic and security links among the three countries.

In a speech Tuesday to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, he said there is an urgent need to "demystify" the push to closer ties among Canada, the United States and Mexico, as outlined in the Security and Prosperity Partnership launched in March of 2005.

“The objective of the SPP is both to advance security and remove challenges that undermine North American prosperity — our prosperity. Jammed borders, broken supply chains and reduced tourism can quickly lead to lost jobs. Ordinary Canadians and Americans can identify with these issues,” Mr. Prentice said, according to a prepared text of his speech. “If we fail to explain the partnership’s objectives and benefits, then it isn’t likely to be very useful in meeting all these challenges to our prosperity.”

The business community has championed the SPP as a way of reducing regulatory burdens among the three countries, and clearing logjams at the Canada-U.S. border crossing. But it has been a target of political activists and conspiracy theorists. Critics say it will lead to a building of a European Union-style government for North America and strip sovereignty from Canadian policy makers.