Opinion

Our Grand Ayatollah

Tom d'Aquino rules Canada's fate. What does he want?

By Murray Dobbin, 12 Sep 2007, TheTyee.ca

Tom d'Aquino

d'Aquino: Building 'fortress North America.'

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Does Canada, like Iran, have its very own Grand Ayatollah? Iran is technically a democracy with regular elections choosing a legislature and president. But it is well known that no major decisions get made without the express approval of the Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran, after all, is an Islamic republic and the final arbiter of the country's direction is the supreme Islamic ruler -- democracy or no democracy.

And if you examine the roots of the Security and Prosperity Partnership -- the secretive scheme to annex Canada to the U.S. -- you will find a similar pattern in which the really important decisions aren't decided in Parliament but behind closed doors. Those decisions are made not in collaboration with a religious figure but with the keeper of the Holy Grail of free market fundamentalism. That individual is Tom d'Aquino, the president and CEO of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) formerly known as the Business Council on National Issues (BCNI).

If you think calling Mr. d'Aquino Canada's Ayatollah is mere hyperbole, consider the fact that not a single federal budget since the early 1980s has ever had its i's dotted or t's crossed without being vetted by the representative of the county's 150 most powerful corporate CEOs.

Bestowing blessings

We have come so far down the road of corporate domination of the public policy process that it is now simply taken for granted by both the Liberal and Conservative governments that Mr. d'Aquino will check out the budget and give it his blessing -- or instructions on how that blessing can be achieved. This is not to say that he always gets everything he wants. He just gets everything he wants most of the time. He was particularly annoyed, for example, during the Chretien years because Chretien refused to increase military spending.

But this perverse resistance on the part of the nominal, elected prime minister was an anomaly and the record of the de facto prime minister remains impressive indeed. If you've never heard of this process, or Tom d'Aquino, don't feel bad. It is not in his nature or in his interests to be a highly public figure. He is in the enviable position, from a politician's point of view, of never having to run for office or even be introduced to the Canadian public. He is chosen only by the 150 lesser Ayatollahs of the CCCE.

The thinking behind the original BCNI was pure genius. In effect, it established itself in the early 1980s as a parallel government. The research that went into its presentations was of much higher quality than previous business lobbying. The BCNI structured itself through a series of task forces working on separate policy areas, seconding staff from member corporations.

At its most sophisticated, the council actually presented the Trudeau government not just with policy papers, but with the actual wording of the legislation needed to implement that policy.

Mulroney's masters

The logic of the BCNI's approach reached its peak in the Mulroney years, when its draft legislation began to be adopted virtually word for word. And it is said that Mulroney, who proclaimed in the 1984 election that free trade would only occur over his dead body, was convinced otherwise in a 15 minute conversation with Tom d'Aquino on an Ottawa street.

Following the end of the Mulroney era, BCNI/CCCE control over federal government economic and social policy made an almost seamless transition into the Chretien/Martin government.

Martin's first budget was a confused affair -- a little bit of fiscal conservatism and a little bit of Keynsianism and increased social spending. It was much too confused for the BCNI's liking. D'Aquino and company put together a document for Martin called "A Ten Point Growth and Employment Strategy." Seeking to "reduce the overall burden of government in our lives," (italics added) the plan's neo-liberal orthodoxy was obvious in every point, including:

Targeting social programs to "those most in need." Cutting taxes and "doing more with less." Radically changing unemployment insurance rules so the program did not "act as a disincentive to work." Making "non-inflationary growth" a tenet of economic policy. Eliminating the deficit through social program cuts by 1998-9. And minimizing government to "create a more decentralized federation."

The BCNI's list of demands is a virtual summary of what Paul Martin accomplished, or tried to, in his nine years as finance minister. Martin rarely strayed from the Ayatollah's orthodox prescription and ran the most fundamentalist free market government in Canada in over 60 years.

More powerful than ever

Tom d'Aquino has run the organization since 1981 and his influence is arguably even greater today. While the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) finally broke through the wall of secrecy and media indifference at the Montebello summit, there was been little comment on its origins.

While the idea of greater economic integration with the U.S. was on the CCCE's agenda from the late '90s, the 9-11 attacks lit a fire under the process. The temporary closing of the U.S. border revealed just how risky the free trade/NAFTA strategy was. That strategy committed the country's largest corporate players -- that is, the BCNI members -- to exporting almost exclusively into the U.S. market. It was an all-your-eggs-in-one-basket strategy that 9-11 proved was highly problematic.

The idea of further trade liberalization was suddenly transformed into what its promoters first called "deep integration." The U.S. made it clear that security trumped trade and the CCCE got the message. Working with the business-funded think tanks and right wing foundations, the CCCE began a process of building elite consensus for the virtual absorption of Canada by the U.S. By 2004 the process had become more formalized with the creation of the Task Force on the Future of North America -- a small but very high-powered group (both Tory Michael Wilson and Liberal John Manley were members). It was co-chaired by d'Aquino.

'Tell us what we need to do'

The task force's purpose was to press the three NAFTA leaders to formally agree to their agenda of a fortress North America. And in 2005 that is what they did -- initialling the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. It was an exclusively executive agreement between the three leaders, committing them to the agenda but not requiring approval by the countries' legislative bodies.

Just in case there was any doubt that this was a corporate driven agenda, in 2006 the second summit in Cancun, Mexico, established the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), which includes 35 of the most powerful CEOs from the three countries. The U.S. gets 15. NACC makes "recommendations" to the leaders. And the leaders are eager to listen. One of the U.S. members of NACC is Lockheed Martin executive Ron Covais who told Maclean's magazine: "The guidance from the ministers was, 'tell us what we need to do and we'll make it happen.'"

The NACC was there in Montebello, too, meeting along side the three leaders behind the barbed wire and thousands of police. There was one addition to the 35 corporate executives even though he is not officially part of the group. You guessed it. The Grand Ayatollah, Tom d'Aquino.

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Murray Dobbin writes his State of the Nation column twice monthly for The Tyee.

34 Comments:

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  • Enid Godtree

    4 years ago

    Solid

    More great work by Mr. Dobbin. I always feel like Mr. Dobbin writes articles on a "need to know" basis and I believe these types of things are what Canadians need to know...from about Grade 11, on.

  • Grumpy

    4 years ago

    Democracy in Canada, don't bet on it!

    Dobbin's article just confirms the fact that Canada is nothing more than a benign dictatorship, where major policy is made by the 'elites' and passed by a rubber-stamp 'showcase' vote in Parliament.

    In a true democracy, the voters get to vote on major decisions, not allowing 'bought off' MP's to vote as they are told to.

    Canada is falling apart and in no way can I see Humpty Dumpty putting it back together again.

  • alive

    4 years ago

    Puppet Masters

    Follow the money!
    It is good to get an idea about who is pulling the strings on the so-called leaders of this country!

    One could wonder why we have elections?

  • Fiat lux

    4 years ago

    Little Tom has been the real

    Little Tom has been the real PM of Canada for the past 20 years.

    No wonder big business hates democracy with a passion, in the name of "freedom" and "free enterprise", of course, as any form of decision making by the public cuts into their "wealth creating" activities.

    Meanwhile Tommy and gang are vehemently denying that they're planning any deep integration, and there's no such thing as the NAU, or the NAFTA superhighway.

    But then, economic competition is in reality war of conquest that relies on fraud, deceit and secrecy to feed the insatiable greed of the supermen, born to rule with the blessings of the heavens.

    Ed Deak.

  • southdeltawalker

    4 years ago

    Great "'Title"

    The "Grand Ayatollah"-great description of this man that has so much power and yet is the quintesential "back room guy".

    Yes what a democracy we have here..people can work for years on different social justice issues and yet this guy gets every proposed budget sent to him.

    Do anti- poverty groups, womens groups or minority groups get to see and have input to the budget before it is released? No of course not...especiallly when they are targets of budgets.

    It must be great to be a CEO..don't like something, need a Gov't policy changed...just call Tom.
    While the rest of us struggle on and to quote Joan Baez "....little victorys, big defeats...".

    Still feel like fighting, organizing protesting....? Yes it is our only option with the hope that maybe one day our voices will be heard and drown out Tom and his cronies.

  • Van Isle

    4 years ago

    Theocracy

    Canada is a theocracy and our religon is money

  • alda

    4 years ago

    Tom - The Grand Poohbah

    Dobbin's article reconfirms what I've suspected for a long time about such powerful men behind the velvet curtain - the Tom D'Aquinos and Karl Roves of the world.

    There is only one important question here: How to push Canadians to WAKE UP to the devastating political issues they will face sooner or later (fascist corporate scenarios instigated by such men as D'Aquino). Big business interests, of course, have one very powerful argument on their side and it's the card they ALWAYS PLAY: "if we do what you citizen groups ask, you'll lose your jobs." It's the ace argument, of course, and the one that needs to be clearly analyzed and refuted by those citizens groups everywhere.

    I read several fine alternative papers and they all describe beautifully what the problems are with Afghanistan, the banking industry, insurance and pharmaceutical systems, SPP, TILMA, water issues, Peak Oil, and the environment, etc. But, (and not to demean Dobbin, a fine writer) talk is cheap.

    I believe it's time activist organizations and investigative journalists band together to cajole, push or encourage the Liberals or the NDP AND THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA to start being far more vocal in the press about what's going on. Call press conferences, etc.

    Informed citizens are stuck watching the NAU evolve, in frozen powerless horror -- angry and disgusted with our fellow citizens who pay no attention whatsoever, and don't even understand the issues even when they think they ARE paying attention. IMO, only a drastic, rather horrifying crisis in our economy and our real standard of living will wake people up, and that's going to be a sorry, shocking day for many when it shows up on their doorsteps.

  • Skywalker

    4 years ago

    Good Question alda!

    There are just too many people who still believe in the propaganda that they will get their piece of the pie even if people like D'Aquinos ruin their country and gets 100 pies for himself. They also believe there are no limits to economic growth and capitalism will always find a way. That most may live in poverty while a few live in luxurious comfort does not cross their minds. They are all preoccupied who who will be the next survivor to get kicked off the island.

    I sometimes despair at the thought of Canadians, living in this paradise, every seeing the light.

    I can still see D'Aquinos during the Free Trade Debate. Not an original idea but just the same right wing ideological nonsense. He was more American than Canadian. Too bad England did not make him a Lord as well.

  • BC Dude

    4 years ago

    I'd rather be a dead freedom

    I'd rather be a dead freedom fighter than a slave to be traded on "OUR" WORLD open market like cattle!
    What is needed NOW TODAYis to shut down all of "OUR SOVEREIGN NATION CANADA" and get out in the streets marching peacefully, as this will finally bring these cowardly few and they are very few out into the open where THE CANADIAN PEOPLE'S VOICE CAN BE HEARD AGAINST THESE TREASONOUS WAR MONGERS and MONEY MONGERS WHOSE god IS GREED and Power!
    OUR WARCRY BY 32 MILLION GREAT CANADIAN VOICES IS "ENOUGH"
    http://www.communitycurrency.org/BushCrimeFamily.html

  • Fiat lux

    4 years ago

    To the best of my knowledge,

    To the best of my knowledge, Tom was once an economics professor, obviously a disciple of Friedman, which explains his ideas and the scriptures he's working with.

    As I wrote many times, don't worry about the politicians, go after the professors who act as the Priesthood of the Money God and give orders to the politicians. Without those fraudulent theories and ideology the politicians are helpless.

    The problems do not originate in our governments, but our universities teaching fraud.

    Enclosed the website blurb of CCCE

    Ed Deak.
    ========================================

    September 12, 2007

    Click for further information:

    Fiscal and Tax Policy
    Innovation and Competitiveness
    Human and Community Development
    Creating a Healthy Environment
    Corporate and Public Governance
    North American Security and Prosperity
    Canada's Role in the World

    Seize Opportunities in Asia Pacific Markets, Canadian Business Leader Urges at APEC Summit
    Communiqués, September 10, 2007

    Too Much, or Not Enough? The Montebello Summit in Perspective
    Speeches and Articles, August 29, 2007

    Trilateral Business Council Urges Progress in Building a Secure and Competitive North America
    Communiqués, August 21, 2007

    Building a Secure and Competitive North America - 2007 Report to Leaders from the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC)
    Presentations and Reports, August 21, 2007

    The Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) is Canada's premier business association, with an outstanding record of achievement in matching entrepreneurial initiative with sound public policy choices. Over the past three decades, the Council has played a private sector leadership role in shaping fiscal, taxation, trade, competition, energy, environmental, education and corporate governance policies. We have been groundbreakers in advancing Canada's competitiveness agenda and our mandate and work encompasses North American and global issues. We have been referred to as the world's most effective CEO-based organization dedicated to public policy development and solutions.

    Our member CEOs and entrepreneurs represent all sectors of the Canadian economy. The companies they lead collectively administer C$3.5 trillion in assets, have annual revenues in excess of C$800 billion, and are responsible for the vast majority of Canada's exports, investment, research and development, and training.

    Thomas d'Aquino
    Chief Executive and President
    Click here for BIO
    Photo: J.-M. Carisse

  • alda

    4 years ago

    response to Fiat Lux and others

    You're undoubteedly right that certain professors and business programs help foster D'Aquino's brand of thinking. We have to ask just who pays for/owns those professors' chairs at the universities (not to mention the mainstream media)? Big business, of course. It all comes full circle to who has the power. Until universities are funded purely by governments and not business, there's little chance of influencing those departments.

    Skywalker, loved you "lord" remark!

    B.C. dude, you're on the money, too, but unfortunately we can't get anyone to protest about anything here in la-la-Disneyland of the North. It's all about Hockey Night in Canada, beer, and Oprah. At our SPP protest in Calgary, 50 - 60 people turned up, and this for a city of a MILLION. Shameful and pathetic citizen apathy.

    Well, I say this: let's see how apathetic those citizens who drove by during our SPP protest and gave us the finger will remain when their own children are baking to death in higher global temperatures, thirsting for clean glacial water supply, standing in soup lines when all our "wonderfuL" Canadian resources are gone and all that's left is drought, no forests (pine beetle infestations and so on), no fish in the sea, and dribbles of water for even the smallest local farm market economies. Maybe then they'll take the time to figure it out, or maybe they'll just start blaming the immigrants or the homeless on the street, and call for even more of the same, and then they'll find out what the full boot stamp of corporate facism feels like on their faces, not just the toe we're getting now. (And when they find out the rest of the world doesn't give a rat's ass about them then, much as we in the West seem to show no care about citizens in Iraq and Darfur, maybe then they'll make it a point to find out who Tom D'Aquino and his ilk are, then. Too late, of course.)

  • monty

    4 years ago

    his royal highness, Tom boy

    was at APEC in Australia this month at the invitation of Prime Minister Howard, no less, urging everyone to leap on the bandwagon and expand our Asia Pacific connection--which lets us know who is really behind the expansion of Deltaport and Falcon's Folly Gateway program. Look forward to more worthless junk, dangerous toys and questionable food from China. Guess what? the garlic someone is importing and selling in our stores is banned in Oz because of dangerous stuff sprayed on it. To read a detailed account of Tom's exquisite prose (who writes his stuff?) at APEC
    google www.ceocouncil.ca/en/ Cheers

  • G West

    4 years ago

    I thought this was especially insightful

    Quote:
    Mr. d’Aquino applauded the contribution of Prime Minister Harper who, in his address to the APEC Business Summit, called for an all-inclusive effort to deal with global climate change. “Mr. Harper’s logic in calling for a global commitment and plan of action that is flexible, technology-driven and target-specific makes great sense,” Mr. d’Aquino added.

    Oh you bet it does Tommy, although not a single environmental expert or climate change authority has had a single good thing to say about Harper/APEC plan for the environment and the fact it doesn't contain a single hard cap.

    As always in a global business context - read what these turkeys write, listen to what they say and recognize that the exact opposite of what they're saying is actually true.

    Jeff Simpson in today's G&M has a nice piece on pee wee's trip to see the wizard.

    You should be able to see it here:

    http://www.rbcinvest.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/PEstory/LAC/20070912/COSIMP12/Headlines/headdex/headdexComment/3/3/8/

  • BC Dude

    4 years ago

    Uncle Tom he's just another

    Uncle Tom he's just another traitor of Canada as we OurPeople are dying and being horribly wounded physically and mentally in Afghanistan for the Afghan's freedom and democracy, while at home in Canada we are losing ours and that's why I believe Tom is committing Treason!
    Do you see anything in the local rags about Stonedwally's brother who is involved in some way a real-estate criminal investigation?
    How about the criminal BC Rail scandal from Dec 28, 03 nothing. There will be a court case Monday morning 17 September 2007 at 9:00 AM.
    http://bctrialofbasi-virk.blogspot.com/
    I'll be there as I'd hope many 100's more will be there also because now our BC Rail has become part of the SPP plans!
    Tsawwassen, BCR, are all connected to the SPP's and the demise of Democracy by the greedy corrupt Corporations.
    Documentary on Shaw ch4 in three parts, part 2 tonight I think.
    www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICL
    SPP's nothing in the CanWest media, Why?

  • sdgreen

    4 years ago

    Dobbin is a Radical Socialist

    This piece amplifies the utter characteristic of the writer Dobbin as a radical severe left radical socialist whose only objective is to destroy the capitalist and economic stability of Canada.

    Dobbins writings are complete negation to the success of lour Canada. We have a strong economy, we are able to provide our peoples solid services, and we are well known as a strong plyer on the international scene.

    It seems that Dobbin and his supporters and those that he supports want Canada to become a an isolationist society, one that ignores the really of what the rest of the world is doing. Far left policies of Dobbins thoughts would kill Canada and be completely negative to the welfare of Canadian people.

    Socialism of the radical type has proven time and time again to not benefit the common folk and it never will. In Canada today we do have a reasonable mix of social services to people and a reasonable support to the capitalist system, and that must not be changed.

    Under Dobbins formulae, all the economic positive stuff would be killed, and as a result, social programs would become affordable.

    Dobbinis a complete radical that must be ignored.

  • dr evil

    4 years ago

    is that a rant

    or what sdgreen...so we are to take it that you are in disagreement with Enid Godtree..that your paths are at...divergence?

  • dr evil

    4 years ago

    Amero conspiracy

    Anybody else heard the Amero will be $1000.00 per Amero when the continental unification takes place?
    No wonder their building camps.

  • G West

    4 years ago

    Socialism of the radical type

    What in the name of heaven are you talking about sdgreen?

    I take it from your spelling and syntax that you've been into the jar.

    Perhaps after a period of relative sobriety you'll have something a little more cogent to say.

  • Maritimer

    4 years ago

    Tom d'Aquino

    It has always been my considered opinion that this guy is a traitor to Canada and should be dealt with accordingly.

  • alda

    4 years ago

    SD GREEN: With all due

    SD GREEN:

    With all due respect, your refrain sounds unfortunately like those of puffed-up, cigar-smoking business men found in the back rooms of an earlier post- WWII era.

    Your comments would, perhaps, make sense, IF we were living in those golden times of limitless resources AND mass ignorance. But we are not, and all thinking persons now know what is at stake are our very forests, fish, minerals, oil, quality and quanity of water, and the quality of the air we breathe.

    I would like to not-so-gently remind men such as yourself whose noses seem so firmly and blindly planted in their fiscal bottom-line profit reports that survival of humanity and the planet's health is now in jeopardy - that it's an entirely new ballgame where the old, dinosaur rules of the status-quo need to end. I ask them -- and you -- to reconsider your obstinate, cold views and consider the environmental future of your own children and grandchildren. What profits a man who sells his own soul? What good will the most beautiful estates of the world mean to your grandchildren if they're choking on the air they're breathing, and baking in a relentlessly hot climate? NO ONE, I repeat, not even the rich and powerful will escape Mother Nature's wrath.

    Unfortunately, the avaricious of the world, the participants in the world you defend, seem to see only MONEY in their sight. Believing in the God of Mammon, and in the Pollyannish, Disneyesque hype about how the planet earth can sustain consumption forever and ever, amen, such people truly seem have NO vision or sense of how we humans are not rulers, but only a small part of the earth's ecology.

    By the way, your labelling Dobbin as "severe and radical" is, in my books, a compliment. For only the strongest, "severest" measures of protection of our resources will do now, and the term "radical" suggests "from the roots" - a grassroots participation in our governance - for the common good.

  • G West

    4 years ago

    And a very sensible opinion

    Moreover, a very sensible opinion it is Maritimer.

    I've heard that some species, like rats and certain insects will thrive after we've rendered the earth unlivable for human beings and most mammals. Tom d'Aquino is like that, a survivor who, through chameleon-like adaptations, manages to morph into a shape, which sidles up to any entity that he perceives as having the power to do him good and make him some hard and negotiable currency – any currency.

    When the rest of us peter out and die from the choking air and the poison in our food and water, Tom and his type will somehow conspire to survive and thrive - even if it's only on some small island in the south Pacific - or on a family compound in the jungles of Ecuador.

  • monty

    4 years ago

    newesr retreat. Dubai

    This week's Georgia Straight notes that sleazy Beasley former head of the planning department in Vancourer now advices a prince in Dubai amd has hired 4 city panners to join him. Tom and his ilk can go there. Of course alcohol is banned so no more boozy evenings.Women wear veils--good for hiding various paramours.
    May Tom can be erected at the top of their newest tallest building in the world. There's an extention of he top where be could sit.

  • BC Dude

    4 years ago

    www.harperindex.ca/index.cfm

    http://www.harperindex.ca/index.cfm
    Privatizing federal buildings a "sweet deal" for new owners
    Ottawa, September 6, 2007: Overshadowed by the Montebello summit in August, the Harper government announced it had sold off sixteen federal buildings on nine properties to a company from which it will rent them back at great profit to the new owner.
    The nine federal properties in different parts of Canada were sold to Larco Investments for $630 million less than assessed market value, according to the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). Larco is a Vancouver- based company whose holdings include hotel and casino interests in Las Vegas. ...
    More >
    Canada is being gutted by OUR traitors in Fed and BC Provincial offices payed by US and OUR hard earned blood and sweat to buy these commodities for OUR childrens future!
    "ENOUGH"

  • alda

    4 years ago

    BC Dude, exactly. It's

    BC Dude, exactly.

    It's obvious that we have idiot politicians who don't protect the common good (ie. selling out public buildings for a song) because we are all swimming in a prostituted culture that is based on an idiotic, watered-down educational system and floated by a corporate-controlled media.

    There is NO chance at all that the mainstream voter will ever care about these issues unless our cultural and social values change. But don't hold your breath unless we move to a Weimar economy or have a disasterous crash that will force folks to wake up. It'll come, but who knows when?

    Even the most brilliant writing on these blogs and internet -- however fascinating and enlightening to those of us who like to illuminate our minds and amuse ourselves -- is, in reality, but talking to the wind. Sad, but true.

  • Fiat lux

    4 years ago

    One of the main benefits of

    One of the main benefits of globalization to the rulers is that they can no longer be called "traitors", because economic boundaries no longer are supposed to exist, therefore anything they do will be of benefit to all.

    "Adam Smith said so with his self interest and invisible hand theory!" Well, at least in their propaganda justifying colonization and collectivization, because Smith never did say anything like it .

    As far they're concerned, the most important purpose of government is the defence of the free movement of "wealth creating" capital.

    Unfortunately, the politicians and economists never mention who benefits and who pays for "wealth creation"

    I don't wish anything bad for Tommy, except that he'd go back to his native Nelson and join the famous fire department featured in the movie "Roxanne".

    He would fit in there like a bug in a rug and we wouldn't have to put up with his grinnig face behind our prime ministers.

    Correction: "New Government. "

    Why not "New and Improved Government" like in all good detergent ads? People may even buy it!

    Ed Deak.

  • BC Dude

    4 years ago

    S Harper and P Martin are

    S Harper and P Martin are one and the same robots of the Bilderbergs, Rothchilds, Aspers, Waltons (Documentry "China Blue")
    http://www.harperindex.ca/ViewArticle.cfm?Ref=0088
    Canadian Corporations at Montebello SPP's secret talks.
    Let the so called free world know about these vermin by BOYCOTTING them all and see how much Power We the People Have!
    CNinvolved in BC Rail scandal
    Manulife Financial
    Bell
    Scotiabank
    CANFOR
    LINAMAR
    PCC
    SUNCOR
    GANONG
    THE HOME DEPOT

  • BC Dude

    4 years ago

    American Corporations at

    American Corporations at Montebello SPP's secret talks, BOYCOTT them all!
    MITTAL
    Chevron
    Wal-Mart
    Ford
    Whirlpool
    New York Life
    Merck
    GE
    Lockheed Martin (Warmongers)
    The Gillette Company
    Campbell’s Corp
    GM
    Kansas City

  • kootcoot

    4 years ago

    Relax Everyone.....

    Jeepers, there's nothing to worry about, everything is rosy, ala sdgreen, don't ya know?

    I used to worry but then I learned that a US Senator has explained why I don't have to worry. According to this member of the ruling elite, Global Warming/Climate Change is just a big scam - get this - promulgated by the WEATHER CHANNEL!

    That guy's pretty dumb.....but just think how dumb the folks must be that elected him. I guess I don't need to point out that he is a RePukelican!

  • alda

    4 years ago

    "Just think how dumb the

    "Just think how dumb the folks must be that elected him." Yup, and kudos to all comments here, except SD Green's, whose I'm afraid, I can't agree with.

    We blame our politicians for their stupidity and caving to vested corporate interests, but who, in fact, only represent our society's apathy, and amazingly abundant, dumber-than-a-bag-of-hammers ignorance.

    I taught poor Africans for a year and I can tell you that, individually, those university age students understood AND CARED more about the way the world works politically and socially than an auditorium of professional Canadian adults.

  • silvervalley

    4 years ago

    Our religious trinity

    "But then, economic competition is in reality war of conquest that relies on fraud, deceit and secrecy to feed the insatiable greed of the supermen, born to rule with the blessings of the heavens."

    "Canada is a theocracy and our religon is money."

    Perhaps we worship an unholy triad: power, money and war.

    If I may paraphrase the first line of the first hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy," in the Book of Common Praise: "God in Three Versions, Cursed Trinity."

  • MBCGA

    4 years ago

    Dobbin's Ayatollah

    I don't want, for a moment, to defend the unhealthy influence of large corporate interests on government. I agree it is a disease. I also think their free-market fundamentalism is based on self-interest far more than on good economics.

    However, I find it ironic that the chorus of Dobbin supporters, in the face of mounting evidence of how "the democratic process" is so easily subverted by special interests, still seem to want to put even more power in the national public sphere (so that the newly-acquired power can also be subverted by special interests like the CCCE !

    Surely what we want to do is to radically decentralize both the political process and the market mechanism, so that this kind of overweening power is not available, in any concentrated form, for "capture" by any well-organized special interests. The traditional socialist model in which the national state government plays such a large role, will simply rotate the elites, not replace elitism. Democracy is a nice concept, but operationalizing it to live up to the vague promise of the concept is hardly much easier than "taming" free markets and preventing them from undermining social cohesion (which they ultimately tend to do by rewarding greed, far more than generosity).

    There is no magic bullet to achieve the good society. Grand structural "revolutions" seem to simply replace one dysfunctional overcentralized system with another, so trying to "abolish capitalism" or the "profit motive" hardly seems to be a sensible way forward. On the other hand, I would think general organic decentralization of decision making to the level of local communities can be a big part of the way to make some progress. Local scale markets, in which participants are human-scale enterprises, can be part of such an approach, provided there are strict ground rules about acceptable market behaviour, and a solid regime requiring anyone extracting ecological-economic value from the "commons" to pay a fair price back to nature and to the community, for the privilege of doing so.

    Michael Barkusky

  • BC Dude

    4 years ago

    www.puppetgov.com "The

    http://www.puppetgov.com
    "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil,
    but because of those who look on and do nothing."
    Albert Einstein
    Guilty Canadian elected officials
    J Creation
    P Martin
    S Harper
    G Campbell
    R Klien
    So who is paying their bills?
    Warproffiters, money mongers (IMF, banks)
    So it's time has come to "peacefully" take to the streets and boycott CanWest for conspiracy to agree to non reporting on this the SPP's for 15+ years and all Canadian Corporations who participated in the Montebello 2007 SPP summit meeting!
    The North American Competitiveness Council (NACC) 2006
    Canadian corporations
    CN
    Manulife Financial
    Bell
    Scotiabank
    CANFOR
    LINAMAR
    PCC
    SUNCOR
    GANONG
    THE HOME DEPOT
    The whole lot are are a bunch of dispicable secretive treasonous cowards
    http://manlymedia.com/spp-tilma-montebello-and-the-council-of-canadians
    A real Canadian organization who are cracking this corrupt few corporations of secrecy and bringing the whole disgusting treasonous bunch out in the open where WEthe People will bring them to their knees and break them up into small good corporate contributing non persons taxpayers.
    http://www.canadians.org/
    Bring back the Bank of Canada to the people for a start and stop our tax money being used by those to destroy "OUR CANADA"!
    No Thanks to unca tom.

  • BC Dude

    4 years ago

    Time for some honest answers

    Time for some honest answers on Afghanistan
    http://willcocks.blogspot.com/

    Basi, Verk, Basi non-trial?
    http://bctrialofbasi-virk.blogspot.com/
    http://houseofinfamy.blogspot.com/

    http://www.vivelecanada.ca/index.php

    http://www.canadiandemocraticmovement.ca/Article1023.html
    June 25,07
    SegHiel Heir S Harper und ober dick Tom.
    Harper's threat to use the New Brunswick announcement as a hammer against Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador is nothing more than a deplorable attempt to pit province against province, an effort to keep Atlantic Canada firmly under his thumb. This is becoming very serious threat to Democracy in Canada!

  • BC Dude

    4 years ago

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y06N

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y06NSBBRtY

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