[mobglob-discuss] Council of Canadians condemns Cellucci's linking of war andCanadian energy

[Gordon Flett]

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Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 12:16:46 -0700 
From: Caspar Davis <prana4 at shaw.ca> 
Subject: [CNS2] C of C condemns Cellucci's linking of war and Canadian
energy 

Thanks to  Jay Spark: 

The Council of Canadians News Council condemns Cellucci's linking of war
and Canadian energy April 2, 2003 

OTTAWA, ONTARIO - The Council of Canadians strongly condemns the US
Ambassador, Paul Cellucci, for raising the spectre of deteriorating
US-Canada relations to extract energy concessions from our governments.
Cellucci has again called for increased energy integration as he
continues to publicly chastise the Canadian position on the unsanctioned
attack on Iraq. He is in effect calling for implementation of the
discredited Bush Continental Energy Plan as he spoke this afternoon at a
luncheon hosted by the Association de l'industrie électrique de Québec. 

Since first publicly censuring Canada for its stance on the Iraqi
invasion, the US Ambassador has consistently tied the US disappointment
with Canada to a call for greater continental energy integration. In
every subsequent speech, Cellucci has used the issue of Canada's lack of
involvement in the war to forward his primary agenda, which is securing
Canadian support for the Bush Energy Plan. 

"This is a classic bullying tactic, Cellucci is using threats of a trade
backlash because of our anti-war stance, but the implication is that if
we hand over our energy, we may still get away without a drubbing, said
Anil Naidoo, Campaigner with the Council of Canadians. It's like we're
in fourth grade again: it reflects the new schoolyard subtlety of
America's foreign policy. Sadly, it seems to be working on our CEOs who
are off on their own "Washington Peace Mission" next week." 

Since giving last week's speech at the Economic Club of Toronto,
Cellucci has gone to the heart of the BC oil and gas region and is now
in Quebec, Canada's largest electricity exporter. Canada is already part
of a continental energy agreement for oil and gas, through NAFTA.
Article 605a of that agreement, states that Canada cannot reduce the
amount of energy going to the US without also reducing our own
consumption. This currently guarantees the US 60% of our production, and
more as the export ratio continues to climb. 

"With the recent backtracking on drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, the US is even more desperate to consolidate it's
energy imports, said Naidoo, the next phase is to try and ensure
deregulation and integration of our electricity grid as well as
harmonization of our regulatory policies. If we don't push back, we will
continue to see increasing prices, greater market volatility, and damage
to our economy; as Canadians are forced to bid, in a weaker currency,
against US consumers, for our increasingly dwindling energy resources." 

Canada's other NAFTA partner, Mexico, in article 25 of their
Constitution, maintains control of energy resources and has secured an
exemption from NAFTA's energy chapter. The Council of Canadians has
called on the Canadian government to abrogate NAFTA's energy clause
(notwithstanding the whole agreement) and keep energy out of all future
trade agreements, reject further integration through Bush's Continental
Energy Plan, and implement a program for transition from fossil fuels to
cleaner, renewable sources of energy. 

-30- 

For more information, please contact: Anil Naidoo, Campaigner - Council
of Canadians - 613.233.4487 ext. 226 or 613.296.1109 (cell.) Guy Caron,
Media Officer - Council of Canadians - 613.233.4487 ext. 234 or 
613.795.8685 (cell.) 

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 Judyth Mermelstein     "cogito ergo lego ergo cogito..." 
 Montreal, QC           <espresso at e-scape.net>
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