May 19, 2012 - No. 20

NATO Summit in Chicago, May 20-21

Get Canada Out of NATO! Dismantle NATO!
Fight for an Anti-War Government!

NATO Summit in Chicago, May 20-21
• Get Canada Out of NATO! Dismantle NATO! Fight for an Anti-War Government!
• NATO Presents the Gravest Threat to World Peace and Security
• Commitment to Expansion and Consolidation of War Preparations

Canada First Defence Strategy
• Harper Government's Service to U.S. Imperialist War Aim

Budget Implementation Act
• Treasonous Measures to Continue Placement of U.S. Troops in Canada

Security Perimeter Negotiations
• U.S. Pushes Harmonized Regulations on Operation of Unmanned Drones

NATO Summit in Chicago, May 20-21

Get Canada Out of NATO! Dismantle NATO!
Fight for an Anti-War Government!

The annual Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is being held this weekend (May 20-21) in Chicago. The U.S. as host country has made clear that the Summit is not about securing peace in the world, but on how to keep U.S. and NATO troops and bases in Afghanistan, and update and expand NATO military capabilities. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in statements preceding the Summit, pointed out that a main purpose of the U.S./NATO war in Afghanistan is to build an international, integrated expeditionary military force under U.S. command for future wars.

War plans against Iran are also being advanced. May 14, prior to the NATO Summit,  the Canadian Parliament, with all-party agreement, held a so-called take-note debate on human rights abuses in Iran. The take-note debate was based on massive imperialist disinformation on Iran, emanating from the same imperialist covert subversive agencies, parading as human rights organizations, which manoeuvred to get the U.N. Security Council to launch its so-called humanitarian intervention against Libya. That intervention too was carried out by NATO with Canada playing the role of commander of bombing expeditions. Such a debate can only be used to justify NATO attacks against Iran that the U.S. imperialists deem necessary to destroy that country so as to secure their domination over Asia. The expressed concerns about the Iranian regime's abuse of power are fully revealed when one appreciates the silence of the Parliament of Canada at the abuse of power of the Charest regime in Quebec and the invocation of police powers against the Quebec students and people. The student's opposition to fee hikes objectively opposes the Charest government's neoliberal vision for society and the opportunity is being used to criminalize the conscience of all Quebeckers and outlaw any demonstration in Quebec not to the liking of the private monopoly interests the Charest government serves. So too the existence of Iran outside the imperialist system of states blocks the U.S. from achieving its aim of dominating Asia. This striving of the U.S. also sharpens their contradictions with the big powers of Europe.

Since NATO was established in 1948 as an aggressive military alliance in the service of the United States its main aim has been to oppose the striving of the peoples of the world for empowerment. It established the political stranglehold of the U.S. over western Europe against the striving of the European peoples to establish people's democracies which favoured them. From that time the peoples of the world, Canada included, have opposed NATO and demanded it be dismantled.

Today, without the excuse of the Cold War and rivalry with the Warsaw Pact for world domination, the U.S. is using its ever-expanding aggressive military alliance to embroil its member countries and so-called partners all over the world and demand they bear the costs for its wars of aggression and domination and to compete for domination with the big powers of Europe and others who have joined it for this purpose. Canada's yeoman service to U.S. imperialism as it strives for world domination is to advance the cause of the global monopolies it champions so that they reap the spoils of war. It is unacceptable.

TML calls on the Canadian working people to take note of what NATO is up to, what Canada is doing and oppose the war preparations now. All out to establish an anti-war government in Canada so as to realize the deepest desires of the Canadian and Quebec people for peace. It was for this the people of Canada and Quebec sacrificed their lives in World War One and World War Two. The time is now to make their deepest aspirations a reality by creating a government that opposes imperialist war aims.

NATO Presents the Gravest Threat
to World Peace and Security

With NATO's brazen attack on Libya, the U.S. imperialists, joined by Canada and other NATO allies, are actively destroying any standards and principles of international law and diplomacy. Instead they are trying to destabilize countries which are independent of the imperialist system of states in hopes of seizing an opportunity to intervene and impose the interests of the monopolies and the governments waging war on their behalf.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen characterized NATO and what will be achieved at its coming Summit this way: "NATO is and will remain a transatlantic Alliance, but when it comes to security, the Chicago Summit will show that NATO is also partner of choice for world peace and security." A massive police operation is already underway against Americans who oppose NATO and the U.S. imperialist war aims. This shows the kind of security and peace NATO protects.

NATO's invasion of Libya, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan and its involvement in Iraq, are not contributions to world peace and security by any stretch of the imagination. Libya is still in a state of war as its people try to find a way forward by ridding themselves of a puppet government that is operating in place of a direct foreign occupation; the resistance to occupation in Afghanistan continues to grow; Iraq has been turned into a permanent war zone; and the proud peoples of Yugoslavia will never forget the destruction of their country and its ensuing division at the hands of the U.S. imperialists.

Who feels more safe or secure in these countries as a result of NATO's presence? Even the monopolies which quickly descended like vultures after the kill cannot say that they are secure. In places like Afghanistan these monopolies have private armies to protect their executives and their interests.

To its shame, notably since the invasion of Yugoslavia in 1999, Canada has played a steadily bigger and more aggressive role in NATO's operations. Over time the Canadian government has continuously further integrated its military forces, technology and territory under NATO's command. In the most recent case of Libya the Harper government brags how Canada "punched above its weight," reportedly dropping $25 million worth of bombs onto a people it was supposedly "protecting." No one will forget the medieval image of Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird signing a bomb to be dropped on the Libyan people. This is becoming the new image of Canada internationally -- a thug which hides behind the military might of the U.S.

NATO will never provide peace or security anywhere because this is not its aim. Its aim is to use  military might to crush the desires of the world's people to forge their own independent ways of life free from foreign interference.

It is up to the Canadian working class and people to redouble their efforts to get Canada out of NATO once and for all. It was never an instrument of peace or security and it never will be. It is the armed terrorist wing of U.S. imperialism and it cannot be permitted to continue destabilizing and invading other countries. Canadians want fraternal relations with all countries and peoples, including those of the United States, based on equality, independence and non-interference in one another's affairs. It is based on upholding these principles in practice that Canadians can contribute to world peace and security.

Commitment to Expansion and Consolidation of
War Preparations

The May 20-21 the Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the first following its destruction of the Libyan state and imposition of the rebels that it armed, financed and organized as the new government. The Summit will be the biggest meeting NATO has ever organized, with around 60 countries and organizations represented.

The three main themes to be addressed at the Summit are: how to continue NATO's counterinsurgency war in Afghanistan, ensuring NATO member states and its current partners continue to invest in war preparations despite austerity programs so as to ensure a fully integrated aggressive military force; and increasing the network of states under NATO's military and political domination.

Addressing demands to prolong the NATO mission in Afghanistan and a commitment from NATO members who may be vacillating due to public opposition, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen repeated that NATO is simply on a training mission: "We will complete our ISAF mission by the end of 2014 -- but we will remain committed to a long-term partnership with the Afghan people." "I expect NATO will train, advise and assist Afghan security forces; that will be a new mission with a new role for NATO," he added. He did not speak about U.S. demands for special forces from Canada and Australia to operate alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan, which reveals the fraud of the so-called "training."

Towards further integrating the militaries and territories of NATO member countries, Rasmussen stated, "In Chicago, we will launch between 20 and 30 other multinational projects, including for better protection, better surveillance, and better maintenance. Our goal is NATO Forces 2020 -- an alliance that is fit for the next decade and beyond. And the way to get there is Smart Defence -- a renewed culture of cooperation that allows all Allies to provide more security for our citizens even in an age of austerity." An example of these "multinational projects" is the establishment of a system of NATO missile bases in Europe called "missile defense" batteries. This gives the impression that they are not offensive in nature. In addition, NATO is establishing common surveillance satellites among NATO countries to be operated and controlled by NATO, which in effect means the U.S.

NATO is integrating more countries and militaries into its aggressive alliance. As part of the Summit NATO will hold an expanded meeting of the International Security Assistance Force (the multinational force put in place by NATO to carry out the invasion of Afghanistan) that will include 22 non-NATO "partners" and a separate meeting with a group of 13 "partner nations" to recognize their important contributions to current and recent NATO missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Libya.

Summing up the significance of the Summit for NATO, Rasmussen stated: "NATO is and will remain a transatlantic Alliance, but when it comes to security, the Chicago Summit will show that NATO is also partner of choice for world peace and security."

Rasmussen does not mention the large scale military operations being prepared in Chicago precisely to prevent the people of the United States from expressing their political opposition to NATO and the threat to peace and security that it represents. Clearly the peace and security that Rasmussen refers to  is not for the people but for the private monopoly interests it represents and the governments that serve them.

Canada First Defence Strategy

Harper Government's Service to
U.S. Imperialist War Aim

On May 9, 2012 a debate was held in the Parliament on the main estimates for spending on the Canadian military for the coming year. During the debate various aspects of the Harper government's ongoing military transformation were discussed. The transformations are part of the Harper Government's Canada First Defence Strategy announced by the Harper government in 2008.

Amongst other things the debate reveals that while very dangerous war preparations are being made by the government, it refuses to discuss openly why it is making any of these changes. Instead it simply claims they are needed to protect Canadians. It pretends to discuss how much money it is spending on these transformations, but then provides only misleading information, using Enron-style accounting to hide the real costs.

The government constantly repeats the refrain that under the Liberals the military was underfunded but under the Harper government it is being provided with what it needs to "keep soldiers safe" and "protect Canadians." This talk hides moves to use billions of Canadians' social product to create an expeditionary military fully integrated under NATO Command and to militarize civilian life at home in response to the people's growing opposition.

These transformations reveal the importance of Canadians' opposing disinformation about "supporting the troops" and "keeping Canadians safe" which is all smoke and mirrors to hide moves to embroil Canada in military adventures against the interests of the peoples of the world.

Harper Government Minister of Defence Peter MacKay opened the debate:

"We are currently in the fourth year of implementing our comprehensive 20 year Canada First Defence Strategy announced in Halifax by the Prime Minister in 2008. As I told a Senate committee on security and defence last week, even though we are still in the early implementation years of this visionary strategy, we have already delivered some impressive achievements across all four pillars of personnel, equipment, infrastructure and readiness."

He explained that since the Harper government took office it has moved $1 billion each year from other areas of the national budget to the National Defence budget. "We now have an annual budget of roughly $20 billion and we have in our employ over 133,000 committed Canadians, both civilian and military," he said.

Then, in the face of Canadians' concerns for the state of public health care, and the need for more investments in it, he highlighted spending on health care for Canadian Forces as an example of what this increased funding is providing: "We have added $100 million to the base health budget of the Canadian Forces since 2006, bringing the annual health budget up to well over $450 million."

He then went on to give a brief summary of what the increased military spending has "gotten" Canadians. "We believe they have made a direct contribution to the outstanding operational success of the Canadian Forces in recent years. Our investments and support helped our men and women in uniform provide emergency assistance to the people of Haiti in January 2010, even while they were helping secure the Vancouver Olympics and the G20 and G8 venues in Ontario. They have helped us to stop the Gadhafi regime from attacking its own people in March of last year, even while our combat patrols were fighting insurgency in Afghanistan."

He then spoke about big unknowns about the future and impending crisis so as to create the impression that all the military investments are required to keep Canadians safe: "Although the conclusion of our combat operations in Afghanistan and of NATO operations in Libya may have temporarily provided us with an opportunity to catch our breath as an institution and focus on longer-term priorities, there is simply no way to know where or when the next major crisis -- or series of crises -- will occur that might test the capacity, flexibility or readiness of our forces."

Debate on the Purchase of New Fighter Jets

During the debate the following exchange took place between NDP MP Mathieu Ravignat, Minister of Defence Peter MacKay and Associate Minister of Defence Julian Fantino about the aims of Canada's intention to purchase a new "fifth generation" fighter aircraft:

Mathieu Ravignat: "The Associate Minister has to admit that there are planes other than the F-35s that can [enhance the capabilities of Canada's fighter aircraft beyond the current CF-18's]."

Minister of Defence Peter MacKay responded: "That is not correct. What separates some aircraft from others is stealth.

"There are aircraft that have the ability to avoid detection by radar. There is on-board equipment that pertains to the aircraft's operations and communications, but most of all, it is sensors that are on board with respect to leaving a radar signature. That is essentially the stealth capability that is found in a fifth generation aircraft."

Ravignat: "It sounds like they chose the F-35s just because they are stealth aircraft."

MacKay: "No choice has been made."

Ravignat: "...if we really do need stealth aircraft, what imminent threats is Canada facing that point to the need for a stealth aircraft?"

Fantino: "I believe that we are all people of the world. We should, therefore, be wise and aware of the threats that are inherent out there, but moreover, we have an obligation to ensure Canadian sovereignty. We have obligations with NATO and NORAD and other circumstances that require us to have a fully capable, competent and effective military service, which includes our Royal Canadian Air Force."

Neither MacKay nor Fantino say that the Harper government desires to purchase military aircraft aimed at participating in "first strikes" against other countries in the name of defending Canadian sovereignty. Otherwise why when Ravignat raises "stealth capability" does he get no straight answer? Clearly the Harper government does not want any discussion about its continued preparations for aggressive war which Canadians oppose.

Increasing Missions Abroad

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, Chris Alexander highlighted the deployment of Canadian Forces around the world as a requirement to keep Canadians safe. In all his remarks of course he did not mention what illegal and criminal actions Canada's special forces have been involved in working alongside those of the U.S.

"All honourable members may not know that there are 1,300 Canadian Forces members deployed around the world, not just in Afghanistan, but in 17 international missions.

"Right now, 57 Canadian Forces personnel are stationed in the Middle East, a critical region where the Canadian Forces have been present since the Suez crisis in 1956.

"These troops are participating in four operations: in the Sinai Peninsula with the multinational force and observers, created by the 1979 Camp David and Washington peace treaties; on the Golan Heights; in various other Middle East locations with the United Nations organization responsible for overseeing the truce; and in Jerusalem and on the West Bank with the Office of the United States Security Coordinator. What are we doing with the United States in those places? The Canadian Forces are overseeing and training Palestinian Authority security forces and helping coordinate security issues between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

"The future of the Middle East depends on creating a climate of peace and stability. Canada is helping to make that happen.

"In Africa, the Canadian Forces are making an important contribution to various UN missions. For example, 14 CF personnel have been assigned to Operation Soprano, Canada's contribution to the United Nations mission in South Sudan. Nine members of the Canadian Forces are participating in Operation Crocodile, Canada's contribution to peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Maritime operations are still under way. Only last year, the members of the Canadian Forces on board HMCS Charlottetown participated in the NATO mission off the coast of Libya. Now, they are part of NATO's Operation Active Endeavour to prevent the movement of terrorists and weapons of mass destruction in the Mediterranean Sea.

"The fact that HMCS Charlottetown is now in the Arabian Sea region is proof of Canada's perseverance and its ongoing determination to participate in maritime operations abroad. Five Canadians are still in Haiti, two years after the earthquake."

The Parliamentary Secretary then outlined how the Harper government is preparing to join in the war preparations of the U.S.'s so-called "Asia Pivot:" "However, we have to adapt in today's complex security environment. We have to respond to new and evolving challenges, the growing importance of the Asia-Pacific region in the global economy, threats in emerging domains like space and cyber, the human rights of populations under threat from conflict, failed institutions, or repressive regimes."

Alexander repeated the Harper government line that Canadians should be fearful of an uncertain future. Instead of working out together how to deal with it, they should rely on the Harper government and its NATO allies to keep Canadians safe.

"We cannot know all of the potential threats that Canada may face in the future, so we must continue to expect the unexpected. That is exactly what the Canada first defence strategy has tried to do. That is exactly what these estimates seek to support, sound and balanced investments across the four key pillars of military capability: equipment, personnel, infrastructure and readiness."

Canadian Bases Abroad

Minister of Defence Peter MacKay then outlined Canada's moves to establish forward operating bases on NATO allies' territory to support Canadian participation in NATO military adventures around the world:

"Mr. Chair, specifically, in April 2009 the Canadian Forces established a proof of concept hub in Spangdahlem, Germany. This was done on May 13, 2010. The Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff ordered the establishment of seven operational support hubs worldwide to enable enhanced logistics reinforcement of international missions. This is an important step being taken by the Canadian Forces. The engagement and dialogue with host nations are progressing. We continue to develop appropriate instruments to establish the operational support hubs worldwide. The engagement and dialogue with host nations will allow us to have these operational hubs, which we feel are very important in a volatile and changing world.

"On February 14 of this year, the German defence minister and I announced the move of the European operational support hub to Köln-Bonn airport. This initiative is about supporting funds more effectively, ensuring that this network of hubs is going to be there and available for us. It often involves simply using a corner of an airfield, a hangar, for storage purposes but it will allow Canadian Forces to improve its operational capability, to get where it needs to be quickly. As I said, challenges and flare-ups can occur, as we have seen in places around the world. This is very much about the Canadian Forces having a footprint in places and regions where we know that Canadians will be able to play an important role, where the world is looking to Canada to do more, and we are ready to shoulder that load."

He also added a number of military training missions which are part of Canada's moves in the Americas to integrate Latin American and Carribean countries into U.S. Homeland Security:

"The Canadian Forces are also part of successful operations such as Operation Jaguar, which completed its mandate in November of this past year with respect to counter-narcotics missions. Operation Jaguar began with a request from the government of Jamaica to deploy assets, both aviation and naval assets, in assisting in the mandate to conduct essential training and search and rescue operations, which we were speaking of a moment ago.

"Also, we have had the privilege of announcing the participation of HMCS St. John's and its shipborne CH-124A Sea King helicopter in Operation Caribbe.

We have seen the Canadian Forces contribute as well to Operation Martillo, a binational joint inter-agency and multinational collaboration effort with the western hemisphere."

Military Procurement in Support of Foreign Aggression

Conservative MP Ted Opitz, who an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled May 18 did not win his seat in the 2011 election, is a member of the Armed Forces and commanding officer of a reserve infantry unit, outlined the Harper government's ongoing procurements towards ensuring that the military is able to deploy at a moment's notice anywhere in the world:

"This is something that the government has recognized since the day it took office in 2006. At the time, our troops were dealing with a fierce insurgency in the Kandahar region. To ensure their safety and operational success, we acquired critical capabilities, like the C-17 Globemaster III, strategic lift aircraft, Chinook helicopters and Leopard 2 tanks. These acquisitions have made a difference to our campaign against the insurgency and have saved Canadian lives.

"Through CFDS, we continue strengthening the Canadian Forces by providing them with the right mix of capabilities across all three environments: on land, on water and in the air. On land, we have invested $1 billion to upgrade our fleet of third generation LAV [Light Armoured Vehicles] III fighting vehicles which form the backbone of our mechanized infantry.

"The upgrade of the LAV III is one of the components of a larger investment in our family of land combat vehicles program through which we will acquire other capabilities, fleets of close combat vehicles and tactical armoured patrol vehicles. We are giving the army the tools it needs to effectively and safely conduct operations ranging from combat missions and counter insurgency to peacekeeping and domestic crisis response.

"To renew our capabilities at sea, we established a national shipbuilding procurement strategy, a $33 billion investment to replace our aging naval fleet and equip the Royal Canadian Navy with a new generation of surface combatants, joint support ships and Arctic off-shore patrol ships. This will allow our sailors to continue their critical work of exercising our sovereignty, protecting our coasts and defending our interests abroad.

"To ensure that the Royal Canadian Air Force has the tools it needs to operate in the 21st century, the government is looking to replace the fleet of aging CF-18s with a fighter aircraft that will give the Canadian Forces the flexibility to meet the challenges of the evolving uncertain and unpredictable security environment of the next decades.

"That is why we committed to purchasing a next generation fighter capability in the Canada first defence strategy, and we remain true to that commitment.

"We have also increased our investments in our third pillar, infrastructure. Having the right training facilities, landing strips, roads, docks, buildings, utilities and accommodations is absolutely essential to the work of the Canadian Forces. That is why, as part of the Canada first defence strategy, we committed to replace or refurbish approximately 25% of our holdings within 10 years and 50% within 20 years. In line with this commitment, the Department of National Defence has announced over $3 billion in defence infrastructure projects across the country since March 2009."

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Budget Implementation Act

Treasonous Measures to Continue Placement
of U.S. Troops in Canada

On May 14, Bill C-38 An Act to Implement Certain Provisions of the Budget Tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and Other Measures passed Second Reading in the House of Commons by a vote of 149 in favour, 132 opposed. The omnibus legislation is now being reviewed by the Standing Committee on Finance before it returns to the House of Commons for Third Reading and then on to the Senate before being adopted.

New legislation within Bill C-38 would make permanent the placement of U.S. military and police agencies on Canadian territory. The legislation is entitled: An Act to Implement a Framework Agreement on Integrated Cross-Border Law Enforcement Operations between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America.

The arrangement would permanently allow the RCMP to designate U.S. forces which can enforce Canadian laws in Canada. This is likely a first step to having U.S. forces enforce U.S. laws in Canada. Currently known as "Shiprider," U.S. Coast Guard officers which are part of the U.S. military can be designated by Public Safety Canada as cross-border officers on a temporary basis to operate on Canadian vessels operated by the Coast Guard or the RCMP and enforce both Canadian and U.S. laws.

The Harper government has used "pilot projects" and other non-permanent testing cases which they refer to as "baby steps" in order to prepare the population for this move towards complete annexation into U.S. Northern Command. Shiprider was first openly tested during the Detroit Super Bowl on February 5, 2006, just one day before Harper assumed office as Prime Minister in his first minority government. In that case, U.S. Coast Guard were placed on Canadian vessels and vice versa on the Detroit River and were authorized, on a temporary basis, to enforce Canadian laws. At that time the claim was that the bi-national nature of Super Bowl tourism and security required such exceptional measures. However, now it is clear that this arrangement was part of an ongoing plan to create one security force for North America.

Revealing this deliberate and treasonous approach to getting Canadians used to annexation, on May 14, RCMP Chief Superintendent and Director General for Border Integrity Joe Oliver, told the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence: "We recognized early that this approach would raise concerns about sovereignty, of privacy, and civil liberties of Canadians." He added, "We said 'Let's take baby steps, let's start with two agencies to test the concept, let's demonstrate to Canadians and Americans that such an approach might work.'"

RCMP Deputy Commissioner Mike Cabana also gave a clear indication at the Committee that permitting the U.S. Coast Guard to operate on Canadian vessels in the Great Lakes was the first step to having U.S. forces on Canadian soil. "First of all, the discussion started with respect to marine environments. And secondly, baby steps," he said. A marine-based version "was seen as probably the most logical place to start to explore the possibilities," he added.

Pilot-projects to place U.S. forces on Canadian land and in the air are already in the making and were presented in the Security Perimeter Action Plan released by the two governments earlier this year. According to reports, the RCMP has said that a land-based program could give U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents the legal ability to pursue "suspects" within Canada. The same reports indicate that the government "is not ruling out that aerial police surveillance over land will occur as a result of the current amendments." This likely means the use of U.S. unmanned drones in Canadian airspace which is currently being pushed by the U.S. government in its airspace.

While underhanded methods are used to sneak into law such significant arrangements as an omnibus budget bill and other regulatory changes that do not even get approved by Parliament, at every opportunity Canadians have opposed such moves towards security integration with the United States. In fact, in the Harper government's consultations for the Security Perimeter, its final report revealed that nearly half of all individual submissions said they opposed any further security integration with the United States. At that time First Nations groups also affirmed their sovereign national rights opposing any attempts by the Canadian and U.S. governments to impose new continental arrangements onto the First Nations in violation of their hereditary and treaty rights in both jurisdictions. Despite this opposition, the Harper government claims it has a mandate to put in place these treasonous arrangements.

This anti-national arrangement is a serious violation of Canadian sovereignty and all the arrangements established since the war of 1812. It exposes as cheap the talk of the Harper government about defending Canadian sovereignty in the north or standing up for Canadians' safety.

Budget to Legalize Checkpoints in Canada

In addition to arrangements to place U.S. forces in Canada, Bill C-31 also amends the Customs Act to give power to the Minister of Public Safety to establish checkpoints in Canada, which could also be operated by U.S. forces enforcing Canadian immigration law. The information on the change in the government's summary of the legislation says it will "allow the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to designate a portion of a roadway or other access way that leads to a customs office and that is used by persons arriving in Canada and by persons travelling within Canada as a mixed-traffic corridor. All persons who are travelling in a mixed-traffic corridor must present themselves to a border services officer and state whether they are arriving from a location outside or within Canada."

The wording indicates that roads "used by...persons travelling within Canada" can be declared mixed-traffic corridors by the Minister of Public Safety and immigration checkpoints established. A serious concern is whether this will be used to establish checkpoints following political protests in which vehicles and people can be arbitrarily searched, claiming they are looking for foreign terrorists.

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Security Perimeter Negotiations

U.S. Pushes Harmonized Regulations
on Operation of Unmanned Drones

One of the areas under negotiation by the Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) as part of the establishment of harmonized regulations for the United States of  North American Monopolies is regulations on the operation of unmanned drones in both Canada and the United States. When it released its action plan in December of 2011, the Council indicated that it was seeking to "establish a mechanism to share experiences on regulations related to unmanned aircraft systems, with a view to aligning regulatory approaches." According to the Council unmanned drones are "aircraft weighing less than 35 kg used for flight testing, aerial photography, filming for television documentaries, or offshore geophysical surveys."

In February shortly after the RCC released its action plan, U.S. President Barack Obama signed a law calling for the integration of unmanned aircraft into national airspace by 2015. In a notice published in March, the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) said it is seeking advice on how to select six places around the country that will be used for testing how to safely fly drones in the same area as traditional planes. The U.S. is reportedly hoping the drones can be used for all sorts of civilian activities, however the military and security activities are not highlighted as part of this push.

"These test sites will help us ensure that our high safety standards are maintained as the use of these aircraft becomes more widespread," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

Until now, the FAA has banned the widespread use of drones because of concerns that the unmanned planes cannot see other planes and could cause a crash. As a result, the FAA currently requires potential users to pass through a lengthy authorization process.

The FAA is currently asking for input on how to appoint a board that will select the testing sites, and what criteria should be used. The site selection will begin later.

According to reports, possible testing sites include: airspace along the Canadian border near the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D., south of Winnipeg, and airspace near New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, N.M., among other areas already used for testing drones for the military, NASA and the Department of Homeland Security.

The University of North Dakota was the first school to offer a four-year degree in piloting unmanned aircraft and is close to Grand Forks Air Force Base that is home to Air Force Global Hawk and Predator drones as well as two Predators flown by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

New Mexico State University uses Pentagon research funding to test new types of drones at its flight test centre along the Mexican border.

On March 9, it was reported that the U.S. government has taken the first step toward allowing drones to fly alongside passenger airplanes in the U.S., possibly near the Canadian border.

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