Americas will take place in Quebec CIly In these post-Seattle days it is no longer possible for tne govemmens or trie world and their friends in the boardrooms of the multinaHos us hoNo u us off more effectively without their plans being challenged. People all over the world. whether or not they will make it to the protests in Bioch. wonl to know what sinister new rules are devised which will our lives as workers even more intolerable and WHiTA UHE Vod Sell off even more of our scarce pudlic services • Destroy even more of our fragle planet • Con us into buying even more overpriced branc goods The Quebec summit is an important step on the road to implement the Free Trade Area of the Americas an expansion of the North American Free Trade Agreement implemented on whole of the westem hemisphere.
FTAA is scheduled for implementation in 2005 and discussions about its development began at the Miami summit in 1994. immediately after NAFTA Trade ministers from 34 representatives in the US countries - that is all countres in the hemisphere access to FTAA NAFTA apart from Cuba- expansion documents. involved in the discussions. However little actually happened until a second sum- States (OAS), InterAmerican Development April 1998, which set up an Bank (ID8), and the UN ongoing Trade Negotiations Latin America and the sisting of vice ministers of trade tively known as the from each of the states. provide direction. Nine working groups were also to have access were rejected and instead a which deal with the Representatives on Chil major areas covered by the project: apricul- society to the TNC. ture, services, Investment, dispute settlerights, subsidies and anti-dumping, competition policy, govemment procurement and market access. further.
These bodies have been meeting on a regular basis -every couple of months - to a larger region apreo proposos of trose distinct areas and prepare a first draft text which was compreo tast becomnoel The Quebec City meeting will be the first oportunity to corsiaer this work essential if the 2005 imple- been drawing out the mentation is to be achieved.
No texts from these debates are publiciy avallBoe - te mospotors cor wa toastol place essentially in secret representative of big business. Over 500 corporate save secunty clearance and Organisations such as the Economic Commission for "Tripartite Committee", also There is no voice for civil society - demands of NGOs A wall of steel wire 2-3 metres high is being errected around old Quebec City. Naomi Klein Committee of Government has aptly descrbed this as a modern day Bastile. Other Society was established to activists have quipped that it's a represent the views of chil sign of how far we've come in the era of free trade, when the TS OCuCooC WH oc despite these attempts to barred from visiting their own keep us in the dark, is the capital, all in the name of interproject, the aim of which is The security perimeter being to deepen exploitation still erected for the Summit of the Americas in late April wil Essentially this will be an cover much of Quebec City's extension of NAFTA itsell to upper town, including six it is already otels, the Centre des reported that a whole num- Congrès, the National Assembly and a number of high are literally based on the profile todrist attactions. equivalent NAFTA texts, just Access will be controlled with more countries added with miltary precision, with This is why activists internal passports required to preparing for Quebec have Individual photo-ID badges for lessons of NAFTA to make cach summit venue. char what will be at stake if In addition the local councils we don't stop this neo-lib- of Saint-Foy and Quebec City have passed by-laws prohibieing the wearing of scarves to cover a part or a whole of the These by-laws will take effect not only during the demonstrations themsetves but in the weeks iuding up to tom. People are subject to fines and/or a jail sentence.
nonsto • Muke it easy for the security forces to spray tear gas directly into the face, mouth • Make it easy for the security forces to photograph people who attend in Quebec City so tha dwy can be enerod Into the security files of the tem supposedly focused on • Build a climate of fear and inhibition to stop people from security zone and expressing their rights to protest Several woeks ago, a number of students were arrested and aken to ta ori Quebec City for distributing pamphlets on the street withThe erosion of civil liberties pling up in Quebec Ciry is aren oy te eocel Governmen.
This is the same Federal Govemment whith allowed the police to pepper spray studenes in British Columbia several years ago to prevent embarrassment to the criminal and genocidal leader of Indonesia, Presiden: Suharto.
In response activists in Quebec are calling for April 2 to be designated "scarf wearMoesi ronte sovin ment buldings and town halls are planned not only in Quebec, but across the Canadian scate.
Hopefuly the klea wil spread not only amongsc those who will be directly affected I FTAA al those who oppose neo-lb. eral globalisation.