Prime Minister Stephen Harper needs to make six demands during next week's meetings with the United States and Mexico in Quebec in order to demonstrate that he is putting Canada's interests first, the Liberal party said in a report released Friday.
In the 14-page "Strong and free: the Liberal blueprint for the North American Leaders summit at Montebello, Quebec" Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said Harper has focused on meeting demands rather than promoting national issues in dealings with the U.S.
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"Despite its focus on U.S. priorities undertaken under a cloud of secrecy, the Harper government is failing to leverage this cozy relationship with George Bush into real improvements for Canada," Dion said in the report. "When it comes to the United States, Prime Minister Harper has failed to deliver results for Canadians."
He said next week's North American Leaders' Summit, where Harper will meet with U.S. President George Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon in Montebello, Que., would present an opportunity to show a renewed interest in the needs of Canadians.
The leaders, meeting on Aug. 20 and 21, will discuss the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SSP) agreement, which was signed between the three countries in 2005 to boost co-operation on security, trade and public health issues.
"The Montebello Summit must be used by Prime Minister Harper to advance a strong and independent voice on behalf of all Canadians," Dion said.
In order to show an interest in Canada's needs, Dion said the prime minister must demand six things of Bush, including the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan in February 2009.
The report said that Harper must not only insist on the removal of the troops, but also demand that discussions with NATO regarding replacements for the mission begin immediately.
Another demand in the report is that terror suspect Omar Khadr be removed from the U.S. military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay and be transferred to the United States to be tried in the U.S. court system. If that demand was not met, Dion said, Canada must insist on Khadr's repatriation so that he could be tried in Canadian courts.
Dion said he was also concerned about the possibility of negotiations to remove water from Canadian basins, adding that Harper must prevent such an occurrence.
"Neither Harper nor Bush have addressed leaked reports from talks suggesting that the SPP could be used to justify negotiations of bulk removal of Canadian water in order to address potential water shortages in the U.S," he said.
Other demands included publicizing the discussions of the meetings, with Liberals insisting that border pre-clearance for Canadian goods be streamlined at the Peace Bridge, a key crossing for Canadian goods, and a crack down on gun smuggling across the Canadian border.
Dion said that if Harper does not meet the demands, the party will take the issue to Parliament, after it reconvenes in mid-September.
He said we will "table a resolution calling on the government to inform Canadians fully on what is at play in these negotiations and report the facts to the House of Commons to allow for parliamentary scrutiny and a full informed debate."
Next week's summit is expected to draw hundreds of protesters. Opponents say the agreement represents an undemocratic process that gives business leaders too much say and ignores the will of the majority on issues such as climate change, the Iraq war and the use of energy resources such as Alberta's tar sands.
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