Harper Oversees Loss of Sovereignty – US Troops on Canadian Soil in Civil Emergencies

(Subtitle: Loss of Sovereignty – Canadian Troops on US Soil in Civil Emergencies)

By Gary Morton – Feb.24.2008

     The Harper government has remained true to its reputation as the most secretive government in memory. Our government and the Canadian Forces have kept quiet about the new agreement they made February 14 in Texas. This agreement allows the militaries of both countries to send troops over the border during an emergency.

    Sadly the announcement came from the U.S. military's Northern Command. US General Gene Renuart, and Canadian Lt. Gen. Marc Dumais of Canada Command have signed the deal. Supporters describe it as benign which is something opponents do not believe … seeing it as a time bomb that could destroy sovereignty and be used against citizens.

   In Canada the Council of Canadians is campaigning against the increasing integration of the U.S. and Canadian militaries. In a CanWest Ottawa Citizen news report Stuart Trew of the Council denounces the secrecy saying, "It's kind of a trend when it comes to issues of Canada-U.S. relations and contentious issues like military integration. We see that this government is reluctant to disclose information to Canadians that is readily available on American and Mexican websites…"

   In the USA websites and blogs are buzzing with hostile comments and opposition to the deal.

    There are bitter comments such as

 “I will not be ordered around in my own country by a soldier from a foreign country…”

 “If any American troops come into Canada, on this pretext, they should be treated as an invading army and attacked by Canadian citizens.”

 One angry man said, “Harper just prostituted Canada to the USA.”

    More serious concerns include Posse Comitatus The Ottawa Citizen report notes that posse comitatus is a U.S. law that prohibits the use of federal troops from conducting law enforcement duties on domestic soil unless approved by Congress. Canadian troops wouldn’t be subject to that law.

    In fact posse comitatus has already been killed by President Bush. Bush has signed executive orders giving him sole authority to impose martial law, suspend habeas corpus and ignore the Posse Comitatus Act. Real fears of US citizens are that Canadian troops could be used in an unjustified Bush declaration of martial law and roundup of so-called dissidents.

    Many see it as another blow to the Constitution and another loss in the area of civil liberties … following on the heels of things like the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, the loss of habeas corpus and state control over the National Guard.

    Residents on both sides of the border are seeing this as another big step towards the Security Prosperity Partnership that would see the integration of the US, Canada and Mexico. They believe a North American Union is underway in integrating the highway and rail systems of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Protests are already happing in Texas over the feared NAFTA superhighway, a humongous 10 lane monster the width of several football fields, which they believe will stretch trucks, railway, power and communications grid lines from Mexico to Toronto. On top of that the groundwork is now being laid to combine the three military forces and in the end we’ll have the Amero instead of dollars.

    Two more US motives mentioned are the protection of the oil supply to the US and possible aid for the Canadian government if Quebec separates. Oil is an interesting issue. Canadian opponents to the SPP have noted that Canada has no national plan to protect its own oil supplies. Will this mean that any unrest or minor crime near oil installations could draw American troops onto our soil?

    In police integration people have commented that U.S. police agents can now carry guns in Canada, and undercover U.S. agents of the Border Patrol were seen monitoring the Six Nations standoff at Caledonia

    Some Americans and Canadians fear US Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. Mentioning that a vast electronic control net covering the US (the HSIN) is nearly complete. It includes 53 major urban areas, local officials and officials from Britain, Canada and Australia. Chertoff is known to be paranoid in regards to Canada. He has spoken about his deep fears on the terrorist threat he sees coming from Canada. Meaning it’s a genuine concern that Canada could end up under the power of US Homeland Security. They will run the surveillance net and tell our politicians what a civil emergency is … US troops and an array of anti terrorist intelligence agents will then arrive on Canadian Soil.

    Corporate media in both nations is paying little or no attention to this issue, even though it should be discussed, and an election issue in both nations.

    In Canada, again sadly, there is little hope of the Conservatives or the Liberals doing anything other than to sell Canada even deeper into the control of the US national security web.

==================