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Senator John McCain will speak in Canada at the Economic Club of Canada at the invitation of Prime Minister Harper upon the suggestion of US Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins, to ensure Canadian elite business and government proponents of NAFTA that the agreement along with its subsequent NAFTA-Plus iteration the SPP, are sacrosanct. In the wake of the announcement of this extraordinary visit, commentary in Canada's national newspaper the Globe and Mail suggests that Presidential Candidate Barack Obama is backtracking on his campaign commitments to NAFTA. See following articles [1] from the Globe and Mail June 19th Obama backs off NAFTA attack ahead of McCain visit to Canada. See also [2] President Obama Won't Change NAFTA [1] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080619.wobama-trade0619/BNStory/National/home Globe and Mail i.e June 19th the same indication: Obama backs off NAFTA attack ahead of McCain visit to Canada DAINA LAWRENCE OTTAWA June 19, 2008 at 6:31 PM EDT American presidential hopeful Barack Obama appears to have moderated his opposition to NAFTA just ahead of Republican rival John McCain's extraordinary visit to Canada to praise the trade pact. Mr. Obama, who said in March he would renegotiate the North American free-trade agreement if he's elected, said he might have gone too far. “Sometimes during campaigns the rhetoric gets overheated and amplified,” the Democratic nominee told Fortune magazine in an interview. “Politicians are always guilty of that, and I don't exempt myself,” he answered. Mr.Obama said he believes in "opening up a dialogue" with trading partners Canada and Mexico "and figuring to how we can make this work for all people." The admission was published shortly before Mr. McCain was expected to pour unvarnished praise on NAFTA, drawing a clear distinction between America's two combatants for the White House. The debate over trade puts Canada in an unusual position: right in the middle of a campaign for the U.S. presidency. A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper confirmed that he and Mr. Obama had a conversation recently, but would not provide details of the call beyond saying that Mr. Harper congratulated the Illinois senator after he became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. Sandra Buckler said Mr. Harper made a similar call to McCain a few months ago. North American free trade and Canada played a pivotal role in at least one battleground state – Ohio – during the U.S. primaries. A Canadian government memo written after a meeting with an Obama adviser suggested the Democrat's biting opposition to the pact was rooted in politics that would not blossom into policy if Mr. Obama becomes president. That memo was leaked to The Associated Press and many of Mr. Obama's own supporters believe it cost him the Ohio primary, which was won by Hillary Clinton. Mr. Harper condemned the leak in the House of Commons as “completely unacceptable” and ordered an investigation into the matter. An internal inquiry put the onus on the memo being too widely circulated among bureaucrats. The exact source of the leak remains a mystery. A spokesman for Mr. McCain says the Republican is jumping off the U.S. presidential campaign trail and travelling to Canada to speak his mind on free trade and not to win votes. Mr. McCain will meet with Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson and Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of defence staff, in an effort to “demonstrate his view on the importance of the U.S.-Canadian relationship,” said Republican policy adviser Randy Scheunemann. Mr. Scheunemann, director of foreign policy and national security for Mr. McCain's campaign, said this is “not a campaign trip” and jokes there are not many American votes to be had in Canada. Mr. McCain will address the Economic Club of Canada in a sold-out luncheon speech. “[The speech] will be about the whole breadth and depth of the relationship, economic and, of course, that includes free-trade, but as well as other issues such as environment and security and so on,” says Mr. Scheunemann. The Harper government has been careful not to appear to have favourites in the American presidential race. Democratic strategists, such as party elder Bob Shrum, have accused the government of manoeuvring to help the Republicans by leaking the NAFTA memo. Mr. McCain has touted the value of NAFTA since the start of his campaign, repeatedly saying the agreement is not up for negotiation if he becomes the U.S. leader. The senator's visit to Ottawa has been met with criticism from those who say the trip puts Canada in the middle of the U.S. election, despite repeated comments from McCain's camp that this is not about the election. Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae says that's a hard line to swallow considering the timing. “A visit in the middle of an American election is a campaign trip and to suggest otherwise is being disingenuous.” Mr. McCain's strict views on free trade have been one of the senator's central platform issues, but Mr. Rae says it looks like Canada is being used as a soapbox to further market Mr. McCain's message. “It's a little unusual to be giving a partisan speech to a Canadian audience . . . . The speech is not intended for us it's intended for a prime-time American audience,” says Mr. Rae. “It looks as if we are being used as a bit of a prop.” Recommend this article? 29 votes View the most recommended ------------------ See also http://intelstrike.com/?p=271 President Obama Won´t Change NAFTA By: Dana Gabriel - 12 June, 2008 Commentary / Analysis, Globalization Barack Obama has all but wrapped up the Democratic nomination, with only the formalities of the convention remaining. There is a good chance that he will become the next president of the United States. For all his talk of change, it appears that in areas of trade, economics, foreign and monetary policy, things for the most part will remain status quo. During the grueling nomination battle, both the Obama and Clinton camps were highly critical of NAFTA and accused the other of changing their position on the trade agreement. What is really worrisome is that you don´t hear Obama, or McCain for that matter, talking about preserving the constitution or protecting American sovereignty. The reality is that NAFTA will remain intact, and the push towards a North American Union and global governance will continue. ... In a recent article from washingtonpost.com, there are suggestions on what Obama should do as president. It included using the European Union as an example for economic and political integration. It talked about, "A functioning American Union that pools sovereignty." It went on to say that this would not be possible by tearing down NAFTA. Much of the economic integration has already been achieved through NAFTA, and the SPP is continuing this process, further laying the foundation for a North American Union. It is doubtful that the Democrats and President Obama will follow through on promises to fix NAFTA. It is so badly flawed, and a trade agreement that puts the interests of the people ahead of those of multinational corporations is what is needed. With all his talk on NAFTA, Obama has been silent on the SPP and the North American Union agenda. If there are no intentions of abandoning NAFTA, then it appears as if Obama´s change will be more of what we´ve come to expect from our politicians. With the next phase of the presidential campaign underway, I hope that this is not the last we´ve seen of NAFTA as an election issue.