President George W. Bush (R) walks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (C) and Mexican President Felipe Calderon at the North American leaders summit in Montebello, Quebec, August 20, 2007
Joint Statement by Prime Minister Harper, President Bush, and President Calderón
We, the leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States, have met in Montebello to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing North America and to establish priorities for our further collaboration. As neighbours, we share a commitment to ensure North America remains a safe, secure and economically dynamic region, and a competitive player in global markets. We also discussed opportunities to cooperate globally and within our own hemisphere. The values and principles we share, in particular democracy, the rule of law and respect for individual rights and freedoms, underpin our efforts in building a more prosperous and secure region.
The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), launched in 2005, is aimed at jointly achieving tangible results across a spectrum of areas, while respecting each nation’s sovereignty. On February 23, 2007, our ministers responsible for the SPP met in Ottawa to review progress and discuss our further cooperation. Our ministers of industry and commerce, foreign affairs, security, environment, energy, health, transportation and trade have also met in recent months, reflecting our deepening dialogue within North America. They have made progress in advancing the priorities we identified at our 2006 meeting in Cancun. In particular, our three countries have completed:
You can read the entire text here
Today President Bush gave a joint statement with Prime Minister Harper, of Canada, and President Calderón of Mexico
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, Prime Minister. Thanks for having us here. I, too, want to thank the good folks of Montebello for their wonderful hospitality. The food was good, the hospitality was warm. You picked a great place to come.
I expressed my country’s concerns for the citizens whose lives will be affected by Hurricane Dean. I respect the fact that President Calderón has decided to get back to Mexico as quickly as possible in a safe way. I want you to know that U.S. agencies are in close touch with the proper Mexican authorities, and if you so desire help, we stand ready to help. The American people care a lot about the human condition in our neighborhood, and when we see human suffering, we want to do what we can to help alleviate that. So we wish you all the best.
These meetings are — I’m not going to try to reiterate what Stephen said. He went through the list of the meetings. And he’s a — he’s right, that we talked about a lot of issues. I just want to give you the spirit of the discussions and why I think they’re important.
It’s our people’s interests that Canada and Mexico work closely together. In other words, there’s a good reason why our leaders should come together on a regular basis. First reason why is to figure out ways to continue to enhance prosperity. It’s in our interests that the Canadian lifestyle be as strong as it is, and it’s in our interests that prosperity spread to Mexico. If you’re a U.S. citizen, you want people that live close to you to be prosperous. The more prosperity there is in your neighborhood, the more hopeful your neighborhood is.
NAFTA, which has created a lot of political controversy in our respective countries, has yielded prosperity. Since NAFTA came to be, trade between our respective countries has grown from $293 billion a year to $883 billion a year. Now, for some, those are just numbers; for many, it’s improved wages and a better lifestyle and more hope. And the question that we’re faced with is how do we continue to enhance prosperity so the average citizen understands the benefits of three countries working together? And I think we made some good progress toward eliminating barriers and toward harmonizing regulations to a point where more prosperity will come to be.
And we discussed a lot of other issues. We discussed bilateral issues. Stephen and I talked about border issues. Of course, Felipe Calderón and I talked about border issues and migration. These are complicated issues, but they’re issues that we can work out in good spirit as friends.
One reason one meets is to reconfirm friendships, is to make sure that not only at the leaders’ level is there conversations taking place that are friendly, but that that spirit translates throughout our governments. And I think we’ve accomplished that objective today.
We also talked, as Stephen mentioned, about international issues, issues concerning South America, the Middle East. These are meaningful discussions. I’m glad I came and I’m looking forward to hosting them next year. Matter of fact, it’s in the interests of our countries that we have these meetings on an annual basis and then have working groups follow through on the discussion items that — during our meetings with the business leaders or our own Cabinet Secretaries.
And so thanks for having me. It’s been worthwhile. I appreciate it.
After returning from Canada to the States President Bush stopped in Minneapolis where he participated in a briefing on the Interstate 35-W Bridge damage and Minnesota floods.
There is also an article about this meeting at Fox news.
Wild Thing’s comment……..
How can Bush do this without the approval of the American people? My personal feeling on this is a person can be a Globalist or an American. You can’t be both. President Bush – SELLING OUR NATION’S SOUL without so much as a whimper.
Amen Wild Thing… I wrote about it 2 days ago, he is a globalist 1st and an American 2nd… And THAT is a really bad setup in an American President.
I understand the Canadian people are against this too.
To think how much support we gave Bush in 2004. I’m wondering if Kerry would have been that bad?
… our Mother Canuckers have US defending THEM for the ice puckers have less than 9,000 Canadian military personnel in their armed forces! Let’s hear it for the ‘Dudley Do Left’s’! PS: I buy Canadian Whiskey at our Class VI store on base to clean the scum from our toilets. I also cut Canadian Molson Golden beer with Listerine to remove the ticks from our chow-chows behind!!
“Of course, Felipe Calderon and I talked about border issues and migration. These are complicated issues”.
No they’re not! Illegal is illegal. Trespassing is trespassing. I can just imagine what Bush and Calderon discussed about the border. It would probably not elate the 80% of the American public that wants illegal immigration halted.
They have had annual “meetings” in the past and illegal immigration increased, so you know both presidents support it. This is a true case of “Bush lied”.
This entire NAFTA, SPP, NAU thing is a globalist dream. It is too much like the European Union which has really pleased political leaders, but which has weakened each individual country involved and left many unhappy Europeans.
Today Bush is before the camera’s rallying support for Maliki, to hell with our own soveriegnty, it’s as if nothing happened in Canada yesterday. Jorge is still bent on the NAU in one form or another, the more he opens his yap the less support I have for him. I feel the same way about Fred Thompson, in that we’d be just trading one Jorge for another Jorge because they are both globalists. Sigh!!! I guess American’s aren’t willing to be independent anymore, preferring instead the the sarcophagi of false security offered by another UN controlled ‘Union’ and the welfare state.
Being from Buffalo, New york, I have met in my lifeftime a lot of Canadians. From what I remember they no more want this thing than we do. They elect their leaders the same way we do, ‘close your eyes, cross your fingers and pick none of the above’.
The big impetus in this thing I believe is Mexico. The land of the real class system. They can not support their peons, and they don’t want to. Their obvious solution is to ship as many north to Gringo land and be rid of their problem.
From what I have read and learned about Me-he-ko is that the ruling class are Castillion not Mexican, Hell Vincente Foxx is part Irish and Spanish. So go figure.
This SPP and NAU is garbage and two of the three countries know it.
Today, I read that the Southwestern United States is bracing for border riots, for free health care and protest against OUR system. This is what happens when we allow the inmates to run the asylum. Maybe this is the best that can happen and it may well wake up some ‘dumbasses’ who think illegal immigration is the way to go.
Darth you can say what you want about the Canadians, but I would take a Molson’s Golden or a Labatts Blue over a ‘Bud’ any day. They make some mighty fine beer. I don’t drink anymore but when I did that was some good stuff, of course along with a shot of Schnapps, afterall you can’t fly on just one wing.
Guess thats why I quit, it tasted too good.
Mark, you actually from Buffalo? I’m originally from Dunkirk.
Bob
Tonawanda, New York, is where I am originally from just outside of Buffalo. We lived two blocks from the Niagara River.
But I’ll bet it was the Beer and Schnapps that tipped you off, LOL,
Dunkirk thats right in the heart of the Snow Belt.
Mark and Bob, I made three seperate attempts to drive to Buffalo from Cleveland (Wickliffe, Bailey Controls) the winter of ’85, jeeez there was a lot of snow, I had to turn around each time because of the drifts and ice on I-90. The troopers turned me around the last time just outside Dunkirk, looped me back west , my last attempt was in a full sized rented T-bird, I never made it in the 4-1/2 months I spent in Cleveland on company business. I spent 19 winters in Alaska so I know about snow and ice, but that lake effect snow belt is something to be reckond with. I respect you both, that’s some awesome territory. Oh yeah, back in the day I was known to tip a few, but mother nature caught up with me. My experience with the Canucks is that they are a lot like us in that the city folks champion Socialism while the rural folks are hard headed patriots, too proud to take a hand out, my favorite Canadian city is Whitehorse, next is Saskatoon, I feel at home there, can’t say that about some of the other cities though, they are a lot like Seattle, Portland and San Francisco.
If I remember right in ’85 Buffalo had so many snow days the merchants in Buffalo were complaining about so much snow that the customers couldn’t get out to do their Christmas shopping.
As if anyone could do anything about it.
During the blizzard of ’77, I drove home from work, they have a great DPW, streets were plowed but when I got home there was about 7 feet of snow in my driveway but I had a 6-pak of Schmidts so I figured I would park at the corner drug store they were plowed out and walk back home and sip a couple of cold ones on the way.
Learned one thing that night Beer and the cold and snow don’t mix.
I knew I wanted to add something. Bush said, “the border is a complicated issue.”
What is so complicated about it, dig a hole plant the post fill the hole with concrete and that is one and you do that until the whole fence is done.
Then after you install the concertina wire, make sure the insulators are in good condition and throw the switch that connects to the 20kv line. The concrete footings should ensure a good grounded contact.
Might not make any friends but the country will be without a few less illegals.
Winter of 77 I was stationed at Griffiss, AFB in Rome, NY. It snowed every single day in January that year…every day. I was driving a 68 Dodge Charger which was worthless in the snow. Needless to say, I didn’t get out much that January.
Texas Fred, I liked what you wrote about it. Your right Texas Fred, this whole thing is very conerning.
Bob, your right, a lot of Canadians are against this. I have several Canadian friends in the graphics groups I am in online and they have mentioned this several times. They are very concerned about it.
Darth wow that stuff must be powerful. Nothing kills ticks easily. LMAO
We never had a problem with them till one time and one time only. I would sit for hours every evening and take them off our dog every single night. I did it with a tweezer and then use the tweezers to squish the tick to kill it. LOL I must have killed 10 to 20 ticks per night for a month till the anti tick stuff took effect on our dog. I was mass murdering ticks. hahahaha
Tom can you believe it????!!!! Complicated issues….sheesh amazing just amazing.
Jack, I know what you mean completely.
Mark, you are so right. Mexico is the one that will gain the most from this in every way.
Mark, yikes, love you snow story.
… Mark and Bob – When your Buffalo Bills lost FOUR consecutive NFL Superbowl games, did you change your Buffalo area code to 044? (That’s o for four if your from Filthadelphia)! At least you have the Sabres! – Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer 2007 PS: I do lust Shania Twain however…
Darth
That’s what we get for sharing stories of our home, Buffalo.
We got the Sabres ?? they went to one stanley cup and lost it. And of course the Bills lost 4 superbowls. The Bills organization keeps telling the fans that well we won all these AFC championships, So what ! And we got a hall of fame coach…what really happened is the NFL felt sorry for the coach and gave him a bone, Now he is back at the ripe old age of 82 as GM, If you are from Buffalo it don’t get any better than this…or any worse, until the snow flies.
It is the owner, after they fired the GM back in 89 or 90, Norm Polian, the owner said we would still be competitive. To me that has always meant to be mediocre and he has lived up to every word.
Since Norm was fired he linked up with the Colts and guess what, they now have won two Superbowls.
Sometimes it is a stigma to be from Buffalo. What do we have Snow, snow and more snow.
A couple of years ago, I was talking to a friend of mine, on line, after they had gotten 8 feet of the white stuff and he said, “It stopped being fun 5 feet ago.”
Hey how are you all doing? I am in the U.S. Army and do you have any ideas on border security? Do you believe the Mexican and American government will secure it and provide better security?