Don’t Get Fooled Again: Canadian Corporate Front
Groups
The advancement of the neoliberal corporate agenda and “free
trade” in Canada along with the erosion of our sovereignty have not happened by
accident. During the last few decades a carefully coordinated campaign led by
big business interests and championed by corporate media have pushed these
policies. The conclusions of bogus “studies” and reports issued by corporate
dominated “think-tanks” have been uncritically and enthusiastically echoed by corporate
media. This is used to give ideologically driven agendas a specious patina of
academic respectability. These corporate front groups have worked relentlessly
to mold government policy toward market fundamentalism but even more
influential has been their role in spreading the neoliberal mythology
throughout the public’s consciousness. This has been essential in lowering
working Canadians’ expectations while enriching wealthy investors even further.
The Canadian poor and middle classes are encouraged to believe they somehow
have interests tied to the well-being of the country’s financial elite. The
ultimate aim of the corporate neoliberalism being promoted by these
institutions involves the rollback of the 20th century’s social,
labour, and environmental gains. What follows is a brief introduction of the
major institutions working behind the scenes to promote this program in Canada.
The eventual goal of the “free traders”, Deep Integration of Canada with
the United States, is also examined and alternative, non-corporate Canadian
public policy sources are presented.
Atlantic Institute for
Market Studies (AIMS) Founded in 1994 with a grant from the
right-wing Donner Foundation, this East Coast “think tank” promotes its
unconditional belief that unregulated private markets always benefit society.
It is the driving force behind the Atlantica proposed trading zone.
C. D. Howe Institute This
Toronto based “think-tank” founded in 1973 and financed by the corporate sector
has been involved in building an elite consensus and changing public opinion.
Its “studies” have been used to help create the debt panic as well as to
advocate radical cuts to social programs and undermine confidence in the Canada
Pension Plan.
Canadian Council of Chief
Executives (CCCE) (formerly the Business
Council on National Issues or BCNI)
Formed in 1976 the Council consists of the CEOs of the 150 largest
banking, manufacturing, resource, insurance, retail, telecommunications, and
energy corporations in Canada (many of them American subsidiaries). It has
operated behind the scenes in Ottawa since the 1980’s as a virtual shadow
cabinet, influencing public policy to implement neoliberal programs favoring
the interests of Canada’s corporate elite and foreign investors, with many of
its papers serving as blueprints for Federal government legislation. These
include privatizing Crown Corporations, energy deregulation, tax cuts for the
wealthy, watering down competition legislation, and helping to create the
deficit hysteria with resulting cuts to social spending. The Council has been
the major player in Ottawa pushing the “free trade” agreements for the benefit
of the corporate elite, working closely with Federal government departments to
achieve this goal and spending millions to sell the Free Trade Agreement and
NAFTA to the Canadian public.
Canadian Institute of
Strategic Studies (CISS) Founded in
1976 and headquartered in Toronto CISS presents itself as an independent
think-tank on military policy while receiving funding from Canada’s Department
of National Defence. It organizes joint Canada-U.S. armed forces
conferences pushing for closer integration between the two. CISS advocates
increased military spending and other policies desired by the military
establishment and our own military-industrial complex. It seeks to create a
climate of fear and uncertainty among the public to push through an agenda of
more armed forces funding.
Canadian Taxpayers’
Federation This Ottawa based organization was created in 1990 to
fight social programs and combat any egalitarian government policies by
attacking the taxes needed to fund them. It is run in a totally undemocratic
manner with its members having no control over the Federation’s spending or
policies.
Fraser Institute Headquartered
in Vancouver and founded in 1974 this is Canada’s most important corporate
propaganda factory for molding public opinion. It is financed by Canada’s
leading businesses with more than half of the country’s top one hundred most
profitable corporations having contributed to it. Also prominent is funding
from right-wing foundations such as the John Dobson Foundation and the Donner
Foundation as well as foreign foundations. The Institute has received large
grants from Exxonmobil and has published articles in its “Fraser Forum”
skeptical of climate change and warning that the Kyoto Protocol on climate
change will be disastrous for the Canadian economy. It has staged a
presentation on why Russia shouldn’t ratify the protocol. It has also
campaigned against government tobacco regulation and published a book
purporting to refute the link between second hand smoke and cancer by an author
who received grants from the tobacco industry. Independent, outside experts
have described its surveys as “methodological garbage” but they are used by the
cheerleaders of corporate libertarianism to rationalize the programs
they want to implement for their own financial gain.
The Fraser Institute campaigns for “free trade”, privatization
of public health and education, anti-union legislation, and has a Law and
Markets Project advocating limits on citizens’ ability to sue corporations
for faulty products or pollution. In collaboration with other right-wing
institutes it produced the Economic Freedom of the World project which
equates freedom with the ability to do whatever is desired with wealth
regardless of the totalitarian nature of a state.
The Fraser Institute has enjoyed funding from many corporate
media conglomerates including Sterling Newspapers, Southam, Thompson
Newspapers, and Standard Broadcasting. The institute produces big business friendly reports which can then be quoted by
corporate media as “neutral think-tank” conclusions. Its “Tax Freedom Day”
gimmick is used to campaign for tax cuts for the wealthy with resulting government
cutbacks. The Institute’s National Media Archive, purporting to provide
an analysis of bias in Canadian televised news programs, is itself biased and
distorted. The Institute claims not to engage in lobbying even though it makes
presentations to politicians and packages its “studies” and conferences for
them.
National Citizens’
Coalition (NCC) Founded in 1967 this secretive organization refuses to
reveal the corporations that bankroll it but is known to have an advisory board
made up of corporate leaders. The Coalition publishes its yearly “Tales from
the Tax Trough” ridiculing government social spending. Its publications
proclaim public education a failure, advocate privatizing the post office and
CBC, oppose government grants for research, and praise the superiority of the
private American health care system to Canada’s public Medicare. The Coalition
has funded campaigns against the Canada Health Act and the Canadian Wheat
Board. It has also challenged limits on third party political spending, allowing
corporations further influence in elections, while working to undermine union
influence in Canada. The NCC lobbies politicians and gives cash prizes to
politicians that have advanced the neoliberal agenda as well as to journalists
who promote its views. The Coalition is run in an extremely undemocratic manner
and its public citizen members can’t vote at or even attend its meetings.
Stephen Harper is a former Coalition president..
In addition to these more general groups there are numerous
manufacturing and business lobby groups influencing the Canadian and provincial
governments to implement policies favorable to their particular industry. More
information on the organizations described in this section can be found in:
The Myth of the Good
Corporate Citizen: Canada and Democracy in the Age of Globalization 2nd edition by Murray Dobbin (2003)
Global Showdown: How
the New Activists Are Fighting Global Corporate Rule by Maude
Barlow and Tony Clarke (2000)
Holding the Bully’s
Coat: Canada and the U.S. Empire
by Linda McQuaig (2007)
Deep Integration of Canada With the U.S.
The push for “free
trade” treaties with the U.S. is only one aspect of a far wider agenda being
pursued by Canadian continentalists. Their ultimate goal is the Deep
Integration of Canada with the United States. This is presented as a necessity
in the post 9/11 environment to ensure continued access for Canadian businesses
to U.S, markets, but their true agenda involves decimating Canadian social,
environmental, and medicare programs by harmonizing them with their vastly
inferior American versions.
Several of the big business front groups discussed above have
been very active in pushing this agenda. In a 2003 Washington meeting the Canadian
Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) president launched the North American
Security and Prosperity Initiative. The 2005 Security and Prosperity
Partnership of North America (SPP), signed in Waco, Texas by the three
leaders of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, was a virtual carbon-copy of this
initiative. The C.D. Howe Institute has published many reports
supporting the Deep Integration agenda, calling it the “Big Idea”. They have
promoted linking Canadian economic security to American homeland security and
the establishment of a full Customs Union and Common Market between the two
nations. The Fraser Institute pushes Deep Integration in order to
harmonize Canadian social programs with declining American standards. Canadian
corporate media, including the far-right National Post, have eagerly
advocated Deep Integration as well.
Deep Integration with
the U.S. has many facets. One is Canadian involvement with U.S. ballistic
missile “defence” better known as “star wars”. Though the Canadian government
has publicly downplayed its role in this offensive military system, there is a
great deal of cooperation behind the scenes. The military aspects are further
highlighted by the push, backed by the CCCE, for closer interoperability
and integration between Canadian and U.S. forces for joint operations as well
as increased military spending.
Internationally
Canada is being pushed to abandon its traditional multilateralism in order to
align itself more closely with U.S. unilateralism. There is also more Canadian
compliance with U.S. style security procedures such as the “No-Fly” lists,
surveillance, and cooperation with their extraordinary rendition
program which involves kidnapping people and transporting them to another
country for torture. The Smart Border Accord would harmonize our immigration,
visa, and customs service with theirs.
The push for Deep Integration also involves downward
harmonization of our health, environmental, pharmaceutical, and food standards
to those of the U.S. by with the adoption of tested-once “Smart Regulations”
and allowing voluntary compliance by industry.
As American supplies of oil and natural gas dwindle, Canada is
increasingly viewed by the White House as America‘s gas tank for both its
domestic needs and its foreign military adventures. This will involve extending
the control the U.S. already has over our natural resources under the proportionality
clause of NAFTA. Also being eyed for negotiation is bulk export of our
water which the U.S. needs to continue its own wasteful water use practices.
Despite massive American deficits and economic instability Canadian
continentalists are also pushing for closer currency linkage to the U.S.
dollar.
The closer tying of Canada to the U.S. involves the
Americanization of our social, economic, and resource policies for the sake of
higher corporate profits. This sell-out of the interests of Canadian citizens
represents the culmination of the process begun with the “free trade” treaties.
More information on Deep Integration can be found in:
Too Close For Comfort:
Canada’s Future Within Fortress North America by Maude Barlow (2005)
Zip Locking North America:
Can Canada Survive Continental Integration? by Murray Dobbin (2003)
and at www.IntegrateThis.ca
But Fear Not!!!
Canadians can turn to several superb non-corporate sources for
public policy analysis. The Council of Canadians , founded in 1985 by a
group of prominent Canadians including Edmonton publisher Mel Hurtig as well as
David Suzuki, Pierre Burton, Peter C. Newman, and Margaret Laurence, is this
country’s largest citizen’s group. The Council is dedicated to fighting
the erosion of Canada’s social programs and independence by the “free trade”
treaties and the privatization agenda. Its website is www.canadians.org and information on the Edmonton chapter
can be accessed by clicking on “Welcome“ then on “chapters in action” and then
on “Alberta chapters”.
In Edmonton numerous public policy
publications concerning Alberta are available from the Parkland Institute www.ualberta.ca/parkland
and Public Interest Alberta www.pialberta.org which also sponsor
conferences and forums. Nationally the Canadian Centre For Policy
Alternatives www.policyalternatives.ca provides
analysis of Canadian public policy as does the Polaris Institute www.polarisinstitute.org. The Pembina
Institute www.pembina.org is a source of
information on energy issues.
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