North American Forum

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The North American Forum is an annual meeting of U.S., Canadian and Mexican government and business representatives to discuss issues related to continental economic and social integration. The Forum is chaired jointly by former U.S. secretary of state George Shultz, former Mexican finance minister Pedro Aspe, and former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed.

Contents

[edit] History

The inaugural North American Forum took place in October 2005 in Sonoma, California. Though it brought together a wide range of public officials from all three countries, the proceedings and guest list were kept secret. An October 27, 2005 article in the Financial Post contained a partial list of invited guests, which included former Canadian finance minister John Manley, Mexican ambassador to the U.S. Carlos de Icaza, Chevron CEO David O'Reilly, former head of the CIA R. James Woolsey, and a host of U.S. policy advisors to President George W. Bush.

The 2006 North American Forum took place from September 12 to 14 at the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, Canada. It was hosted by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives with help from the Canada West Foundation. Under the title, Continental Prosperity in the New Security Environment, the Forum included sessions on "North American Energy Strategy," "Demographic and Social Dimensions of North American Integration," and "Border Infrastructure," among other topics.

Similar discussions regularly take place among North American government and business representatives through the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. And in a speech to the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance on October 10, 2006, U.S. Consul General John Nay referred to the North American Forum as a "sister organization" and "parallel structure" to the SPP. But as in 2005, the 2006 Forum was not announced to the public or the media and there is no official account of the proceedings.

[edit] Participants

The Council of Canadians acquired a leaked copy of the agenda and guest list, which is posted below:

Canadian Participants:

  • Col. Peter Atkinson, Special Advisor to Chief of Defence Staff;
  • Hon. Perrin Beatty, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters;
  • Mr. Peter M. Boehm, Assistant Deputy Minister (North America) Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada;
  • Mr. Thomas d’Aquino, Canadian Council of Chief Executives;
  • Hon. Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, Government of Canada;
  • Dr. Wendy Dobson, The Institute for International Business;
  • Mr. N. Murray Edwards, Edco Financial Holdings Ltd.;
  • Mr. Ward P.D. Elcock, Deputy Minister of National Defence;
  • Mr. Bill Elliott, Associate Deputy Minister, Public Safety;
  • Dr. John English, The Cdn Centre for International Governance Innovation;
  • Mr. Brian Felesky, Felesky Flynn LLP;
  • Mr. Richard L. George, Suncor Energy Inc.;
  • Dr. Roger Gibbins, Canada West Foundation;
  • Rear Adm Roger Girouard, Commander Joint Task Force Pacific, Cdn Forces;
  • Major Gen Daniel Gosselin, Director General, International Security Policy;
  • Mr. James K. Gray, Canada West Foundation;
  • Mr. Fred Green, Canadian Pacific Railway;
  • Mr. V. Peter Harder, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs;
  • Mr. Paul J. Hill, Harvard Developments Inc.;
  • General Rick Hillier, Chief of the Defence Staff;
  • Mr. Pierre Marc Johnston, Heenan Blaikie;
  • Mr. James Kinnear, Pengrowth Corporation;
  • Mr. Harold N. Kvisle, TransCanada Corporation;
  • Hon. John P. Manley, McCarthy Tetrault LLP;
  • Mr. Ron Mannix, Coril Holdings Ltd.;
  • Mr. Ron Mathison, Matco Investments;
  • Hon. Anne McLellan, Senior Counsel, Bennett Jones;
  • Hon. Greg Melchin, Minister of Energy, Government of Alberta;
  • Ms. Sharon Murphy, Chevron Corporation Canada;
  • Ms. Sheila O’Brien, President, Corporate Director, Belvedere Investments;
  • Hon. Gordon O’Connor, Minister of Defense, Government of Canada;
  • Mr. Berel Rodal, International Center on Nonviolent Conflict;
  • Mr. Gordon Smith, Chairman, The International Development Research Centre.

American Participants:

  • Ms. Deborah Bolton, Political Advisor to Commander, US Northcom;
  • Mr. Ron T. Covais, President, The Americas, Lockheed Martin Corporation;
  • Sec. Kenneth W. Dam, Max Pam Professor Emeritus of American & Foreign Law and Senior Lecturer, University of Chicago Law School;
  • Mr. Dan Fisk, Senior Director, Western Hemisphere, National Security Council;
  • Sec. Ryan Henry, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy;
  • Ms. Carla A. Hills, Chairman & CEO, Hills & Co.;
  • Ms. Caryn Hollis, DASD (Acting) Western Hemisphere Affairs;
  • Mr. Bill Irwin, Manager - International Government Affairs; Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Chevron Corporation;
  • Mr. Robert G. James, President, Enterprise Asset Management Inc.;
  • Admiral Tim Keating, Commander, United States Northern Command;
  • Mr. Floyd Kvamme, Chair, President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology and Director, Centre for Global Security Res.;
  • Dr. Ronald F. Lehman II, Director, Center for Global Security Research, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory;
  • Mr. William W. McIlhenny, Policy Planning Council for Western Hemisphere Affairs;
  • Dr. Peter McPherson, President, National Association of State Universities & Land-Grant Colleges;
  • Ms. Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow, Migration Policy Institute;
  • Dr. George Miller, Director, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory;
  • Mr. George Nethercutt, Chairman, US Section of the Permanent Joint Board of Defense, US – Canada (Security);
  • Mary O’Grady, Journalist for Wall Street Journal (Area Specialist);
  • Dr. Robert A. Pastor, Director, Center for North American Studies, American University, Washington, DC;
  • Dr. William Perry, Co-Director, Preventive Defense Project;
  • Lt. Gen. Gene Renuart, USAF Senior Military Assist. to Sec. Rumsfeld;
  • Mr. Eric Ruff, Department of Defense Press Secretary;
  • Sec. Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, US Department of Defense;
  • Dr. James Schlesinger, Former Sec. Of Energy & Defense;
  • Mr. William Schneider, President, International Planning Services;
  • Sec. Clay Sell, Deputy Secretary of Energy, US Dept. of Energy;
  • Dr. Thomas A. Shannon, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere A;
  • Dr. David G. Victor, Director, Program on Energy & Sustainable Development, Center for Environmental Science & Policy;
  • Maj. Gen. Mark A Volcheff, Director, Plans, Policy & Strategy, NORAD-NORTHCOM;
  • Ms. Jane Wales, President & CEO, World Affairs Council of Northern California;
  • Mr. R. James Woolsey, Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton.

Mexican Participants:

  • Emb Andrés Rozental, (Mexican Coordinator)– Mexican Council on Foreign Relations;
  • Silvia Hernández, Former Senator and Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on North America;
  • Mario Molina, 1995 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry;
  • Fernando Chico Pardo, CEO, Promecap;
  • Juan Gallardo, CEO, Grupo GEUSA;
  • Gerónimo Gutiérrez, Deputy Foreign Minister for North America;
  • Luis de la Calle, Consultant. Former Deputy Minister of Economy;
  • Agustín Barrios Gómez, Solutions Abroad;
  • Vinicio Suro, Pemex;
  • Eduardo Medina Mora, Secretary of Public Security;
  • Carlos Heredia, State Government of Michoacán;
  • Jaime Zabludowsky, Consultant and former trade negotiator;
  • Manuel Arango, CEO, Grupo Concord;
  • Jorge Santibañez, President, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte;
  • Luis Rubio, CIDAC;
  • Mónica Serrano, El Colegio de México, Señor Fellow Oxford University;
  • Arturo Sarukhan, Coordinator of Int’l Affairs, Campaign of Felipe Calderón;
  • Juan Camilo Mouriño, General Coordinator of President Elect’s transition team;
  • Ernesto Cordero, Coordinator for Public Policy Issues.

Ambassadors/Consul General:

  • Mr. Carlos de Icaza, Ambassador of Mexico to the United States;
  • Mr. Gaëtan Lavertu, Ambassador of Canada to Mexico;
  • Ms. Maria Teresa Garcia Segovia de Madero, Ambassador of Mexico to Canada;
  • Mr. Thomas Huffaker, U.S. Consul General in Calgary (on DOD’s list);
  • Mr. John Dickson, Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy in Ottawa (representing Ambassador of US to Canada);
  • Mr. Colin Robertson, Minister & Head, Washington Advocacy Secretariat (representing Ambassador of Canada to US).

[edit] See also

[edit] Official discussions on North American integration

[edit] Regional foreign policy think tanks

[edit] Criticism of North American integration