|
Articles by David Orchard | |||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
|
Global Research, September 2, 2018
 Global Research, June 18, 2018
The Province, Tuesday, May 1, 2018
This article has now appeared in several newspapers: Vancouver Province, May 1, and Ottawa Citizen, May 7; Regina Leader-Post and Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, May 1 (both edited). Ottawa Citizen, Thursday, January 18, 2018
This article also appeared as a full page article in the Vancouver Province, January 21, 2018, as "End of NAFTA could save us from ourselves," in Saskatoon Star Phoenix, February 27, 2018 as "Forget NAFTA, create independent economy," and Regina Leader Post, February 27, 2018 as "Canada can save itself by looking beyond NAFTA and creating a wider economy." Global Research, November 21, 2016
In 1854, Canada entered its first free trade (or Reciprocity) treaty with the United States and by 1866 it was clear the Canadian colonies were being absorbed into the US. A bill was introduced in Congress for their admission as "States and Territories of the United States of America." continued... December 7, 2013
Licia Corbella's praise for Brian Mulroney and the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA),"Free trade deal has proven the critics wrong," Province, November 22, 2013, brings to mind the anecdote of Chinese leader Chou En Lai being asked what he thought of the French revolution... continued... iPOLITICS, Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Justice Minister Peter MacKay recently wrote a letter to iPolitics in response to an August 25 column by Michael Harris. In his letter MacKay comments on the MacKay-Orchard deal that he and I signed May 31, 2003... continued...
The StarPhoenix
(Saskatoon), Thursday, June 18, 2009 Saskatchewan has already embarked on uranium mining. Now our government is proposing a nuclear reactor, which will place the province squarely on the nuclear road. The implications do not appear well thought out. continued...
The StarPhoenix, Friday, March 20, 2009 For decades we have endured the unrelenting promotion of the virtues of deregulation, free trade, privatization and globalization. Canadian ownership of its corporations became passé. Institutions and programs serving Canadians were swept away. ... Some of yesterday's preachers for an unregulated, borderless world now have turned 180 degrees. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who until recently promoted further deregulation of our financial sector by slamming "protectionists" and "socialists," now brag about Canada's independent banking and financial institutions. Separatist leaders, who said they didn't need the Canadian market any more, are alarmed at Quebec's dependence on a U.S. economy that's in free-fall. Former advocates of adopting the U.S. dollar now laud Canada's financial system as a model for the world. continued...
National Post, Wednesday, January 21, 2009 In the lead-up to the Jan. 27 federal budget, the National Post has asked prominent Canadians to tell us what kind of fiscal blueprint our country needs. Here's what they told us, in 250 words or less. The most productive government spending is on people. Investment in training and education is returned manifold over recipients' working lifetimes. Canada has a much-reported shortage of skilled labour, yet many Canadians are unemployed or underemployed, with no opportunity for training in the skills required. continued...
The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon), Thursday,
December 11, 2008 ... If the Liberals and the NDP enter the next election competing against each other as usual — something Mr. Harper is counting on — they will divide once again the votes of progressive Canadians (the majority) and may well leave themselves, and our democracy, badly damaged. One thing Mr. Harper may not have counted on is that, instead of falling apart, the coalition may solidify and take the initiative. This could happen if the NDP and the Liberals (and, hopefully, the Greens as well) make a concrete agreement not to run against each other in any riding in the country. If the opposition parties took this step, they could win a solid majority of the seats in the election Mr. Harper is hoping to take the country into shortly. continued...
Global Research.ca, Sunday, February 23, 2008, The Hill Times, Monday,
February 25, 2008 and
CounterPunch.org, Tuesday, February 26, 2008 ... Military assaults against the poverty stricken farmers of Afghanistan and Haiti, and an Iraqi population struggling for its very survival, are part of a long, barbarous tradition going back to slave ships and colonial resource wars and will some day, I believe, be seen in that context. In the meantime, the agony of millions does not reach our ears or eyes, and Prime Minister Harper is busy working the phones to shore up the U.S.-led war, seeking more troops and helicopters to "finish the job." continued... The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon), Thursday, June 7, 2007 ... Canada's reaction to a rising dollar is the opposite to what Japan did through its many years of prosperity after the Second World War. It lowered the value of its currency by buying foreign bonds and other assets, enabling it to continue to export profitably. China is now doing the same. Canada, instead, is selling more of its assets, with the resulting increase in the value of the dollar. The road to prosperity is found by selling your products, not your assets. continued... Halifax Chronicle Herald, Sunday, April 29, 2007 Most Canadians are proud that Canada refused to invade Iraq. But when it comes to Afghanistan, we hear the same jingoistic bluster we heard about Iraq four years ago. As if Iraq and Afghanistan were two separate wars, and Afghanistan is the good war, the legal and just war. In reality, Iraq and Afghanistan are the same war. continued... Edmonton Journal, Tuesday, April 17, 2007 ... Since assuming power, the Harper government has waged an unrelenting attack on the Canadian Wheat Board — firing its popular CEO, Adrian Measner, stacking the board with government appointees who detest it, and holding a fraudulent barley "plebiscite" (complete with gag orders, a secret voters' list, traceable ballots and deliberately misleading questions). Still, only 13.8 per cent voted to remove barley from the board. ...Today, the Liberal party is truer to John Diefenbaker's defence of the West than the party claiming his name. continued... David Orchard's message to the
Toronto demonstration against the bombing of Lebanon, July 29, 2006 I regret that I am unable to be with you in person today in Toronto, but I am here with you in spirit. I would like to thank the organizers of this demonstration for taking the initiative to speak out on behalf of all Canadians who are horrified by the slaughter of civilians going on as we speak. I want to thank each and every one of you who have come out today to tell the world that Stephen Harper does not speak for us. Mr. Harper has said that it is "too early" to call for a ceasefire. His words are a green light for the barbaric aerial bombardment of Lebanon to continue. The bombardment is causing untold agony and bloodshed. And, our government instead of speaking up for humanity, for decency and for international law has spoken in favour of a monstrous and unfolding international war crime. Let's not forget that while it is the Israeli air force dropping the bombs, it is the United States government that has declared it is creating "a new Middle East" and which is supplying the weapons, paying the freight [by covering the bulk of Israel's defence budget and so, in essence] calling the shots. The U.S. is refusing to call for a ceasefire all the while talking about a "sustainable peace." I am calling for an immediate – an immediate – ceasefire and an immediate massive humanitarian operation to rescue the wounded, shelter the homeless and alleviate the suffering. I ask each of you to raise the demand for a ceasefire in any way that you can – with your member of parliament, on open line radio or television shows, in letters to the editors, in other demonstrations like this one – from any forum you can find. Every voice counts! Across the world a rising tide of voices are speaking out against the high tech violence being unleashed against a civilian population with no means of escape or defence. I am here with you today to say to Mr Harper, "not in our name." Not in our name. Thank you. David Orchard Halifax Daily News, Wednesday, July 26, 2006,
GlobalResearch.ca, and
Information Clearinghouse For two weeks, tiny Lebanon has been pounded by bombs, shells and high tech missiles from land, sea and air. Its coast is blockaded, its airport smashed. Sixty plus bridges have been destroyed; roads, schools, ports, churches, mosques, grain depots, radio, television and telephone towers, ambulances, power stations, fuel depots, a hospital, milk factory, pharmaceutical plant and entire residential city blocks pulverized. Frantic relatives with bare hands try to free those buried alive. continued... Saskatoon StarPhoenix (ed. version), and
Ensign May 18, 2006 Canadians are fighting and dying in an undeclared war in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Harper has stated that Canada will not "cut and run" in the face of increasing casualties. Foreign Affairs Minister MacKay says Canada will "finish the job." Chief of Defence Staff, Rick Hillier, is quoted as saying "Canada needs to be in Afghanistan for the long haul... at least a decade – and probably a lot longer." But why is Canada in Afghanistan? continued... Globe and Mail,
Thursday, April 27, 2006 It was astonishing to learn recently that former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney has been named the greenest prime minister in Canadian history ("'Engage the Americans,' vintage Mulroney lectures," Globe and Mail, April 21, 2006.) continued... Prince Albert Herald,
Tuesday, February 28, 2006 (in a severely truncated version) and North Central
Internet News (Ensign) "... As Brian Mulroney's entourage emerges from the shadows into key cabinet and government positions, as the stunning and deafening silence grows regarding Mr. Mulroney's receipt of large payments of cash from Karl-Heinz Schreiber despite his sworn testimony in court that he had 'no dealings whatsoever' with Mr. Schreiber, the country waits for Mr. Harper's next move and for Mr. Layton's explanation of why his party opened the door for the Harper-Bloc alliance. We wait also for the RCMP investigation into Mr. Gore's allegations of foreign funds going to a Canadian political party, and into Mr. Schreiber's statements which, if true, point to a prima facie case of perjury against Mr. Mulroney. Mr. Harper and his justice minister, Vic Toews, promised to "clean up" Canadian politics and 'get tough on crime.' Here's the perfect place to start." continued... Ottawa Citizen, Friday,
January 20, 2006 Monday's election is important for several reasons. Long before the current campaign, the now front-running Conservative party revealed its fatal shortcomings on major issues facing Canada, as well as in its own ethical conduct. Canadians need to be reminded of these flaws before they vote on Jan. 23. continued... "Who will speak for Canada?" "...In my view, this is an important election that we are involved in today. There are serious dangers, I think, for our country. One of the big winners in this election is going to be the separatist movement in the province of Quebec. In triggering an election at this time, both Mr. Harper and Mr. Layton were prepared to play with the fires of Quebec separatism in an attempt to increase their own positions in the House of Commons. It is a dangerous and a short-sighted effort that could hurt our country badly and give a powerful momentum to those working very hard to take our country apart." continued...
Kitchener-Waterloo Record, Thursday, September
15, 2005 Across Canada the price of gasoline rose steadily over the summer. Recently it shot up another 30%. We were told that this unprecedented leap was because Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico affected U.S. production. Why does a storm in the U.S. drive up Canadian prices? continued... Toronto Star, August 23, 2005 In the flurry of outrage over the U.S. refusal to comply with the latest NAFTA ruling on lumber, something is missing. Editorials abound, former negotiators and promoters of NAFTA are talking tough, calling the Americans names. Others suggest ill-conceived threats or demand that the Prime Minister "talk" to President George W. Bush. Nowhere in these responses is there a concrete plan of how Canada should respond. Lost in the cacophony of bluster is the fact that Canada is already part of a coherent rules-based trade agreement with the United States. It is called the World Trade Organization, formerly the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and it has the mechanisms already in place to enable Canada to emerge a clear winner from the current situation. continued... Ottawa Citizen, Friday, August 19, 2005 (also published
in the Kitchener-Waterloo Record, August 18, 2005; Vancouver Sun and Saskatoon
StarPhoenix, August 19, 2005) For two decades those of us critical of the Canada-U.S. free-trade agreement (FTA), and its successor NAFTA, have pointed out that these agreements didn't give us free trade, but would cost us a large part of our sovereignty and national well-being. Today, even promoters of the FTA as a "rules based" nirvana of "secure access" to the U.S. market -- and part of a move toward global "free trade" -- have been forced to face hard realities. continued... May 16, 2005 Even way out here on the prairies at seeding
time, above the noise of the tractors, we can hear the howls of righteousness
from the new Conservative party and the Bloc Québecois in Ottawa. The government
is corrupt. It should resign. Not now, yesterday! ... Edmonton Journal, April 29, 2005 While the sponsorship affair rages across the country, it is in Quebec where it burns the hottest -- threatening far more than the Liberal party. The opposition parties, particularly the Conservatives, appear prepared to play with this fire for their own ends. ... Everyone can understand the Bloc's eagerness for an election. They and the separatist movement in Quebec are going to be the big winners in any early vote. But why would the Conservatives be prepared to take this risk with Canada? continued... Quebec City, PQ, March 24, 2005 ...The bombing of Yugoslavia represented a significant and shocking turn of international affairs. It was an overwhelming and unprovoked attack on a largely helpless nation struggling to hold itself together in the face of international threats, pressure, and sanctions. The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon),
Friday, March 11, 2005 "On Feb. 22 in Brussels, Prime Minister Paul Martin announced that Canada
would be sending forces to Jordan to help train Iraqi police and, although
Canadian troops are not officially in Iraq, Canadian Maj. Gen. Walter Natynczyk
(with the support of Ottawa) has been the second top-ranking soldier in that
country in his role as deputy commander of the U.S. Army's Third Corps.
North Central Saskatchewan Internet News (Ensign), Tuesday, December 14, 2004 and Georgia Straight, December 23-30 2004 (as "Bush misguided in use of King's quote") Mr. Bush used the keynote speech of his Canadian visit to "stiffen Ottawa's resolve," read one commentary and, seeking to rally support for his position in Iraq, Mr. Bush quoted a 1942 speech by Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King: "We must also go out and meet the enemy before he reaches our shores. We must defeat him before he attacks us, before our cities are laid to waste." ... King was urging his countrymen to stand up to the bully of Europe ... It is the U.S. that has invaded a succession of countries in recent decades... continue National Post , Wednesday, November 17, 2004 It is with particular anger that one learns that in fact the Diefenbaker prairie home is not being honoured, preserved or properly cared for. Closed to the public, emptied of most of its contents, it sits forlorn and abandoned-looking, less than a mile from the offices of those who are exhorting us to celebrate our past.
Toronto Star, Friday, October 1, 2004 Jobs are only one part of the trade equation. As the U.S. chips away at Canada's economic independence, we're slowly losing our sovereignty, says DAVID ORCHARD
The Canadian Labour Congress chief is rethinking his opposition to free trade with the U.S. and suggests we should be "thinking about industrial strategies in a North American rather than purely Canadian context." ... continue Toronto Star, October, 3, 2004 David Orchard is absolutely right. We are very quickly losing our country, our sovereignty and our ability to make our own rules. One of our competitive advantages over the U.S. was our public power companies that supplied "power at cost," a saying that came down to us from Sir Adam Beck in 1906. Power at cost made Ontario the economic engine of Canada. Our public power companies are exempt from the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as long as they remain in public hands. Why would we give this advantage up? ...continue Toronto Star, Tuesday, July 6, 2004 The election is over and the great experiment of "uniting the right" has been put to the people. Globe and Mail, Monday, June 14, 2004 For those who want to protect Canada's culture, its environment, its institutions and its sovereignty, Mr. Harper and his inner circle have nothing but words of contempt as they work to dismantle our nation. They march to a different drummer, to the beat of Mr. Mulroney and Mr. Bush, pledging allegiance to a foreign flag... continue Ensign (Internet Publication), Tuesday, May 18, 2004 For several months the fate of Air Canada has hung in the balance. The same voices raised against a national oil company, a Canadian ship building industry, or a national railway are busy explaining that the idea of a national airline is also both unnecessary and out of date. Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Thursday, April 29, 2004 As if ridding itself of an unpleasant memory, the Martin government plans to sell its remaining shares in Petro-Canada, completing the process of privatization begun by the PC government in 1991, then followed up by the Liberals in 1996. Globe and Mail, December 1, 2003
Toronto Star and Winnipeg Free
Press, October 23, 2003
The party created by John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier in 1854, that founded Canada, is being asked to vote to extinguish itself...continue September 7, 2003
This summer's blackout in Ontario has left Canadians wondering how a nation so abundantly endowed with inexpensive electricity could be reduced to importing expensive power from the U.S. and asking its citizens to stay home from work to avoid another outage...continue September 4, 2002
On the first anniversary of the downing of the World Trade Centre, the drums of war are again beating...continue Giving up: an analysis of the Canadian government's
vision for Canada What society will be built? The Canadian Reform Alliance has chosen a new leader and once again assorted pundits, politicians and commentators are beating the drum for "union" between the Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives...continue Guelph Mercury, March 4, 2002 David Orchard sets the record straight on his position on international trade I read with interest your story, "Globalization called threat
to sovereignty" (Guelph Mercury, January 29, 2002). Ottawa Citizen, October 11, 2001 Calgary Herald, August 20, 2001 A recent newspaper headline informs us that "Canada and the United States are poised to consider erasing the world's longest undefended border." According to Canada's ambassador to Washington, "in the case of Canada and the United States, the traditional concept of an international border has lost its relevance."...continue Globe & Mail, March 14, 2001 Joe Clark has stated clearly, and often, his opposition to any merger or change of name of the party which he leads. In response, prominent members of the Alliance have declared merger talks will take place with or without Mr. Clark's support. Well meaning, but...continue An edited version of this article was published
in the National Post, March 27, 2001. Globe and Mail, March 6, 2000 National Post, February 4, 2000 New BrunswickTelegraph-Journal, July
6, 1999 National Post, June 23, 1999 April 26, 1999 , Published as a widely distributed
leaflet and on the Internet Globe and Mail, March 26, 1999 (published
in a slightly edited version) Toronto Star, June 29, 1998 Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal, February
21, 1998 Ottawa Citizen, October 28, 1997 Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal, June
9, 1997 Deep pockets, indeed!
The State or the United States For years we've endured a torrent of propaganda warning that public ownership is a disease, the only cure for which is privatization...continue Globe and Mail, July 15, 1996 Canada's health care under NAFTA: Gangland takeover The assault on Canada's health care system is a direct result of the 1989 Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and its 1994 extension, NAFTA, and was predicted by virtually all the opponents of these agreements at the time, including opposition leaders John Turner and Ed Broadbent...continue |
||
