When I went to Montebello to be part of the protest, I was not prepared for the depth of my learning experience…..and its beauty. I spent hours walking and talking and just witnessing every moment that presented itself like a desired gift wrapped in the truth of social activism. This article is an attempt to provide perspective as a participant, lessons learned as a witness and a flavour for the significance of the work of those who organized, led and participated in this Moment in Montebello. The pictures speak for themselves.

Former SFL prez Barb Byers chats with CEP leader Dave Coles, moments before a confrontation with undercover police.

The Politics of the Protest

One could not be anything other than constantly aware of and in awe of the depth of the political and moral message delivered by the several thousand who danced, sang, marched, walked, spoke and shouted their feelings around the Security and Prosperity Partnership concept secretly being planned by the Three Amigos ( President Bush, Prime Minister Harper and President Calderon)

 Mostly written on banners, some written on leaflets and in articles and some spoken, these were messages one found there:

· Poverty is a political choice of the corporate and government elite. Protesters were there to reveal the SPP as such a plan.  · “Severely Promoting Poverty”  “Food Not Bombs."

                 The violence of men against women takes many forms and is implicit as a concept being protected by the SPP and the process for its design and implementation…."The SPP=masculine violence oppressing women”

· Protecting the colonial conquest and its plunder against any attempt to give aboriginal people their justice (ownership of all land and its resources by a group of corporations) is an unacceptable objective of the SPP….."Protecting White Man’s Privilege”

· Formalizing the transfer of power from citizens to corporations is the essential motive of the SPP, in such a way that we the people will have no way to change it once done…."Profits Before People” “Giving Power to Invisible Citizens” ‘The End of Democracy”

· Enshrining the final stage of capitalist expansion, imperialism, by eliminating nations, national identity and nation building by creating one unified continent under the control of the United States…."Solidarity with the People of Mexico” “ Solidarity with the People of the United States” “ Canada is Not for Sale”

· The devastation of the environment is essentially viewed as collateral damage to corporate profits by the supporters of the SPP. “ Selling Out Mother Earth”

· The SPP furthers the global violence activities of the United States at the expense of Canada including the death of our peace-keeping reputation in the world and at the expense of Mexico, a country which has never declared war against anyone.

I learned that the SPP is not just another trade deal. It is a plan which will affect every aspect of who were are as citizens, as a nation, as a country, as a people , as families, as workers and as a society. Those who came to Montebello were there to promote the truth and to seek the truth and to demand the truth be revealed to us all. I kinda like that!

The Commitment of the Protest

This was not an easy event to participate in. At the cost of tens of millions of dollars of our Canadian tax money, three men and 20 of their business friends met. They sought to hide and make it very hard to reach. Protesters came from Mexico and the United States, taking a week out of their busy lives as parents and workers and at great expense.

Their costs were not covered by the taxpayers. Canadians came from Vancouver to Halifax and from every Province.

The event was held during a work day. It was not reachable by plane or train or taxi. There were no hotels for us to stay in. It was a minimum two hour drive for everyone. What awaited them? Hundreds of heavily armed police and soldiers. There were bulldozers, water cannons, tear gas rifles, rubber bullets, pepper spray weapons, clubs, military helicopters, automatic weapons, hand guns, assault rifles and US Army soldiers fully armed. And police officers posing as protesters seeking to provoke violence.

We met to carpool and to get on school buses we paid for at one place. Meeting us there were armed police officers and police photographers who took a picture of everyone of us as we walked and talked and got on the buses.

The police video recorded our every movement, including the children. We had a police escort all the way telling us how fast we could drive and where we had to drive. When we arrived, there were giant security fences all around the park and Montebello Lodge. On the other side of the fences were armed officers every 100 feet or so patrolling every inch.

 We had to sit on the bus for half and hour because the military were deciding where we could get of the bus. They had a field set aside beside the fences we were told we had to be in. We would be surrounded by fully armed riot police every second we were there.

 It took courage and patience and determination for every protester to be there. Yet over 2000 came in peace to defend our rights as citizens in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

 
Who Were They?

 I met trade union leaders, environmental activists, peace activists, children, grandmothers, grandfathers, social justice workers, moms and dads, unemployed, artists, dancers, writers, filmmakers, photographers, students…people from every walk of life, from every part of Canada, politicians from Mexico and Canada, some citizens of the small community of Papineauville, people of all ages and backgrounds, and many who have dedicated their lives to seeking and defending truth and justice for everyone of us.

I was constantly offered food and drink as if I was a known friend. I sat and talked about children and the weather and love and the environment and peace and war and the trees and flowers and political issues and the SPP with people I had never met and will never meet again, as if we were family. Every discussion and gathering and report was conducted as if we were equals and without judgment. We were encouraged to be safe and to take care of each other and to respect the lives and property of those who lived there.

Who were they? They were people I would invite for dinner and to stay at my home and would call a friend, as you would.

Three Gatherings: Three Perspectives

Surrounding the roads and the protesters and the citizens close by were probably several thousand (I could not count them all, nor see them all), predominantly white men clothed in the garments of violence, armed with objects designed and bought solely for the purpose of inflicting pain or death on other humans, and trained in the code of male violence.

They stood motionless most of the time except for a few forced marches sweating in the hot sun pouring upon them as if Mother Nature was upset with them. Most of this time, they were walking upon and stomping upon the graves of the relatives of the local citizens. YES. They walked all over the graves of the local townspeople with utter disrespect.

Hiding in the Montebello castle and its decadent wealth and in luxurious comfort were three political leaders of countries who had not been elected by the majority of their citizens.

The Mexican President and his party are under investigation for electoral fraud with allegations of destroying millions of ballots. The US Presidential elections have been under constant investigation and the Canadian Prime Minister got just over one third of the vote of his country.

They were joined by 20 or so mostly white men who are very wealthy corporate heads. They meet in secret, refuse to disclose the topics of their discussions, spent tens of millions of Canadian taxpayers money to protect their secret gathering, as if fearful that what they are doing is not something their citizens would approve of.

Then there were the people, a rainbow of citizens embracing the beautiful day: dancing on the street, singing of truth and solidarity, walking, talking, sharing, fearless in their right to be there, proud of what they believed in, open to all questions from the media, hiding nothing, revealing only the truth and seeking it.

Yes. I would have liked to have seen representatives from the Federations of Labour and more national union present and more rank and file union members and more, and more and more…heck, hundreds of thousands of leaders and representatives and activists and citizens. I didn’t.

Despite that, this protest and most others are not about who or how many or even whether they stop what it is they protest about. Whatever your political or moral perspective or bias or choice, we must give our respect to these ‘protesters’ for what they do and sacrifice for us all…all of us.

Have at least the courage to see past the sensationalist photos, the hysteric rhetoric and dismissive arrogance of radio hosts, politicians, and media. Seek out what these ‘protestors’ have the courage to defend for you….the Truth.

That is their gift to us all – our right to know the truth.

At Montebello, they exposed the truth about the SPP. The proof is in the fact that this event had to take place…and the extent to which your tax money was spent without your consent to prevent the protesters from being there or speaking to their political leaders.

The Council of Canadians, with the support of many and exemplified by the leadership of women like Maude Barlow and Barb Byers and Ann Wright, stood us proud that day. I will never forget what they taught me and shared with me, in the name of us all. This is our democracy. Let it live as we citizens define it. And have the courage to act when that is threatened. And I will never forget the shame and guilt that seemed to have been on the faces and in the souls of the thousands who were there to defend what they were deceived into believing was freedom and democracy.

They wilted in the sun like unwanted weeds while the protesters thrived and danced, as if new flowers for all to enjoy.

ActUp reporter at work.

SEE MORE PHOTOS BY LARRY KOWALCHUK

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