The new lords of the realm

The corporate plot thickens. Following up on their meeting in Cancun, to which they each invited five corporate CEOs, Harper, Bush and Fox have established a North American Competitiveness Council which will formally make the corporate sector a partner in dealing with North American security and economic issues.

Having corporate CEOs sitting as partners with our democratically elected leaders is rather like the old House of Lords in Great Britain when the aristocracy mattered: the elected power of the people balanced by the unelected power of their betters. The Canadian Council of Chief Executives has now become a sort of Canadian House of Lords. And this aristocracy matters a great deal.

According to the Council of Canadians, under the aegis of the new council ministers will be mandated to meet with business leaders. Needless to say, ministers will not be mandated to meet with union leaders on labour issues or with environmental leaders on environmental issues. Only the lords of commerce will participate in creating Fortress America.