North American Forum: The Secret Cabal of Trinational Elites

- by Terry Melanson ©, Sept. 28th, 2006

"We're talking about such an important thing, we're talking about the integration of Canada into the United States. For them to hold this meeting in secret and to make every effort to avoid anybody learning about it, right away you've got to be hugely concerned," [Mel] Hurtig said.

- Top secret: Banff security meeting attracted U.S., Mexico officials

My first thought following the news of the secret meeting of elites at Banff Springs Hotel, Alberta, Canada (Sept. 12-14), was that this amounted to a new group of insiders in the tradition of the Bilderbergers. This assessment turned out to be more precise than I had originally anticipated.

According to a participant at the 2006 North American Forum held in Banff, the Forum began last year as a "parallel structure" to the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) for North America, which was announced on March 23, 2005 in Waco, Texas. As the Banff conference was coming to a close, Thomas Shannon addressed officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Ottawa, Canada:
I ... had a chance to go out to Banff, where yesterday and today actually, Canada, the United States and Mexico held the second session of the North American Forum.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the North American Forum, it sprang up as a parallel structure to the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. It was originally an effort to bring opinion-makers, private-sector leaders, university professors and presidents, and leaders of NGOs [non-governmental organizations] together with government officials from the three countries of North America to begin to talk about North American security and to begin to see if there was some way that together, the governments working with the private sector and universities and NGOs could begin to create a vision for North America and an understanding of what North America is as an entity and then how governments could be working better together to fashion more productive cooperation and address the kinds of problems we saw in the immediate aftermath of September 11.
There are three convenors or co-convenors for this. On the U.S. side it's former Secretary of State [George] Schultz [sic], on the Mexican side it's former Finance Minister Pedro Aspe, and on the Canadian side it's the former Premier of Alberta Peter Lougheed. The first session was held last year in Sonoma. This year it's held in Banff. Next year it will be held in Mexico.

- State Department's Shannon Addresses "Why the Americas Matter", Cadieux Auditorium, September 14, 2006

Shannon left out the fact that the North American Forum was held in secrecy and the only "reporter" officially invited, was Mary Anastasia O'Grady of the Wall Street Journal. That we even know about the group, is due to leaked documents (an attendee list and forum agenda) supplied by Mel Hurtig, the founding Chairman of the Council of Canadians.
The North American Forum is tasked with laying the groundwork for an EU-like North American Union. In "Building a North American Community" — from the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on the Future of North America — the convening of secret cabals is recommended as one of the steps toward implementing "North American Integration." On pages 30, 31 of the report, under the heading From Vision to Action: Institutions to Guide Trinational Relations, the authors advocate for "new institutional structures and arrangements to drive the agenda and manage deeper relations ..." One of the ways to do this now, says the report, is to implement:
A North American Advisory Council. To ensure a regular injection of creative energy into the various efforts related to North American integration, the three governments should appoint an independent body of advisers. This body should be composed of eminent persons from outside government, appointed to staggered multiyear terms to ensure their independence. Their mandate would be to engage in creative exploration of new ideas from a North American perspective and to provide a public voice for North America. A complementary approach would be to establish private bodies that would meet regularly or annually to buttress North American relationships, along the lines of the Bilderberg or Wehrkunde conferences, organized to support transatlantic relations. (Emphasis mine)
As far as I can tell, this startling admission has been overlooked. The "North American Advisory Council" has indeed been established; and as suggested in the report, it has been patterned after the Bilderberg Group — "the notoriously secretive council of western political leaders, industrialists and financiers which derived its name from the hotel in which it met for the first time in 1954, with funds provided by the CIA" (Hugh Wilford, "Calling the Tune? The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War, 1945-1960," in The Cultural Cold War in Western Europe, 1945-60, 47. Of particular interest, in the same book, is Valerie Aubourg's "Organizing Atlanticism: The Bilderberg Group and the Atlantic Institute, 1952-1963", 92-109).
The Bilderberg Group was the hidden hand behind European integration of trade and economic policy, leading to a common market free trade area, a common currency, and eventually a European Union (EU). The North American Forum will do the same on this side of the Atlantic. Both are secret and unaccountable. The press is forbidden to report on the proceedings, and whatever transpires is a mystery. In the digital age it's increasingly common for the average person in the West to have their own personal website or blog, yet the Bilderberg Group doesn't maintain a web presence. In fact, we wouldn't even know of its existence had it not been for the heroic efforts of American Free Press sleuth Jim Tucker, and the UK's Tony Gosling.
The CFR's "Building a North American Community" (report No. 53), explicitly calling for the creation a Bilderberg-like "advisory council", was issued five months before the first meeting of the North American Forum in October, 2005. Report No. 53 was the final recommendation before the Independent Task Force on North America disbanded in September, 2005. A month later in Sonoma, California, 12 former task force members convened in secret closed sessions — just as they had recommended earlier that year.  The 2006 North American Forum participants who were also members of the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on North America, are: Pedro Aspe, Thomas P. d'Aquino, Wendy K. Dobson, Pierre-Marc Johnson, John P. Manley, Carla A. Hills, Robert A. Pastor, Doris Meissner, Andrés Rozental, Luis de la Calle, Carlos Heredia and Luis Rubio.

Elite Structures: Membership Cross-fertilization, and Free Trade Corporatism

Over the past few days I have compiled biographies of the 2006 North American Forum participants. Among attendees there's considerable overlap between certain elite organizations:
Council on Foreign Relations (16): George P. Shultz, Carla A. Hills, Kenneth W. Dam, Daniel W. Fisk, Carla A. Hills, Ronald F. Lehman II, Doris Meissner, Robert A. Pastor, William J. Perry, Donald H. Rumsfeld, James R. Schlesinger, William Schneider, David G. Victor, Jane Wales, R. James Woolsey, Andrés Rozental;
Pacific Council on International Policy (8): Thomas P. d'Aquino, Berel Rodal, Ronald F. Lehman II, Doris Meissner, Robert A. Pastor, William J. Perry, Jane Wales, Andrés Rozental;
Canadian Council of Chief Executives (6): Thomas P. d'Aquino, Richard L. George, Paul J. Hill, James S. Kinnear, Harold N. Kvisle, Ronald N. Mannix;
Trilateral Commission (5): E. Peter Lougheed, Wendy K. Dobson, Gordon Smith, Carla A. Hills, William J. Perry;
Canadian Institute of International Affairs (4): Wendy K. Dobson, John English, Roger Gibbins, John P. Manley;
World Affairs Council of Northern California (3): George P. Shultz, William J. Perry, Jane Wales;
Canada West Foundation (3): Brian A. Felesky, Roger Gibbins, James K. Gray;
Alfalfa Club (3): George P. Shultz, Donald H. Rumsfeld, James R. Schlesinger;
Bilderberg Group (2): Kenneth W. Dam, William J. Perry;
Bohemian Grove (2): George P. Shultz, R. James Woolsey.
With 6 attendees, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) was also the organizer of this year's North American Forum. The formidable collective of 150 CEOs from the largest transnational corporations in Canada were co-sponsors of the Independent Task Force on North America. In CCCE's previous incarnation they were known as the Business Council on National Issues (BCNI) — formed in 1976 "by the CEOs of US-based Imperial Oil and Noranda," and having 30 original members. Big names such as "Air Canada, AT&T, Bechtel, Bombardier, Canadian Pacific, Cargill, Dupont, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Loram, MacMillan Bloedel, Mitsubishi, Monsanto, Nestlé, Northern Telecom, Petro Canada and Placer Dome."
The BCNI "effectively determines social and economic policy for the country," wrote Murray Dobbin in 1998 (The Myth of the Good Corporate Citizen: Canada and Democracy in the Age of Globalization, 176). They represent a new "enlightened business class" formed for the purpose of transforming public policy; consolidating enough power to "become virtually a parallel government" (Dobbin, 167). Similar to the Bilderberg's role in directing the integration of Europe, the CCCE were the hidden persuaders behind the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and NAFTA. On BCNI/CCCE, AllExperts has this to say:
The Business Council on National Issues (BCNI) was an important lobbying group in Canada. They are most notable for their pro-free trade advocacy during the Prime Ministership of Brian Mulroney that led to the introduction of the Canadian-American Free Trade Agreement. During this period they were led by Tom D'Aquino. In the 1988 Canadian election the BCNI spent millions of dollars on advertisements in support of free-trade. It is now known as the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.
The Canadian Council of Chief Executives is the premier business lobby group in Canada. They hold tremendous sway over internal and external trade practices. Statistics Canada shows that in 2001 just 4% of all Canadian businesses accounted for 82% of exports. The majority of those 4% are members of the CCCE.
So the same corporations, who engineered the North American Free Trade Agreement, have conspired with the CFR to implement an even deeper economic integration of North America. The richest 4% are the beneficiaries, with the end result being a de facto government for and by the TNCs (Transnational Corporations). The following illustrates the stark reality of the situation and the real meaning behind the so-called "free trade" agreements in North America:
Corporations intervene politically everywhere in the world wherever they have interests. It is part of doing business. In Canada, every industry has had its methods and key issues. But what if they could all intervene just once, in order to secure a law that could render them super-citizens, that would make interventions on hundreds of separate issues virtually unnecessary?
That is essentially what the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) promised. It has been called a bill of rights for corporations, but even this description underestimates its eventual impact. In effect, the FTA allowed corporations to begin the final stage of opting out of the social contract altogether. It established the principle that corporations had no inherent obligations to nation-states in which they did business. They had all the legal rights of citizens but had the obligations waived. It was a kind of unilateral declaration of transnational corporate citizenship. (Dobbin, 46)
Super-citizens, indeed — with the power and ambition to achieve total domination.

Suggested Reading

• Connie Fogal, "The Metamorphosis and Sabotage of Canada by Our Own Government - The North American Union," Canadian Action Party.
• "Timeline of the Progress Toward a North American Union," Vive Le Canada.
• Patrick Wood, "Toward a North American Union," 3 parts, NewsWithViews.com.
• Miguel Pickard, "Trinational Elites Map North American Future in 'NAFTA Plus'," Americas Program, International Relations Center (IRC).
• Pierre Hillard, "Globalization: Building a North American Community," Spectrizine.
• Dennis Behreandt, "Creating the North American Union," The New American, October 2, 2006.
• Dennis L. Cuddy, Ph.D., "Security and Prosperity Partnership Background," NewsWithViews.com, August 7, 2006.
• William F. Jasper, "Rogues' Gallery of EU Founders," The New American, July 12, 2004.
• "Canada-U.S. Integration: A Chronology," The Council of Canadians.
• Henrietta Bowman, "The Coming North American Union is David Rockefeller's Baby," Sagebrush Saloon.
• Jerome R. Corsi, "Meet Robert Pastor: Father of the North American Union," Human Events Online.
• Mordechai Zember and Benito Ribbentrop, "The Elite Rosters."
• "Official Report on the Bilderberg Meeting at Fiuggi, 4-6 October 1957," DynBase.
• Prof. Mike Peters, "The Bilderberg Group and the project of European unification," Lobster Magazine.

·         North American Forum 2006 - Confirmed Participants

Forum Co-Chairs:

Dr. Pedro Aspe (Pedro Carlos Aspe Armella)

The former Secretary of Finance and Public Credit in Mexico (1988-94) during the NAFTA negotiations, Aspe went on to co-chair the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on the Future of North America (2004-5), and co-chair of the CFR's Task Force Report No. 53, "Building a North American Community." He studied in Jesuit-run private schools and received his doctorate in economics from MIT. Aspe is also a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which is internationally affiliated with Socialist International. In 1986 he was awarded the medal of the Royal Greek Order of the Phoenix. He is currently the CEO of Protego Asesores Financieros, a leading investment banking advisory in Mexico.

Hon. E. Peter Lougheed

A member of the Trilateral Commission, Lougheed is the former Premier of Alberta (1971-85). He is on the Canadian Advisory Board for the Carlyle Group and counsel to the law firm of Bennett Jones LLP in Calgary.

Hon. George P. Shultz

The former director of the Bechtel Group (1974-82) and former US Secretary of State (1982-89) during the Reagan administration, Shultz is a longstanding member of the Bohemian Club (since 1975) in San Francisco and regularly attends its elite encampment at the Bohemian Grove (associated with the prestigious Camp Mandalay). He's co-chair of the Advisory Committee of the World Affairs Council of Northern California, a Distinguished Fellow of the Hoover Institute and the current Chairman of the JP Morgan Chase International Council - whose members include Henry Kissinger and David Rockefeller, among others. Shultz, a former director of the Council on Foreign Relations (1980-82) and a member of the exclusive Alfalfa Club, was co-chair of Gorbachev's first State of the World Forum in 1995, where they pledged to form a technocratic Global Brain Trust; "non-governmental commissions of 'wise men'", and "Councils of Elders." Henry Lamb, quoting Michael S. Coffman, claims Shultz was/is a member of Lucis Trust.

Canadian Participants:

Col. Peter Atkinson

Executive Assistant to the Chief of the Defence Staff, Atkinson was the former commander of Canada's Task Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Hon. Perrin Beatty

The President and CEO of the Alliance of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME), Beatty spent 21 years in Parliament. The former President and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 1995, Beatty is currently on the Advisory Council of the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute. He participated in the 2003 North American Forum on Integration (NAFI) conference. Since 2005 NAFI has organized a Triumvirate, a "North American model parliament," to simulate parliamentary meetings "between Canadian, Mexican and American national and sub-national parliamentarians."

Mr. Peter M. Boehm

Currently the Assistant Deputy Minister, North America, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada; Boehm is a career diplomat having been assigned multiple posts, such as a minister in the Canadian Embassy in Washington and Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington (1997).

Mr. Thomas P. d'Aquino

President and Chief Executive of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), d'Aquino was co-chair of the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on the Future of North America (2004-5), and vice-chair of the CFR's Task Force Report No. 53, " Building a North American Community." The CCCE — administers of more than $3.2 trillion in assets — according to its own description, was founded in 1976 to "develop sound public policy." The Council "has played an influential role in shaping the direction of fiscal, taxation, trade, energy, environmental, competitiveness and corporate governance policies in Canada"; "and was the private sector leader in the development and promotion of the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement in the 1980s and the NAFTA in the early 1990s." D'Aquino's official biography at the CCCE website says that he is acknowledged as one of the architects of NAFTA. Boards and advisory committees:

Canadian Foundation for International Management of Fontainebleau-based INSEAD; La Conférence de Montréal; the Advisory Council of The Association for Canadian Studies in the United States; the Chairman's International Advisory Council of the New York-based Council of the Americas; the Advisory Board of the Washington-based Canada Institute, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management, Richard Ivey School of Business; the Advisory Committee of the Trudeau Centre for the Study of Peace and Conflict, University of Toronto; the Council for Canadian Security in the 21st Century; and the Max Bell Foundation. He also is the representative of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives on the Geneva-based World Economic Forum and a member of the Global Business Consultative Group of the World Economic Forum. He is a Founding Member of the Pacific Council on International Policy headquartered in Los Angeles and a member of the Institute for Strategic Studies in London. The recipient of The Shastri Institute Distinguished Lectureship, he has addressed audiences in four major Indian cities.

Hon. Stockwell Day

The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Government of Canada, Day is "a prominent voice for social conservatives within the Conservative Party of Canada."

Dr. Wendy K. Dobson

The Professor and Director of the Institute for International Business, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto; Dobson is a member of the Trilateral Commission (since at least 2002) and the Pacific Trade and Development Network (PAFTAD). She was a contributor to the Trilateral Commission's 2001 Task Force Report #55, with a study entitled "Deeper Integration in East Asia: Implications for the International Economic System." Dobson is associated with the Canadian Institute of International Affairs (CIIA) — the Canadian branch of the Round Table Group or the Chatham House Crowd — as a member of the National Advisory Board. She's been the President of the C.D. Howe Institute (1981-87) and the former Canadian Associate Deputy Minister of Finance (1987-89). In 2005 Dobson was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on the Future of North America's Report No. 53, "Building a North American Community."

Mr. N. Murray Edwards

The President and owner of Edco Financial Holdings Ltd., Edwards' net worth is $1.4 billion, according to Forbes. Edwards " has more at stake in the Canadian oil sands than possibly any other individual. His company, Canadian Natural Resources, has sketched out plans to spend $25 billion to turn the gucky mud found in northern Alberta into barrels of crude. This media shy lawyer-turned financier also owns big stakes in Ensign Energy, Canada's second biggest oil services company, and Penn West, one of Canada's biggest energy trusts. Also owns Lake Louise, Canada's famous ski hill, and a chunk of the Calgary Flames hockey team."

Mr. Ward P.D. Elcock

Currently the Deputy Minister of National Defence, Elcock was the former head of CSIS (the Canadian equivalent of the CIA) from 1994 to 2004.

Mr. William J.S. Elliott

The Associate Deputy Minister of Public Safety, Elliott was previously the National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Paul Martin.

Dr. John English

The Executive Director of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, English is a member of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs (CIIA), "of which he was the President from 1990-1992."

Mr. Brian A. Felesky

A partner at Felesky Flynn LLP, Felesky is also on the Board of Directors for TransCanada Power LP and Suncor Energy Inc. He's on the Executive Council, as Vice Chair of the Canada West Foundation.

Mr. Richard L. George

The Chairman of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), George is also the President and CEO of Suncor Energy Inc.

Dr. Roger Gibbins

The President and CEO of the Canada West Foundation, Gibbins was the head of the Political Science Department at the University of Calgary (1987-96) and is a member of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs (CIIA). He was the editor of the 1994 Federalism and the New World Order, published by the University of Calgary, in which both he and Gorbachev contributed essays.

Rear-Admiral Roger Girouard

Commander Joint Task Force Pacific, Canadian Forces, Girouard was deployed to the Arabian Gulf as "Task Group Commander in support of Operation APOLLO, Canada's contribution to the international campaign against terrorism."

Major-General Daniel Gosselin

Director General, International Security Policy at National Defence HQ, Gosselin also took part in Operation APOLLO.

Mr. James K. Gray

The Chairman of the Canada West Foundation, Gray was the Chairman of the 16th World Petroleum Congress in Calgary, Alberta in 2000.

Mr. Fred Green

As President and CEO of Canadian Pacific Railway, Green is a strong supporter of Canada's Pacific Gateway Strategy.

Mr. V. Peter Harder

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Harder is also a member of the Crossing Boundaries National Council think tank.

Mr. Paul J. Hill

The President and CEO the Hill Companies, Harvard Developments Inc.; Hill is also "a Director of such companies and organizations as Boardwalk Equities Inc. (Chairman), Crown Life Insurance Company (Chairman), Canadian Council of Chief Executives, Conference Board of Canada, CD Howe Institute and the Fraser Institute. He is a past director of Canada Trust, North Canadian Oils Ltd., Shopping.com, US Forest Industries, the Canadian Forces Liaison Committee and the Asia Pacific Foundation to name a few. He is a member of the World Presidents and Chief Executives Organizations."

General Rick Hillier

The current Chief of the Defence Staff; previously in 2000, Hillier was in command of "NATO's Stabilization Force's (SFOR) Multinational Division (Southwest) in Bosnia-Herzegovina." In a July 2005 article in the Globe and Mail, Hillier, always outspoken, announced Canada's decision to send elite JTF2 commando soldiers to Afghanistan: "[The Taliban and al-Qaeda] are detestable murderers and scumbags […] We're not the public service of Canada ... [w]e are the Canadian Forces, and our job is to be able to kill people."

Mr. Pierre-Marc Johnson

The former Premier of the Province of Québec, Johnson, author of Beyond Trade: Broadening the Globalisation Governance Agenda, is Senior Counsel with the Canadian law firm Heenan Blaikie. He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on North America, helping author its Task Force Report No. 53, "Building a North American Community."

Mr. James S. Kinnear

The Chairman, President and CEO of Pengrowth Corporation, Kinnear is also a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE).

Mr. Harold N. Kvisle

The CEO, President and Director of TransCanada Corporation, Kvisle is also a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE).

Hon. John P. Manley

The former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Manley was co-chair of the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on the Future of North America (2004-5), and co-chair of the CFR's Task Force Report No. 53, "Building a North American Community." Manley is also a member of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs (CIIA) and is currently Senior Counsel at McCarthy Tetrault LLP.

Mr. Ronald N. Mannix

The Chairman of Coril Holdings Ltd., Mannix is on the Board of Directors as well as the Entrepreneurs' Circle of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE).

Mr. Ron Mathison

The President and CEO of Matco Investments, Mathison is also Chairman of Calfrac.

Hon. Anne McLellan

The former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada under Paul Martin, McLellan is now Senior Counsel for the Edmonton-based law firm Bennett Jones and a Director for the oil & gas conglomerate Nexen Inc.

Hon. Greg Melchin

Minister of Energy, Government of Alberta

Ms. Sharon Murphy

Ms. Murphy is the manager of policy, government and public affairs for Calgary-based Chevron Canada.

Ms. Sheila O'Brien

President, Corporate Director, Belvedere Investments

Hon. Gordon O'Connor

Minister of Defense, Government of Canada

Mr. Berel Rodal

According to the Ditchley Foundation, Rodal is the "President, Berel Rodal Associates; Vice Chairman, International Center on Non-Violent Conflict, Washington DC. Founding Member, North American Forum." He's also a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and participated in the 4th General Assembly (2005) of the Club of Madrid.

Mr. Gordon Smith

The Chairman of The International Development Research Centre, Smith is also Director of the Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria, British Columbia. He's a member of the Trilateral Commission and has served as a Commissioner for the Commission on Globalisation, conceived at Gorbachev's State of the World Forum in 2000.

American Participants:

Ms. Deborah Bolton

Political Advisor to Commander, US Northcom

Mr. Ron T. Covais

President of the Americas Region for Lockheed Martin Corporation

Sec. Kenneth W. Dam

Max Pam Professor Emeritus of American & Foreign Law and Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School; Dam was "a board member of a number of nonprofit institutions, including the Council on Foreign Relations (New York) and the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations." He's a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute, "co-chairman (with Senator Sam Nunn) of the Aspen Strategy Group, [and] a member of the international steering committee of the Bilderberg Group."

Mr. Daniel W. Fisk

Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere, National Security Council; Fisk is also "the Deputy Director of the Davis Institute for International Studies at The Heritage Foundation" and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Fisk is a strong supporter of CAFTA.

Sec. Christopher "Ryan" Henry

Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

Ms. Carla A. Hills

Chairman and CEO of Hills & Co., Hills is a Vice-Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and a former Director (1994); she's a "member of the executive committee of the Institute for International Economics and of the Trilateral Commission, co-chair of the CSIS Advisory Board, and member of the board of the U.S.-China Business Council." Hills was "the primary U.S. negotiator of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)" and is currently a Director of ChevronTexaco and Director of AOL Time Warner, Inc. She was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on North America, helping author its Task Force Report No. 53, "Building a North American Community."

Ms. Caryn Hollis

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acting) Western Hemisphere Affairs

Mr. Bill Irwin

Manager of International Government Affairs; Policy, Government and Public Affairs for Chevron Corporation

Mr. Robert G. James

As the former Vice President of Mobil Oil Company, James "was responsible for the North American supply, distribution and traffic of crude oil." He's currently President and Managing Partner of Enterprise Asset Management, Inc.

Admiral Timothy J. Keating

Commander, US Northern Command

Mr. E. Floyd Kvamme

Chair, President's Council of Advisors on Science & Technology; Director, Centre for Global Security Research; Kvamme is also a Partner Emeritus at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Dr. Ronald F. Lehman II

Director, Center for Global Security Research, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Lehman is also a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, the "Council on Foreign Relations, the Atlantic Council and the International Institute for Strategic Studies."

Mr. William W. McIlhenny

Policy Planning Council for Western Hemisphere Affairs

Dr. M. Peter McPherson

The President, National Association of State Universities & Land-Grant Colleges, McPherson is also a Director at Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Ms. Doris Meissner

A Senior Fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, Meissner was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on North America. She is the Director of the Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future — her bio there says that Meissner is "a member of the Council on Foreign Relations [since 1991], the Inter-American Dialogue, the Pacific Council on International Diplomacy and the National Academy of Public Administration."

Dr. George Miller

Director, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Mr. George R. Nethercutt Jr.

Chairman, US Section of the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, US - Canada (Security)

Mary Anastasia O'Grady

Journalist on the editorial board for Wall Street Journal (Latin America Specialist)

Dr. Robert A. Pastor

Professor and Director of the Center for North American Studies, American University, Washington, DC; Pastor was co-chair of the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on the Future of North America (2004-5), and vice-chair of the CFR's Task Force Report No. 53, "Building a North American Community." He "chairs the North American Forum on Integration" (NAFI) and according to his c.v. from American University, Pastor is a Charter Member of the Pacific Council on International Policy (1998-present) and has been a member of the Council on Foreign Relations since 1997.

Dr. William J. Perry

The former US Secretary of Defence (1994-97), Perry is co-director of the Preventive Defense Project at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), a Freeman Spogli Institute (FSI) Senior Fellow. He's on the Advisory Committee of the World Affairs Council of Northern California, and a co-chair along with fellow North American Forum member George P. Shultz. Perry is also a member of the Pacific Council, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) [since at least 2001], the Bilderberg Group and the Trilateral Commission.

Lt. General Gene Renuart (Victor E. Renuart Jr.)

USAF Senior Military Assistant to Secretary Rumsfeld

Mr. Eric Ruff

The current Department of Defense Press Secretary, Ruff's previous job was providing "counsel to executives and media relations staff at the Monsanto Company," developing and carrying out "tactical programs" aimed toward public acceptance for Monsanto's "global agricultural biotechnology" — "Frankenfood."

Sec. Donald H. Rumsfeld

The U.S. Secretary of Defense (1975-77, 2001-present); a longtime member of the Council on Foreign Relations (since 1981); attended the 2002 Bilderberg Conference in Chantilly, Virginia, U.S.A.; is a member of the Alfalfa Club; a former Trustee of the Rand Corporation; and a member of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC).

Dr. James R. Schlesinger

The Former Director of the CIA (1973), Secretary of Defense (1973-75) and Energy (1977-79), he currently "divides his time between MITRE and the investment banking firm of Lehman Brothers, where he serves as senior advisor." Schlesinger has been a member of the Council on Foreign Relations since 1987, and is also a member of the Alfalfa Club.

Mr. William Schneider

The President of International Planning Services Inc., Schneider is "a member of the American Economic Association, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Econometric Society, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies." He's an Adjunct Fellow at the Hudson Institute, has "served as Under-Secretary of State in the Reagan administration, and later became a member of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC)."

Sec. Clay Sell

Deputy Secretary of Energy, US Department of Energy

Dr. Thomas A. Shannon

Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs

Dr. David G. Victor

The Director of the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development at Stanford University, Victor has been a member of the Council on Foreign Relations since 1998 and is their Adjunct Senior Fellow for Science and Technology.

Maj. General Mark A. Volcheff

Director, Plans, Policy and Strategy, NORAD-NORTHCOM

Ms. Jane Wales

President and CEO of World Affairs Council of Northern California, Wales is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and was formerly the "director of the Rockefeller Brothers' Fund Project on World Security."

Mr. R. James Woolsey

Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton for Global Strategic Security; Woolsey, a Rhodes Scholar, is a former Director of the CIA (1993-95), a member of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), and has attended the Bohemian Grove. He's been a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) since at least 1975.

Mexican Participants:

Amb. Andrés Rozental (Mexican Coordinator)

President of the Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales (Mexican Council on Foreign Relations); co-chair of the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on the Future of North America (2004-5), and vice-chair of the CFR's Task Force Report No. 53, "Building a North American Community." Rozental is on the board of the Pacific Council for International Policy and was "a key player in the NAFTA negotiations", and is a member of the Board of Directors of the world's largest steel company, Mittal Steel.

Silvia Hernández

Former Senator and Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on North America, she's a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). She holds the Chair of the Special Group on Terrorism, Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA).

Mario Molina

1995 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

Fernando Chico Pardo

CEO, Promecap

Juan Gallardo

CEO of Grupo GEUSA, Gallardo has also been a "director of Caterpillar since 1998."

Gerónimo Gutiérrez

Deputy Foreign Minister for North America

Luis de la Calle

A Consultant and a former Deputy Minister of the Economy, "Luis de la Calle was instrumental in crafting and implementing the North American Free Trade Agreement." He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on North America, helping author its Task Force Report No. 53, "Building a North American Community."

Agustín Barrios Gómez

Agustín Barrios Gómez

Vinicio Suro

The Deputy Director of Planning and Evaluation for Mexico's state-owned oil monopoly, Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX)

Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza

The Secretary of Public Security, Medina-Mora was the former "director general of the Center for Research and National Security (CISEN) from December 2000 to September 2005", the Mexican equivalent of the CIA; he was also an "advisor for the NAFTA negotiating team."

Carlos Heredia

Senior Adviser on International Affairs to Governor Lazaro Cardenas-Batel of the State Michoacan; Vice President of the Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales (COMEXI); a member of the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on North America, helping author its Task Force Report No. 53, "Building a North American Community."

Jaime Zabludowsky (Zabludovsky)

Currently a "managing partner at Soluciones Estrategicas in Mexico"; Zabludovsky "was Mexican deputy chief negotiator during the NAFTA negotiations, Mexican ambassador to the European Union, and chief negotiator for the Mexico-EU FTA."

Manuel Arango

CEO, Grupo Concord

Jorge Santibañez

President, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte

Luis Rubio

Director General of the Center of Research for Development (CIDAC); Visiting Fellow at the Institute for International Economics; former Planning Director of Citibank in Mexico. He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on North America, helping author its Task Force Report No. 53, "Building a North American Community."

Mónica Serrano

El Colegio de México, Señor Fellow Oxford University

Arturo Sarukhan

Coordinator of Int'l Affairs, Campaign of Felipe Calderon

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 and Head, Washington Advocacy Secretariat (representing Ambassador of Canada to US)