Basic background and contact information for anti-capitalist, anti-authoritarian organizing against next April's Summit of the Americas meeting in Quebec City.

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--- CLAC UPDATE -- December 2000 ---

CONTENTS: What's happening next April 2001? * What is the FTAA? * What is the CLAC? * What is CASA? * April 20th Day of Action * Carnival Against Capitalism * Other Key Dates and Events * Quebec City Consulta - January 27-28 * Caravans and Visits * Affinity Groups * Peoples' Global Action (PGA) * Other Groups * Logistical Information: Food, Housing & Transport * Legal Committee * The Border * Medical Committee * CLAC Committee and Working Group Contacts * Getting More Information * How to Help and Get Involved * Basic Contact Information

WHAT'S HAPPENING NEXT APRIL 2001?: Next April 20-22, 2001, the Summit of the Americas meeting will be taking place in Quebec City (the previous two Summits were held in Miami (1994) and Santiago (1998)). The Summit brings together all the 34 leaders of North, South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean (except Cuba). The Summit intends to talk about issues like hemispheric integration and migration, security and terrorism, democracy and human rights, as well as the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement. The Summit of the Americas is in many ways a pre-packaged media spectacle for the leaders of the hemisphere, in a controlled atmosphere of gala dinners, cocktail parties and photo ops. Thousands of delegates and media representatives are to attend the gathering, as well as thousands of police in what will be the largest security and police operation in Canadian history.

WHAT IS THE FTAA?: In simple terms, the FTAA is the planned extension of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to the entire hemisphere (except Cuba). It's not just a geographic extension, but also an extension of the reach of big business into vast areas of public policy. The FTAA is to be fully WTO-compatible, as well as include investment sections that are identical to the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI). The FTAA was first launched at the Miami Summit (1994) and nine negotiating groups have been actively meeting and negotiating since the Santiago Summit (1998). The proposed deadline to sign and implement the FTAA is 2005. According to Canada's Trade Minister, "The FTAA is inextricably linked to the Summit of the Americas process." Together, the Summit and the FTAA are two key ways to promote American imperialism and Canadian paternalism in Latin America. The actual negotiating of the FTAA occurs within the working groups who have most recently been meeting in Miami. These working groups in turn report to the trade ministers of their respective countries. The trade ministers meet once a year. This year's meeting is to take place in Argentina in early April, a few weeks before the Quebec City Summit.

WHAT IS THE CLAC?: Partially in response to the upcoming Summit of the Americas meeting, and partially to reinforce existing local networks of resistance, the Anti-Capitalist Convergence (la Convergence des luttes anti-capitalistes, or CLAC) came together last April in Montreal, one full year before the Summit. The CLAC basis of unity asserts clear opposition to capitalism, imperialism, neo-liberalism and patriarchy while asserting values of mutual aid, solidarity and genuine democracy. It is autonomous, decentralized and non-hierarchical, and rejects bureaucratic, top-down models of organizing. Respecting a diversity of tactics, the CLAC supports the use of a variety of creative initiatives, ranging from popular education to direct action. With regards to the Summit of the Americas, and the FTAA, the CLAC adopts a confrontational attitude, and rejects reformist alternatives like lobbying which cannot have a major impact on inherently anti-democratic processes. For more info about CLAC's "Projects and Initiatives", please e-mail c...@tao.ca.

WHAT IS CASA?: The CLAC will be collaborating closely with the recently formed Summit of the Americas Welcoming Committee (le Comite d'Accueil du Sommet des Ameriques, or CASA). CASA is a Quebec City-based group, comprised of activists and organizers who are involved in local grassroots struggles. Their basis of unity includes anti-capitalism, anti-patriarchy, a refusal of hierarchies, autonomy, non-reformism and a respect for a diversity of tactics. CASA, like CLAC, meet in open, decisional, general assemblies. CLAC will be collaborating with CASA on logistics, awareness raising and other actions. CASA can be reached at their temporary e-mail address: la_c...@hotmail.com.

APRIL 20th DAY OF ACTION: The CLAC and CASA will be working together closely in raising awareness, as well as helping to reinforce and build existing networks of resistance to capitalist globalization. We are also looking beyond April, focusing on continuing mobilizing efforts after the Quebec Summit. As well, we want to avoid the dynamic of "summit-hopping", and are encouraging local actions as much as mobilizing specifically for Quebec City. However, one major focal point will clearly be the Summit itself, particularly a Day of Action scheduled for Friday, April 20, when the Summit of the Americas is due to commence in Quebec City. The Day of Action will respect a diversity of tactics, and aims to disrupt, to the maximum extent possible, the holding of the Summit of the Americas meeting. We are encouraging as many people as possible to mobilize for direct action, in Quebec City and elsewhere, on April 20, 2001.

CARNIVAL AGAINST CAPITALISM: The CLAC is also organizing a Carnival against Capitalism that is to include events in Quebec City and Montreal over the month of April, and which culminates with the Day of Action on April 20. The Carnival will include conferences, teach-ins, concerts, cabarets, workshops, street theatre, protests and direct action. The exact event schedule will be announced in the upcoming weeks and months.

OTHER KEY DATES AND EVENTS: The Summit of the Americas starts in Quebec City on Friday April 20 and is due to end on the evening of Sunday, April 22. There will probably be some bilateral meetings between countries just before and after those dates. The main Summit of the Americas meeting will take place at the Quebec City Convention Center (Centre des Congres de Quebec), and country delegations will occupy practically every major hotel in downtown Quebec City. There is a scheduled photo-op for the leaders at Quebec's Citadel sometime during the weekend. The Ministers of Trade for the Americas are meeting in Buenos Aires in early April, as is the Americas Business Forum. There is also talk of a Finance Ministers meeting in Toronto some time before the Summit, perhaps in March. The mainstream NGOs and major unions are planning a legally permitted demonstration on April 21, as well as a "People's Summit" that is to take place from April 17-21. The entire week before the Summit is sure to be busy with various workshops, teach-ins, conferences, protests, marches and actions.

QUEBEC CITY CONSULTA - JANUARY 27-28: Both CLAC and CASA are facilitating a consulta, or consultation, with like-minded groups and individuals in Quebec City on the weekend of January 27-28. The purpose of the consulta is to share information about the Summit, the FTAA and capitalist globalization, build networks of resistance, discuss action plans, and to familiarize out-of-towners with Quebec City as well as local groups, organizers and issues. If you are interested in participating in the consulta, please send an e-mail saying so to casa...@hotmail.com.

CARAVANS ANDS VISITS: If you can't come to Quebec City for the consulta, members of the CLAC can come to you, if that would be useful for your own local organizing efforts. The CLAC has already organized a caravan to Ontario, and to cities and towns around Quebec and the Northeast US. These visits encompassed public presentations, workshops, alternative media interventions, as well as meetings with local groups. There are two more caravans planned in February, in collaboration with CASA, for the Maritimes and the Northeast USA. Visits can also be organized on an ad hoc basis. If you'd like to organize a visit, or a caravan stop in February in the Maritimes and USA, please e-mail c...@tao.ca ASAP.

AFFINITY GROUPS: CLAC and CASA are anti-authoritarian groups that are organizing based on a respect for direct democracy and autonomy. Therefore, actions and protests in Quebec City and elsewhere will be most effective if like-minded individuals organize themselves into affinity groups that share similar perspectives and goals. It is crucial that these affinity groups be organized well in advance of April to ensure effective communications, as well as democratic decision-making. If you are part of an affinity group, don't hesitate to get in touch with the CLAC at c...@tao.ca

PEOPLES' GLOBAL ACTION (PGA): The CLAC, along with the Tampa Bay Action Group in Florida, are currently the temporary co-convenors of the Peoples' Global Action (PGA) network in North America (Canada and the USA). More info on the PGA network, which is a non-reformist international network against capitalist globalization, is available at www.agp.org. The North America network of PGA is not well developed, but there is a potential North American conference that will be held in the spring. The next international PGA meeting will take place just after the Summit of the Americas, in Bolivia between April 27-May 1. For more info about PGA, contact the CLAC at c...@tao.ca.

OTHER GROUPS?: Clearly, CLAC and CASA are not the only groups organizing against the Quebec Summit, nor do they claim to embody the resistance activities against the FTAA. Other groups include OQP2001 (Occupation Quebec Printemps), which is based in Quebec City and comprised of representatives of local activist and NGO groups. It is a strictly regional coalition. OQP2001, along with CASA, are two groups that will be responsible for much of the logistical organizing in Quebec City proper. OQP2001 can be reached by e-mail at i...@oqp2001.org. Most NGOs and mainstream unions will be participating and mobilizing around the People's Summit, which is a "civil society" conference organized parallel to the actual Summit of the Americas, and receives a certain amount of government funding. They are also organizing a legally permitted mass demonstration during the Summit of the Americas. The Quebec contact for the People's Summit(which is part of the Hemispheric Social Alliance)is the Reseau Quebecois sur l'integration continentale (RQIC). They can be reached at r...@alternatives.ca. The contact for the People's Summit and the Hemispheric Social Alliance in the rest of Canada is Common Frontiers -- comf...@web.ca -- that is headquartered in Toronto. Other mobilizing groups include Operation SalAMI, student efforts at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), McGill and Concordia, and more. All efforts generally complement each other, and there is so far minimal duplication of work and focus.

LOGISTICS: There have been many questions about logistical matters next April, particularly housing, food and transportation. In Quebec City, both OQP2001 and CASA are the main groups that will facilitate logistics. CLAC will be collaborating with CASA. It's also worth contacting OQP2001 at i...@oqp2001.org if you have logistical inquiries. From CLAC's end, the e-mail contacts for the logistics committees are: Housing: lolicom2001@hotmail.com; Food: zob...@hotmail.com and mariec_81@hotmail.com; and Transport: step...@yahoo.com.

LEGAL: A CLAC legal committee has formed, which aims to provide legal and jail support on all levels next April and beyond. The e-mail contact is pet...@tao.ca or by phone at the CLAC number at 514-409-2049. There will be a lot more info forthcoming from this committee in the future.

THE BORDER: There have been many questions from US-based activists about getting across the border, or alternatively, actions at the border. At present, the CLAC has no definitive advice to offer, beyond saying that the border does present a potential, but not insurmountable, problem. As well, there have been several potential border actions proposed. More info is forthcoming in the upcoming weeks, including advice about getting across.

MEDICAL: A medical committee, which aims to provide basic first aid during actions, as well as trainings for affinity groups, has been formed within the CLAC. The e-mail contact is CLAC...@hotmail.com or phone 514-409-2049.

COMMITTEE AND WORKING GROUP CONTACTS: It is often more efficient to send an e-mail along to a contact for the specific working group or committee you want to reach. For all the contacts below, if you prefer to use the phone, leave a specific message (identifying the working group or committee) on the CLAC telephone mailbox at 514-409-2049. Contacts include:

General Inquiries: c...@tao.ca
Research Collective: c...@tao.ca
Housing: loli...@hotmail.com
Food: zob...@hotmail.com and mari...@hotmail.com
Transportation: step...@yahoo.com
Agitprop: pier...@yahoo.com
Cultural/Artistic Committee: matt...@hotmail.com and zob...@hotmail.com
Peoples' Global Action: c...@tao.ca
Legal: pet...@tao.ca
Medical: CLAC...@hotmail.com
External Liaison/Caravans: jag...@tao.ca
Media: juli...@hotmail.com
Latin America Contacts/Spanish: cras...@yahoo.ca
Web Page: safe...@yahoo.fr
E-mail Lists: c...@tao.ca
Consulta (January 27-28): casa...@hotmail.com

GETTING MORE INFORMATION: If you want to receive regular e-mail updates from the CLAC, please send a message to c...@tao.ca with "subscribe CLAC external updates" in the main text. If you are from the Montreal-area, or you would like to get the more frequent updates from the various working groups of the CLAC (predominantly in French, but often translated into English and Spanish), send a message to c...@tao.ca with "subscribe CLAC internal updates". If you want to be part of a moderated e-mail list that shares information about the FTAA, send an e-mail with a blank subject line to lis...@tao.ca with "subscribe ftaa-l" as the main text.

HOW TO HELP AND GET INVOLVED: There are various ways to help or get involved. If you live in Montreal, or you're planning on visiting sometime, the CLAC organizes regular general assemblies that are open to the public (especially people who are in accord with the CLAC basis of unity). The assemblies (until April) will be held on the evenings of January 10 and 23, February 7 and 20, March 7, 20 and 28, and April 4 and 11. There is also the Consulta in Quebec City on January 27&28. If your collective, group or organization agrees with the CLAC principles (attached below), please endorse them and let us know by e-mail, as we're trying to amplify the radical anti-capitalist resistance to the FTAA and capitalist globalization. If you would like to get involved with helping a particular CLAC working group or sub-committee (legal, medical, cultural, etc), please get in touch with them directly (contacts above). If you want to host a presentation on the FTAA, the Summit of the Americas or capitalist globalization, get in touch with the external liaison committee. If you want to be actively involved with organizing against the FTAA with the CLAC, get involved with one of our working groups, or form your own affinity group. Whatever you're doing, don't hesitate to get in touch.

BASIC CONTACT INFORMATION: You can contact the CLAC by e-mail (c...@tao.ca), phone (514-409-2049), web (http://www.quebec2001.net) or post (CLAC, c/o La Librairie Alternative, 2035 boulevard St-Laurent, 2nd floor, Montreal, Quebec, H2X 2T3 CANADA). We can deal with correspondence in French, English and Spanish.