David shipley

DAVID SHIPLEY

Telegraph-Journal

Published Wednesday May 9th, 2007

Appeared on page B1

A key backer of the Atlantica initiative is reaching out to its opponents.

Bill Denyar, president and CEO of the Atlantic Provinces Chambers of Commerce said Tuesday he

hopes inviting opponents to the upcoming Atlantica conference in Halifax will help clear the air

and ease fears about the trade bloc concept.

"We are inviting our opponents right into the tent because we want to resolve this. They seem to

think that we have a certain agenda, which we just don't," he said.

To help opponents better understand what Atlantica is all about, he's invited Scott Sinclair, coauthor

of a critical report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives on the trade bloc, to

speak in during a panel discussion at the conference in June.

Sinclair was unavailable for comment on Tuesday. John Jacobs, the other author of the report for

the centre, said Sinclair's participation might help the different sides understand each other.

But if the chambers of commerce want to have a broader understanding of community concerns

about Atlantica, they need to open the conference up to other groups such as labour, community

and environmental organizations, he said.

"What's needed is a broader public debate and that would go some way to making sure we're all

speaking and looking at the same issues," he said.

Critics of the Atlantica concept have seized on comments in past reports by the Halifax-based

Atlantic Institute for Market Studies about public policy distress factors in the region such as

minimum wage legislation and union density.

They've also raised concerns about closer political and economic integration between the Atlantic

provinces and the New England States.

Other issues raised include the environmental sustainability of the trade bloc initiative.

While AIMS is a major proponent of Atlantica, the Atlantic chamber, which is organizing the

Atlantica conference, isn't talking about slashing minimum wage laws or busting unions, said

Denyar.

"It's not about putting the thumb on the worker down in the plant and keeping him down so we

can make more money."

"We want to see everybody do better."

The 2007 Atlantica conference will be held from June 14 to 16 in Halifax at the World Trade and

Convention Centre.

During the conference the chamber will unveil the Atlantica congress and its new vice-president

for Atlantica.

The Atlantica congress will help champion the concept in between major conferences.

Denyar was in Dieppe on Tuesday to speak to members of the New Brunswick Chamber of

Commerce during its annual general meeting.

During a brief presentation before lunch he talked about the Atlantica concept and some

confusion surrounding it and the Atlantic Gateway concept.

As envisioned by proponents, Atlantica is a trade zone encompassing the Atlantic provinces, the

north-eastern United States and parts of Ontario and Quebec.

The region stretches from St. John's to Buffalo, N.Y.

It aims to restore the traditional north-south trade relationships between Atlantic Canada and the

northern United States that were lost after Confederation.

Putting Atlantic Canada and the northern New England states on the international trade map

would mean greater access and lower costs for businesses in the region to ship their goods to U.S.

and global markets, proponents argue.

While both Atlantica and the Atlantic Gateway talk about making the region a destination for

container cargo ships from Asia via the Suez Canal, Atlantica is about far more than just moving

goods to and from the region, said Denyar.

Atlantica encompasses transportation issues as well as finding ways for businesses in the region

to work together for their mutual benefit.

It's also about reducing red tape and trade barriers between the provinces and states.

Denyar said the perception that Atlantica is backed by big business simply isn't true.

"They think we're funded by big business. I wish we were. It just doesn't work like that. There are

no deep pockets behind us, we have to scrimp and beg for every dollar we get."