Looks like I'm headed to Quebec City after all. I'll be interviewing people, taking pictures, and maybe doing some volunteer work for CMAQ (Centre for Media Alternatives Quebec).

Here's a list of links that I came up with for Indymedia Maritimes:

In late April, world leaders from North, South, and Central America (excluding Cuba) will be meeting in Quebec City for the Summit of the Americas, where issues of economic integration, human rights, and democracy will be discussed. However, attention has been the most focussed by far on the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA), which is in a sense the sequel to NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), but extended to include most South and Central American nations.

Information

The amount of attention paid to the FTAA is due to a number of reasons. The following links point out a number of issues many citizens have with the agreements being negotiated.

• The Council of Canadians has an introduction to some of the issues concerning the FTAA.
• Maude Barlow has published an analysis of GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) in The Ecologist.
• The Summit of the Americas Information Network is an official site.
• The FTAA also has an official site.
• The top ten reasons to oppose the FTAA outlines more issues succinctly.
• StopFTAA.org has some information, and a newswire.
• Common Dreams is a source of criticism of the FTAA.
• CMAQ, the Center for Media Alternatives, Quebec, is providing independently produced coverage of the Summit, in conjunction with the Independent Media Center.
• Public Citizen also has information about the FTAA.
• Global Exchange is a human rights organization with a good deal of educational information about the FTAA and its alternatives.

Action

Now that you have educated yourself about the issues concerning the FTAA, there are a number of ways to take action (assuming you come to similar conclusions as the thousands of activists headed to Quebec in April):

Opération Québec Printemps 2001 has listings of teach-ins, events, and other logistical information.
• Quebec2001.net has a great deal of similar kinds of information, but focussed on Quebec.
• The Field Guide to the FTAA Protest in Quebec City is an exhaustive source of information essential to anyone headed to Quebec.
• Guess what, we've got rights is a citizen's guide for dealing with police, and knowing the rights and responsibilities of police officers and citizens.