When a Cabinet minister tries to take credit for a meeting, you know that the meeting is a success. When the Group of Six Billion People’s Summit (G6B) put Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham and International Trade Minister Susan Whelan on the big stage at the University of Calgary last week, before an audience of about 1200 lively and vocal souls, Bill Graham twice tried to imply that the federal government was somehow responsible for the meeting.

First, however, he had to listen to three-minute presentations from each of twelve diverse G6B organizers on key themes such as labour, health, the environment, Africa, First Nations and human security. The positions were hammered out after day-long sessions in the subject areas.

G6B made some sweeping recommendations: ratify the Kyoto Accord, stop the arms trade and cancel Africa’s debts to the World Bank and to North American banks. Some statements were short and blunt: “Dismantle the G8, the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund.” Others were longer, such as Barb Byers’ statement on labour, which included a demand for gender equality.

Even with ideological language sprinkled throughout — terms such as “neoliberalism” and “colonialism” — the speakers got right to their points. They made specific demands and raised specific questions. Bill Graham promised to take those statements and questions to the Prime Minister and, through him, to the G8 leaders.

Graham even agreed with many points that G6B raised. He agreed that the United Nations is the proper body to put pressure on Iraq — not the United States through a unilateral war. He agreed that the government must take care that its anti-terrorism laws are not used to criminalize dissent. He agreed that citizens have a right to be involved in making big decisions about international agreements, including trade.

In fact, when asked why the G8 Summit was going to cost as much as the $500 million pledged for the Africa Action Plan, Graham responded, “It’s not just the national leaders meeting, you know. There are other meetings, such as this one.” Later he suggested that pre-Summit teach-ins, such those that took place in Quebec City and now Calgary, were a peculiarly Canadian contribution to the process. Some took these comments as an attempt to take credit for the G6B meeting, which was actually organized by a group of forty volunteers.

Susan Whelan stayed closer to party lines. The New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) came from African leaders, she pointed out. But NEPAD has been widely criticized for lack of citizen consultation.

Throughout the hour-and-a-half long meeting, the audience managed to stay just on the edge of raucous. They cheered, and booed, and heckled, and applauded thunderously (especially for the G6B speakers). They were alert, concerned and engaged with the issues. They were, in short, a force to be reckoned with. Conference representative Saran Azzar said as much: “Wherever the G8 meet,” he told the ministers, “the G6B will be there too.”

And Bill Graham agreed.

Penney Kome

Penney Kome

Award-winning journalist and author Penney Kome has published six non-fiction books and hundreds of periodical articles, as well as writing a national column for 12 years and a local (Calgary) column...