Protests greet N. American leaders summit

OTTAWA, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Protesters massed in Ottawa for a second day on Monday in anticipation of a summit between the leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States.

U.S. President George Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon were scheduled to have private meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discuss the 2-year-old Security and Prosperity Partnership across the provincial border in Montebello, Quebec.

Sunday, about 1,000 demonstrators marched on the Parliament buildings for various causes such as environment and labor, the Ottawa Sun reported.

Barb Byers of the Canadian Labor Congress said the partnership threatens Canada's employment standards.

"This deal is not about good jobs," said Byers. "It's about driving us down into crappy jobs with no security."

There was also concern about the two-day meeting among some Republicans in Washington.

"Any time you're talking with another country about how you do things, by nature you're giving up sovereignty," Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, told The Washington Times. "If we're going to enter into agreements, there ought to be part of a ratifiable process. You want the Senate involved in ratifying them."