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MONTEBELLO, Quebec - Protesters and riot police clashed overnight outside a posh Canadian resort where North American leaders are meeting to discuss trade, security, and the recent turmoil in global credit markets.
Police fired tear gas as they pushed back about 150 people outside the Chateau Montebello resort in Montebello, Quebec, which is about 70 km east of Ottawa. The demonstrators tossed bottles and vegetables, having tried earlier in the day to break through police lines.
One person was arrested, police said.
The protesters were among about 2,000 people who demonstrated for several hours outside the site of the meeting of US President Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
The leaders downplayed the demonstration. "I've heard it's nothing... A couple hundred? It's sad," Harper said to reporters before going into a meeting with Bush.
A 3-metre high fence has been erected around the site to keep demonstrators out.
The protesters represented a variety of political causes, but many are upset about the three leaders' plan to discuss what is known as the Security and Prosperity Partnership, or SPP.
The plan was drafted in 2005 to ensure North America is a safe place to live and do business, but critics on the left and right say it ignores the concerns of ordinary citizens and is a threat to national sovereignty.
- REUTERS
