Blogger arrested at Atlantica conference

One of three men arrested at the Reaching Atlantica business conference in Saint John last week says he was only taking photos of the event.

Blogger Charles Leblanc is a familiar face at the New Brunswick legislature and at public events across the province.

He was arrested on Friday and is due to appear in court next month to face a charge of obstructing justice. He spent four hours in jail, and says police deleted all the photos from his digital camera.

But Leblanc says he wasn't among the protesters trying to force their way into the conference and was only trying to record the event for his website.

He says he was standing beside a CBC cameraman when police arrested him. "Next thing you know, they handcuffed me right to the ground, and they paraded me in front of all the businessmen and they told me I was charged for obstruction," he said.

• CHARLES LEBLANC'S BLOG: www.oldmaison.blogspot.com

CBC News video of the arrests clearly show two Saint John police officers on top of Leblanc in the lobby of the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre, while he yelled, "I'm a blogger, I'm a blogger. I'm just taking pictures!"

One of the officers responded by holding Leblanc's face close to his, and asking him to please calm down.

The arrests happened just as the president of Irving Oil, Kenneth Irving, was about to deliver a speech at the conference, called Reaching Atlantica: Business Without Boundaries.

• FROM JUNE 9, 2006: Build better roads to help economy, says business leader

The 500 conference delegates gathered to discuss ways to increase trade links between the Atlantic provinces and northeastern New England. One of their goals is to encourage trade by improving infrastructure such as roads and rail lines and removing trade barriers and harmonizing regulations.

Atlantica was originally conceived by an American author to describe a trade zone that encompasses the northeastern U.S., part of southern Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces.

• FROM OCTOBER 10, 2000: American author has vision of 'Atlantica'

The idea of more "business without boundaries" doesn't sit well with some. Several trade unions and the Council of Canadians, among others, oppose the concept, and community groups organized an alternative event called Resisting Atlantica.

• FROM MAY 23, 2006: Coalition organizes against 'Atlantica'

On Thursday night, about 300 people attended an event with a keynote speech by Maude Barlow, chair of the Council of Canadians.

Barlow said the conference promotes the interests of the business community at the expense of everyone else.

"[Atlantica] promotes political integration with the U.S., political integration along the lines of this race to the bottom, lowest common denominator, what's good for big business somehow will be good for the rest of us," she said.

"You've heard that before," she told the audience, "and you know it's not true and we're not going to buy it this time."

But inside the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre, the delegates were portraying Atlantica as a gateway for international trade that would enrich local economies.

"We feel that in our region, there are too many regulatory borders and regulatory boundaries that stymie trade, that influence trade not to happen," said Brian Quigley, president of the Atlantic Provinces Chambers of Commerce.

"We believe that trade can come in through Atlantica, providing prosperity for the region and making it easier to ship into North America," he said.

No premiers or governors are attending the conference. But Quigley said the politicians are listening.

"We anticipate in the next couple of weeks that we're going to have some very serious talks with provincial governments right across the region," he said.

• REACHING ATLANTICA: Business Without Boundaries