An organizer of the People's Summit, described as a counter summit to the G8 and G20, is urging officials not to use agents provacateurs during the summits. (CBC)

Activists and labour organizations are calling for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to rule out the use of agents provocateurs during the G8 and G20 summits.

Pointing to the 2007 Montebello summit of North American leaders, where Quebec police admitted that three of their officers disguised themselves as demonstrators during protests, the People's Summit urged officials to prohibit any attempt to incite violence to justify what they dubbed a "billion-dollar boondoggle."

Quebec police denied allegations they used the officers to instigate violence at Montebello.

"The state is, in fact, doing criminal activity if they don't rule out agents provocateurs," Christine Jones, co-chair of the Canadian Peace Alliance, said at the launch of the People's Summit on Friday morning.

Controversy over the use of agents provocateurs came to a head Friday after labour leader Sid Ryan was quoted as saying earlier this week police might try to incite violence during the G20 protests to justify the security costs.

The president of the Ontario Federation of Labour refused to step down, sending out a press release saying his concerns were far from groundless.

"I am very concerned that there could be political pressure from the federal Conservative government to use police to provoke a situation that will lead to arrests — purely to justify the enormous security costs of the G20 summit," Ryan said. "And frankly, that should be a concern for the police union as well."

The Toronto Police Association's union head, Mike McCormack, was swift to condemn the remarks as "idiotic, irresponsible and inflammatory," and called on Ryan to resign for defaming the police.

Both the Ontario Federal of Labour and the Council of Canadians are calling on the prime minister and the Integrated Security Unit, responsible for security at the summit, to promise not to use agents provocateurs.

But when asked about whether the activist organizations would condemn violent protest tactics themselves, the People's Summit organizers wavered.

The People's Summit — self-described as a counter-conference to the G8 and G20 — is bringing together an estimated 1,000 activists for a weekend of workshops and seminars on issues and protest tactics.

"We are encouraging people to participate peacefully in the protests," said Marya Folinsbee, co-ordinator of the People's Summit, but she refused to condemn violent acts by protesters.

She described the workshops as a "space to get educated and agitated about social justice."

Topics covered by the weekend workshops, to be held at Ryerson University, include knowing your legal rights in a demonstration, do-it-yourself radical street bands and a look at various protest tactics.

With files from The Canadian Press