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Monday Feb. 23, 2009 BACK NEXT HARPER AND OBAMA ABOUT TO CHANGE THE OLD CLICHÉ
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CANADA AND USA
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Since the beginning of our Confederation, there was always the concern that the powerful friend-enemy to the south would gobble us up and turn us into the 51st state.
Recall the battles against American troops since the beginning of Confederation to defend what was then Upper Canada and to avoid their desire to make this land another state.
Atavistic hate diminished, but it did not disappear. What's left is enough to hinder a relationship based on a reciprocal trust, but not enough to let us forget about common economic interests.
Certainly, Canadian and American soldiers fought together—side by side in the bloody European battles during the two world wars.
But Canadians were there to defend British interests, not American interests.
And we come to the present reality. We remember the genuine reciprocal disrespect between John Diefenbaker and John F. Kennedy, and the profound dislike between Pierre Trudeau and Richard Nixon (who referred to the former Canadian prime minister as an s.o.b.)
Things changed temporarily during the 1980s with the arrival of Brian Mulroney in Canada and Ronald Reagan in the U.S. Both leaders were of Irish descent and they participated in what became known as the "Shamrock Summit," when they sang When Irish Eyes Are Smiling in Québec City.
Such closeness did not go over well with most Canadians and Mulroney paid a heavy political price for it. Aware of those dangers, his successor Jean Chrétien was very cautious in managing his relationship with his friend Bill Clinton—allowing the friendship to surface only on a golf course.
Things deteriorated again with the arrival of George W. Bush. First Chrétien and then Paul Martin distanced themselves more and more from the White House, not so much over political differences, but more so to capitalize on the Canadian public's hate for the American leader.
In fact, apart from the decision to not participate in the Iraq war, the Chrétien government didn't have many differences with American politics, beginning with the environment.
On paper, Ottawa supported the Kyoto Protocol opposed by the Americans; in reality Canada has never honoured the signed agreement and behaved worse than the Americans.
The Canada-U.S. diatribes have also coincided with the election of leaders of opposing political ideals: the Democratic Kennedy and the Conservative Diefenbaker; the Republican Nixon and the Liberal Trudeau. Things were better with Mulroney and Reagan, Conservative and Republican, respectively, or with Chrétien and Clinton, Liberal and Democratic, respectively.
What will be the case now with Democratic Obama and Conservative Harper? I am convinced that the changes we have seen in every international economic, social, and political sector will also change Canada-U.S. relations. Obama's visit to Ottawa is proof.
I've closely examined the relationship between Harper and Obama, and I am convinced that there's a good chemistry between the two, contrary to what many believe, or want to believe.
More so international economic events will not allow their respective ideological differences to get in the way of their reciprocal interests.
There's no question that Canada depends on the U.S. as our main economic trading partner. But the U.S. needs Canada as well, above all, our oil.
Contrary to what most believe, that the Americans are in Iraq because of oil, the reality is that the two leading suppliers of energy to the U.S. are Venezuela, and more so Canada.
Considering what's happening in Venezuela, it is obvious that the White House (and Congress) cannot bully us without consequences.
Harper and Obama have already spoken numerous times during the past 12 months and the relationship between the two is, as we have seen last week, optimal. As well, Harper has understood that—since the time available is short—he could not waste time discussing details and ignoring the larger issues.
Canadians, as former U.S. ambassador to Ottawa James Blanchard told the National Post last week, are always concerned with the price of eggs in Quebec and not so much about the big picture.
Nobody was expecting great results from the first meeting, but the Conservative Harper and the Democrat Obama started off on the right foot,leaving aside obsolete ideological differences, and the ridiculous historical revisionist attempts to change the history between our countries.
Last week they started laying down the groundwork for a better future for the benefit of the respective economies and environment, and to enhance cooperation in maintaining the existing lifestyles Canadians and Americans have enjoyed to this point, but now are under attack.