Bush reaches out to Canada

Bush reaches out to Canada

WASHINGTON, Nov 30, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- President George W. Bush's quick trip to Canada beginning Tuesday will be short on ceremony and long on discussion as Bush and Prime Minister Paul Martin seek to ease national irritants at a time when U.S.-Canadian relations are perhaps at their lowest since the Vietnam War.

Canada opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein.

Canada declines to send troops to help establish occupational peace.

Canada is alarmed at what it sees as Bush's perceived antipathy for traditional multilateralism and U.S. rejection of treaties such as the Kyoto environmental accords.

The United States, meanwhile, bans imports of Canadian beef from fear of mad cow disease, costing Canadian ranchers billions of dollars. Ninety percent of Canada's beef exports went to the United States in 2002.

U.S. tariffs on Canadian soft lumber -- up to 27.20 percent for combined dumping and subsidy penalties -- are having a similar effect.

Toss in rising anti-Americanism, Canadian concerns over slower cross-border traffic flow after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and historic proximity burs, and the leaders and their delegations can only hope to scratch the surface in just two days.

"This is a working visit," Martin said last week. "The issues are pretty clear: national security, the borders, free flow of commerce, the trade irritants between us, and then a discussion on the major global issues from Africa to the Middle East."

The Toronto Star, quoting officials in the prime minister's office, said the visit would be a success if there was formulation of a step-by-step roadmap for resolving current and future disputes, but others believe that to be unrealistic.

"I think that is too high a bar, partly because the (trade) disputes are pretty low key given the historical average of disputes. We are generally fighting about more, and our trade disputes are more contentious," said Christopher Sands, a U.S.-Canada expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

"It's really amazing we have so little to discuss, and I can't see a framework really resolving our foreign-policy differences. My guess is, if there are no major gaffes (during the visit) you can consider it a success."

Relations between the United States and its northern neighbor have never been particularly chummy. Following the American Revolution, Canada became home for British loyalists in the colonies who supported King George III. President Ulysses S. Grant's idea of annexing the United States' northern neighbor didn't help any. And even in more modern times, it's never been particularly smooth sailing as Canadians, wanting their own distinct North American identity, wage a battle against U.S. cultural domination.

Politically and socially, the nadir prior to Iraq was the Vietnam War. Canada opposed it. Canada repeatedly spoke out against it. Canada threw open its doors to U.S. military deserters and draft dodgers.

An action by President Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1965 perhaps symbolized the Canadian view of U.S. power and what they regard as the unfairness in relations. After a White House reception for visiting Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson, a vociferous critic of Johnson's Vietnam policies, Johnson grabbed him by the lapels, lifted him off the ground and snarled an order about not performing a bodily function on his (Johnson's) rug -- a metaphor for his criticism.

Iraq and Bush are now breathing the latest chill. Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who openly favored Vice President Al Gore in the 2000 election, declined to join the Coalition of the Willing to depose Saddam Hussein, especially given public opinion against participation in the war. That split propelled simmering anti-Americanism to the fore.

Recent public-opinion polls in Canada show a sizable number of Canadians have an unfavorable view of their southern neighbors; school children reportedly view the United States as a source of evil in the world; and one doesn't have to look hard or long in the media and on Internet sites to find the rant.

"Damn Americans ... I hate those bastards." The words of Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish, condemned by Martin, resonated with the public, as did her later stunt of stamping on a Bush doll on a television show. Years earlier, other politicians had likened Bush to Hitler.

Bush's re-election and the growing divide on social issues he epitomizes have had a predictable reaction. Bush and the majority of people in the United States oppose same-sex marriage; three Canadian provinces give it the stamp of legality. The majority of people in the United States oppose legalization of drugs; the Canadian government is moving to possibly make marijuana use legal. Differences in how the two peoples view the world, the role of government and the role of religion in society also appear to be marked.

"Canadians take for granted the continued access for goods and products in the United States," the Washington Post quoted Nelson Wiseman, a specialist in Canadian politics at the University of Toronto. "But on the cultural side, they can strut around proudly and smugly in the belief that Americans are culturally inferior."

CSIS' Sands says globalization also plays a role.

"The two countries have been on different trajectories," he said. "I think globalization is one of those phenomena that make governments weaker in the face of these transnational forces. For Canadians, those transnational forces always wear an American face -- American multinationals, American NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and others that are constantly confronting them."

Fence mending is certainly part of the agenda. But Sands also believes Bush will use his Canadian trip as a trial run for his visit to European capitals following his inauguration in January, during which time he will attempt to improve relations with disgruntled allies and also cadge their help in stabilizing Iraq and in bringing peace to the Middle East.

"Canada is a good test trip," Sands said. "You've got the same sort of mood, you have a similarly wealthy government that is used to being a party to multilateral ventures that is feeling a little bit on the sidelines. And it's been making noises about renewed relations, like a lot of Europeans have been talking about."

The United States is already beginning to take steps to ease the ban on Canadian beef, possibly a carrot in inducing Canada to join in an Iraq reconstruction and stabilization effort much as it did in Afghanistan.

"Canada is one of those countries, small but relatively wealthy, that knows it relies on others for international peace and prosperity," Sands said. "It is very sensitive to being given a seat at the table. I think the Canadians have been frustrated at the U.S. approach and are looking for ways back in, but not at any price."

Bush begins his trip with a stop in Ottawa, where he will hold bilateral talks with Martin that will last through lunch. He will not appear before Parliament, where it is feared he could be heckled by MPs opposed to his Iraq policies. On Wednesday he will visit Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he will thank Canadians for taking in some 33,000 U.S. and U.S.-bound airline passengers whose flights were diverted in the immediate aftermath of the 2001 attacks.

Canadians believe that expression of gratitude is long overdue. They note it was glaringly missing in speeches Bush gave after the attacks in which he thanked other countries for their sympathy and aid.

(Please send comments to nationaldesk@upi.com.)

By RICHARD TOMKINS, UPI White House Correspondent