Posted on 03/23/2005 11:46:10 AM PST by hedgetrimmer
An opposition party that is helping to keep Canada's minority Liberal government in power angrily accused Prime Minister Paul Martin on Tuesday of planning to push an agenda of closer integration with the United States.
Martin is due to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites) and Mexican President Vincente Fox in Texas on Wednesday for talks that will include discussions on how to improve the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Canadian officials say they want to eliminate "nuisance tariffs" among the three partners and harmonize some continental business regulations.
But the idea of any deeper integration with the United States is particularly unpopular with Canada's left-leaning New Democrats, who have been backing Martin since last June's election stripped the Liberals of their majority.
"Can the prime minister tell us why he will be pursuing an agenda of deeper integration with the U.S., sacrificing Canadian sovereignty? Why is he pursuing this hidden agenda without telling Canadians about it?" the party's leader, Jack Layton, asked in Parliament.
Martin dismissed Layton's questions, saying that, at the Texas meeting, he would be pressing for greater security and economic prosperity for the three nations.
Last week, a task force of former U.S., Mexican and Canadian officials recommended building a North American economic and security community by 2010, and proposed a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter.
Canadian officials played down the report, saying the ideas put forward would not be on the agenda in Texas.
More on continental integration
Asked whether the deal is paving the way for a continental integration, Martin said: "What we are talking about here is not a big bang, we're talking but big progress."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1368987/posts?page=11#11
Yes!!!! I knew the NDP wouldn't last!!!
Hopefully the government will collapse soon!
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
Like this?
***
Canada's opposition Conservative Party, fresh from its weekend policy convention, is preparing to mount sharper attacks on a minority Liberal government that it sees as tired and discredited.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050321/wl_canada_nm/canada_politics_conservatives_col_1
No, the Liberals are actually not the far left, that's the NDP. The Liberals are left of centre but not as much so.
Interesting.
Giggle. These Canadians seem more and more insane every time they open their mouths. But alas, I suspect that what's really behind this is just that the liberal media wants to slime Bush, and it thinks that portraying the Canadian viewpoint in this way accomplishes that.
Another possibility is that the Canadian media is quickly becoming the last bastion of truly unadulterated liberal bildge.
I interpret his remark like this:
Its hard enough to maintain socialism Canada, let alone taking on the cost of convergence with Mexico to bring their standard of living up to the one Canada has.
Nice! But Ontario and Quebec decide the government alone - so nothing's bound to change with a new election.
I wish Quebec would seperate.
The Liberals are "center-left"; the NPD are "moonbat left"; the Conservatives are "center-right". The Conservatives, led by Stephen Harper, have a chance at toppling the Liberals which have been in power for over a decade. The Conservatives are willing to talk about BMD, are anti- gay marriage and are pro-trade. They are a somewhat left of today's Republicans, but are considered to be radicals by the media establishment and have been relentlsessly demonized in the press.
I should also note that the organizational prowess of the Conservatives in Canada pales to that of the marketing and organizational tactics that sprung from Rove's brain. We have no similar political genius up North at present(unfortunately). The Liberals and the Conservatives are each getting about 33% of the vote according to latest polls. So, whenever Martin yaps and dithers he has to appear as non-commital as possible so as not to irritate parts of his anti-American base.
No, I think they are finding that the painful wrenching Al Gore talked about in the early years of the Clinton adminstration (he was talking about the lowering of our standards to be more compatible with the rest of the world) is too painful.
Our president is fully on board the "vision" for hemispheric integration. If you listen to his remarks you will find he talks about it.
Canada's left? The whole dang country is "left".
Except parts of Alberta, eh?
Not just Alberta. Maybe 20-25% of B.C. where I live is practically Republican. But, yes, we are the minority in a province dominated by leftist moonbats.
Yippie:
Just end the BS and add stars to the flag.
http://www.unitednorthamerica.org
Because he is part of the elite. While us ordinary people think that North America is made up of three nations, the elites understand that North America is actually just a market full of laborers and consumers to be exploited.
Things like borders, constitutions, democracy make it harder for the President's rich friends to fully exploit the market.
If we did, that would give Candadians and Mexicans inalienable rights too. I don't think that it is in the plan for these citizens to have a guarantee of freedom(even though ours is being sorely tried) with their respective governments.
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