Posted on 10/15/2005 10:10:26 PM PDT by Fair Go
Martin gets tough with Bush Ottawa prepared to litigate softwood dispute, PM tells U.S. President BY RHÉAL SÉGUIN AND BRIAN LAGHI -- Prime Minister Paul Martin stepped up his campaign to get the United States to respect a NAFTA ruling on softwood lumber yesterday, making the Canadian case in a frank telephone conversation with President George W. Bush. Mr. Martin said he would take Ottawa's claim directly to the American public if Washington doesn't agree to repay $5-billion in tariffs. "At the core of NAFTA is the dispute settlement mechanism," Mr. Martin told reporters yesterday. "Effectively in terms of softwood, Canada has won panel decision after panel decision . . . and that should be respected." Mr. Martin said the 20-minute phone call was "a cordial but frank discussion" that changed neither leader's position. The call was arranged this summer, but postponed because of hurricane Katrina. In Washington, a spokesman for Mr. Bush characterized the discussion as "candid." "The President also said that we both should get back to the negotiating table and work to find a solution that will be lasting," Scott McClellan said. Mr. Martin insisted there was no point in negotiating, when a NAFTA panel has already ruled that Canadian exports pose no threat of injury to American producers. The U.S. government said it would not accept that ruling because it was already complying with a World Trade Organization decision that took the opposite view. "The PM emphasized that this was not a grey issue," said a Canadian official. "Not an issue of on the one hand, on the other hand. Canada has won. The committee ruled in Canada's favour unanimously and we expect the U.S., as we would obligate ourselves, if the tables were turned, to respect the outcome." Mr. Martin said he told the President that Canada was prepared to litigate the issue in the U.S. courts and make a vocal argument to the American public that the tariffs raise the cost of lumber products to consumers there. "Refusal to respect the NAFTA agreement is not in the national interest of the Americans." He made the comments after a ceremony inaugurating the new Armstrong border crossing between Maine and Quebec. In those comments, he again linked the softwood issue with the prospect of reducing oil exports to the United States, which he first raised before a New York business audience last week. Page 1 of 3 16/10/2005 hinese oil executives who are interested in investing in Alberta oil sands. "These are options that we certainly intend to develop to the hilt," Mr. Martin said. Meanwhile, the Premiers of Canada's three largest provinces met in Toronto yesterday and apparently reached a consensus on what advice they will offer to the Prime Minister in dealing with the U.S. government on the softwood issue. "We're all on the same page," Quebec Premier Jean Charest told reporters after a two-hour, lateafternoon meeting with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell. Mr. McGuinty did not speak to reporters and the other two declined to talk specifically about the recommendations they will make to Mr. Martin. Earlier in the day Mr. Campbell told the editorial board of The Globe and Mail it was "totally legit" for the federal government to suggest that Canada could sell its oil elsewhere, particularly in Asia. "That's not a punitive strategy," he said. "That's saying to the United States . . . [that] right now you're sending a message that we can't count on your word on NAFTA and how it's going to work." The B.C. Premier said the Americans have been "very, very difficult to deal with" over the softwood issue. He said the U.S. government seems "paralyzed by politics" and hamstrung by the protectionist forces. "We can't have a partner that picks and chooses the laws that they like and that's what they have been doing," he said. Alberta Energy Minister Greg Melchin said he would raise the softwood lumber issue when he heads to Washington this weekend to talk with U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman. But he repeated Alberta's position that Ottawa should not attempt to link oil and gas exports to the softwood dispute. Mr. Melchin questioned why Mr. Martin would single out oil and natural gas. "We trade a lot of products. Why don't they also list our auto sector? Why don't they list some of the Quebec industries? It's not just energy we trade to the United States." The head of a business group representing 150 of Canada's top chief executive officers warned the government was playing a dangerous game by implying it might give preference in oil sales to China and India. Thomas d'Aquino, president of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, said this tactic will only undermine Ottawa's relationship with Washington, which is largely dispute-free. "It's raised serious concerns among business people in this country. The smart people know that linking a 2 per cent problem to a 98 per cent solution is pretty silly and, frankly, juvenile." Mr. d'Aquino was careful to avoid criticizing the prime minister but said that some in the Liberal government and Prime Minister's Office are taking the message too far. "Some of the language that I have seen here in recent days suggests to me that some people would be better off placed in Hugo Chavez's government than here," Mr. d'Aquino said, referring to the leader of oil-rich Venezuela.
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Oh MY! Canada is MAD at us! Curses, what SHALL we do! I know, let's trade the North East corner of the USA for the Western half of Canada. That will be a fair trade. Put all the Blue state NE socialists with the Canadian socialists and liberate the Canadian Conservatives from their bondage. Sounds like a win win to me.
Bring it on you dirt bag! The American people are SICK of all these trade agreements that screw us every time. Clinton and Bush have signed UNCONSTITUTIONAL trade agreements and in the court of public opinion, you people who took part in these agreements can take a flying leap. Call Vicenti Fox and cry on his shoulder.
LOL What's he going to do? Write a mean letter? Awwww.
Canada threatening you is like France declaring war. Nobody cares or takes it seriously.AWB
Many Canadians want him to fall on his very fat butt.
Yes, they are. I persevered until I read the Prime Minister's threat to reduce oil exports to the U.S. if we don't cough up the $5 billion. Wow. We are beholden to every small country now who sells us oil, just because of the suicidal environmentalists in this country who won't a) allow us to drain every last drop from our own soil, and b) allow us to build new refineries and c) allow us to build nuclear power plants.
BFFFFFFT!:)AWB
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Now Go Away Canada or we shall taunt you a second time!!!!!!
It's amazing that Canada has the most corrupt government in history, at the same time that the US has.
Many Canadians want him to fall on his very fat butt.
I hope he does too, and I hope that a bunch of traitors in our government fall as well.
Don't they teach economics in Canada anymore?
How can you reach the pinnacles of Canadian politics and believe that selling your commodity on the open market is a threat?
Come on, guys, is he the best you can do?
Martin gets tough with Bush
Let's see. Canada and Martin are up in the middle from no where, and will try to sell their commodities to anyone but the country next to them. So, they are sort of stuck then with a lot of wood and oil, which they've walked away, what ever, from their main and best customer. Thus they will have to take a discount, and then there are shipping costs to find a customer of such size to take up the slack. They are going to get less and pay more.
This should be fun, not that for those very reasons it isn't going to happen. Martin is all B.S..
Should I be in this condition?
Please advise.
Thank you.
Well, there are a lot of folks (Americans) here on FR that haven't a clue in Economics, Marketing, nor Accounting.
I am just a fascinated onlooker. I also hear that this Martin guy is about to straighten Iran out by moving that Iran be removed from the UN Human Rights Committee.
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