Posted on 12/17/2005 1:30:34 PM PST by quidnunc
When American Ambassador David Wilkins unleashed his fusillade at Paul Martin's electoral anti-Americanism this week, he catapulted our relationship with the United States, at least temporarily, to the top of the election agenda.
Not since the free trade election of 1988 have Canadian-American relations figured so prominently in a campaign. But unlike 1988, when the debate centred on a substantive policy issue, this time it's all sound and fury signifying very little.
The risk-free politics of bashing a deeply unpopular American president was the subtext for Mr. Martin's attack on the U.S. environmental record in Montreal last week. Given that Canada's record on greenhouse gases is far worse, it clearly wasn't motivated by moral superiority. "The hypocrisy of it was flagrant," says political scientist Stephen Clarkson of the University of Toronto.
Liberals were barely able to contain their glee when the Bush White House rose to the bait. One insider reportedly described Mr. Wilkins' speech as "chocolate-covered manna" for the party's electoral hopes. And ever since, Mr. Martin has been thumping his chest so vigorously that he risks triggering cardiac arrest.
The question is what impact — if any — this overheated rhetoric will have on what is far and away our most important bilateral relationship? And how will it play out when voters go to the polls on Jan. 23?
The Liberals clearly think Bush-bashing is smart electoral politics, says Kim Nossal, head of political science at Queen's University.
However, "it's probably pretty poor politics in the long term, simply because Mr. Bush and his administration is going to be in office until January 2009, which in politics is a helluva long time.
"It was a sufficient cheap shot that it's unlikely that the administration in Washington is going to forget it. Then you always have to ask yourself, when is the other shoe going to fall?"
Certainly that's what Mr. Wilkins meant to convey with his talk of the "slippery slope" Canada could be heading down if Mr. Martin's doesn't tone down his rhetoric.
-snip-
I hear you, and I know there are good Canadians. I fear, though, that there are not enough.
It's too bad, because Canada is a great place, and I love the Canadian people (one of my grandfathers was Canadian). I keep getting the feeling, though, that many or most don't much care for Americans, especially post-9/11.
Pardon me, but it's grown REAL stale over the DECADES. It may not be EVERY Canadian, but by God, it's MOST Canadians or on occasion, some conservatives would be elected as well.
You'll have to excuse me if I'm bitter about Canada 30 years later. As far as I'm concerned, the US ought to lend Bangledesh our Navy for a month or two so their Army can come over and kick Canada's keister around for a while.
That's not true.
It's just what our MSM, and yours, wants us all to believe.
Did you read about Maude Barlow commenting that 'American Conservative values were starting to intrude on Canadian values' or some such BS?
We're all fighting the same enemy.
If any one wants to wish us luck, we'd appreciate it.
If not, thats OK. Kinda sad though.
:-)
... but plenty use for blanket statements. Canadian liberals mouth off ... therefore ALL Canadians are pukes. Good thing Kerry didn't get in ... you wouldn't want us all to think you're bloody democrats.
Good Luck and Godspeed
Ditto to #26.
Thank you both for your support.
It is appreciated.
and needed.
:-)
I believe the majority of Canadians treat Americans very well. Did you experience this "hated" during your vacations?
After reading your other posts on this thread, I now have a better idea of where you're coming from. Please negate #30.
Oops ... "hated" = "hatred"
November 28, 2005
The Collapse of Canadian Corruption
OTTAWA - Conservatives across Canada are celebrating the collapse of the Liberal Party's stanglehold on power after a vote of non-confidence passed today in the House of Commons. Under parlimentary rules, the prime minister is required to call an election tomorrow, the vote most likely to occur in early January, 2006.
For most of the last thirteen years the Liberal Party of Canada has held an iron-fisted control over the House of Commons with a majority government. For those Americans unacquainted with the parliamentary system, here is an analogy.
Imagine the President also being the Majority House Leader with the absolute power to order every Representative to vote as he (the President) commands - or face career ending sanctions. Further, imagine a Senate with zero power. This is not hyperbole, a Senate that has no power to write a law, pass a law, or prevent the passing of a law. The President also gets to appoint Supreme Court Justices without any review process. He could appoint a bum off the street and the citizens and legislative branch would have no say in the matter. This is how the Canadian system works...or fails to work.
As could be imagined under such a system, the moment a leftist political organization gains power, there are no checks and balances in place to prevent the corruption, that is inherent to leftism, from running wild.
The Liberal government of Canada has stolen billions of dollars (as a matter of scale, increase this by at least an order of magnitude to be applicable to America) and put that money into their own pockets, and into the pockets of their friends, through a systemic maze of corruption.
While they were doing this, they also tried to disarm honest citizens, succeeded in legalizing homosexual marriage, attacked Christians and their churches, enacted 'hate laws' designed solely to silence and outlaw political dissent, signed onto Kyoto, and the list goes on.
The Liberal prime minister and his party will most likely lose power in January and they will be replaced by the Conservative Party of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada is still to the left of the Democrats in America, but at least they will slow the deterioration of our country.
The upcoming prime minister, Stephen Harper, is a good man who genuinely understands the principles of conservatism, but he will be leading a country that is almost lost to socialism. I sincerely wish him luck.
He is not Ronald Reagan, by any yardstick, but maybe he will find within himself the strength and courage to set Canada on the road to recovery.
The Liberals he will be replacing have been anti-America zealots because it was easier for them to bash America than look at their own failures. Stephen Harper will not make the same mistake.
America, look to see much warmer relations with your friends to the north when real Canadians are represented by Stephen Harper.
I think AR would/will forgive that NO45.
I think our American FRiends just occasionally forget that we are fighting the same fight up here.
:-)
Not at all. Canadians are always very polite.
BTTT
Good comments and GWB is also influencing the election up here. Thus the whining and bleating from the P.M. and his minions. The extreme mushy left wing up here is very anti Capitalist and sees GWB as the great Satan.They are a small minority that seem to get a lot of press,thus theshameless Anti-Americanism in order to attract thier support.This is a battle of culture not Nationalism, the same issues are at work on both sides of the border, it is just taking the usual five year hiatus for us Canucks to catch up.
Cowards!
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