Posted on 01/26/2006 5:51:57 PM PST by blam
New Canadian PM rebuffs US envoy
Mr Harper criticised opponents for anti-US positions during the election
Canadian Prime Minister-elect Stephen Harper has defended plans to send military ice-breakers to the Arctic in defiance of criticism from Washington. US ambassador David Wilkins said on Wednesday that Washington opposed the plan and, like most other countries, did not recognise Canada's claims.
Mr Harper said his mandate was from the Canadian people, not Mr Wilkins.
Mr Harper's Conservatives have promised to defend Canada's northern waters from claims by the US, Russia and Denmark.
The party won a narrow victory over the outgoing Liberal administration in Monday's election, but failed to secure an overall majority.
'Non-existent problem'
The Conservative plans include the construction and deployment of three new armed heavy ice-breaking ships and an underground network of listening posts.
The BBC's Lee Carter in Toronto says Canada has only recently woken up to the fact that, with global warming being blamed for melting ice in the Arctic, the so-far-mythical northwest passage, which could link the Atlantic and the Pacific, may in fact become a reality.
But the US has challenged Canada's claims, saying that it considers much of the region to be international waters.
Ambassador Wilkins described the Canadian position as creating a problem that did not exist, prompting an angry reaction from Mr Harper.
"The United States defends its sovereignty, the Canadian government will defend our sovereignty," he said.
"It is the Canadian people we get our mandate from, not the ambassador of the United States."
Mr Harper had criticised election opponents for attacking the US in a bid to win votes.
A sign of testotertone up north. good sign.
Good... if they want to defend their own part of the pond, I say go for it! Less for us to worry about.
I agree.
It's all political posturing.
Means nothing.
Watch for Canada to join us in National Missile Defense.
"A sign of testotertone up north. good sign."
That'll be the Alberta in him.
Harper's really growing on me.
Nothing wrong with defending your own borders! Go for it!
(Too bad our weenie politicians here don't do the same)
Our best to our Canadian friends.
Go Harper GO!
IT's a present from Bush.
Harper had a VERY GOOD phone call from Bush.
Canada gets a Navy that is better than a typical Latin American banana dictatorship?
Or will they keep buying third rate thirty year old ships?
Looks like a manufactured dispute over a non-important issue to give Harper cover against lib claims of being a puppet of the Bush administration.
This is not criticism. In fact, I think the move is so cool, it's almost Rovian. WOOT!
He had better remember that.
Mostly for local consumption but glad to hear the Canuks are doing something on defense.
No kiddin' - I wonder if Canadian TV will play this up at 11 and what spin THEY put on it.
The last time the Canadians pulled this act the previous President Bush responded by sending an unarmed U.S. Coast Guard Polar Class icebreaker to transit the Northwest passage. It did, they couldn't stop it, they had a tantrum and promised to build armed icebreakers.
This is what passes for "conservatism" in Canada; declaring a hard line military stance against the U.S.
It's like having France as a neighbor.
I so much hope that people will cut Canada a break now immediately after the election. I'm eager to see the tact that the new government takes, not just domestically, but in regards to U.S. - Canada affairs.
I've spent ton's of time in Quebec. People want better relations with the U.S. and express frustration at what they perceive to be a misrepresentation of Francophone aspirations.
Quebec is not anti-U.S. Americans are received much better than they were 25 - 30 years ago.
They can tend towards the wierd sometimes, but Quebec is not anti-American.
The bad part is some Freepers are offended by this. I think you know who.
"Harper had a VERY GOOD phone call from Bush."
Link please.
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