CREDIT: Ted Jacob, Calgary Herald
U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins meets the Herald
Editorial Board on Tuesday in Calgary.
Posted on 01/24/2007 8:14:15 AM PST by GMMAC
Canada, U.S. friendlier after first year of Harper's reign
Jason Fekete
Calgary Herald
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
After several years of frosty relations between the world's two largest trading partners, United States Ambassador David Wilkins said Tuesday that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first year in office has sparked a renaissance in the Canada-U.S. partnership.
That sentiment was echoed by policy analysts on both sides of the border, who cited the softwood lumber deal, Canada's commitment in Afghanistan and the chummy ties between Harper and U.S. President George W. Bush for repairing a threadbare relationship.
CREDIT: Ted Jacob, Calgary Herald
U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins meets the Herald
Editorial Board on Tuesday in Calgary.
On the one-year anniversary of the Conservative party's election victory, Wilkins told the Calgary Herald Editorial Board that Harper has struck a diplomatic harmony with the U.S. through both his policy and personal rapport with Bush.
"In the last year, the relationship has gotten better. . . . I sense that travelling around," Wilkins said, stressing he's not comparing the Conservative regime with past Liberal governments.
"Not only do the prime minister and the president have a good working relationship, but that's mirrored with the cabinet and the ministers," he said.
The last year has seen more visits, increased dialogue and greater consultation between high-level officials on both sides of the border, Wilkins added.
Specifically, he said, the decades-old softwood lumber battle would not have been resolved if not for Harper's involvement in negotiating the deal, which saw the U.S. agree to return to Canadian producers about $4.3 billion collected in levies.
Canada's "heavy lifting" in the NATO mission in Afghanistan -- and the so-called war on terror -- has also earned it greater respect from the U.S. administration, he noted.
"The tone at the top helps and is important," Wilkins said later Tuesday in a question-and-answer session at the University of Calgary.
"It seems like now there's a feeling of a shared responsibility to tackle a problem together, rather than to try to fix the blame on one country."
Experts agree the Canada-U.S. relationship eroded during the tenures of Liberal prime ministers Jean Chretien and Paul Martin, who often took an adversarial tone against Bush and his policies.
Harper, however, has been able to strike a friendlier chord with Bush, while at the same time flexing some political autonomy on policy differences, analysts argue. It's earned the respect of the president, who has repeatedly called his counterpart "Steve."
"I don't think there's much question that this is one instance where personality as well as politics have played a role," said Stephen Randall, director of the Institute for United States Policy Research at the University of Calgary.
While some of the important cross-border issues like softwood were on the road to being resolved by past Liberal governments, "decisive" actions needed to be taken -- something Harper has done, Randall said.
But the cosier ties with Washington have a downside, he added.
While Harper will gain popularity in the Tory stronghold of Alberta, he could suffer in other parts of the country, most notably Toronto.
Chris Sands, senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said one of Harper's lone slip-ups with the U.S. administration may be Canada's ongoing opposition to new U.S. passport and secure ID requirements -- which kicked in Tuesday for air travel, and as late as 2009 for land and sea.
"It's the one big issue holding the two countries apart," Sands said.
Nonetheless, Harper's "straight-shooting" personality and like-minded policies have earned Canada a "safety net" on bilateral and business relations, he said, which could pay off in the future.
"It's like a good, solid insurance policy. You're in a better position if something bad happens," he said.
jfekete@theherald.canwest.com
© The Calgary Herald 2007
PING!
Regards, Ivan
He's even seemed (at least temporarily) to have pacificed the Bloc Quebecois.
Anyone who can do that must be a miracle worker.
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