Posted on 03/27/2003 7:29:16 AM PST by saluki_in_ohio
Bush visit to Canada in doubt Official reason is war has altered his schedule: Officials in both governments say heckling, demonstrations would only worsen relations
Sheldon Alberts, Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief, with files from Bill Curry and Robert Benzie National Post, with files from news services
OTTAWA - The White House is considering cancelling a planned state visit to Ottawa by George W. Bush in May because of the war in Iraq and increasingly strained relations between the U.S. administration and the Chrétien government.
Beth Poisson, press attache at the U.S. embassy in Ottawa, said, "President Bush is a wartime president now and so there is some uncertainty about his schedule."
But there is also growing concern in the White House that Mr. Bush would receive a hostile welcome from Canadian parliamentarians, particularly government MPs, who have made a series of anti-American and anti-Bush remarks in recent months.
"The optics of that scenario would not be good," an aide to Jean Chrétien noted.
The embassy's confirmation that Mr. Bush's scheduled May 5 visit -- which would be the President's first to the nation's capital -- is in jeopardy came one day after Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, said Americans are "disappointed and upset" at the federal government's decision to stay out of the war in Iraq.
At least one Liberal MP said yesterday that Mr. Cellucci should be expelled over the comments.
While the Iraq war is the official reason the President's visit might be called off, U.S. administration sources also said the White House questions the value of having Mr. Bush travel to Ottawa at a time when relations between the Bush and Chrétien administrations are so sour.
"The White House is reviewing whether it would be a productive visit. They are wondering whether it would be constructive," said one U.S. official.
"There are questions about what can the two leaders do at this point? What would the agenda be?"
Canadian officials say the chances of repairing the relationship would not be helped by the likelihood of mass demonstrations in Ottawa and heckling from legislators when Mr. Bush addressed Parliament.
"Can you see any circumstances under which Bush would come here knowing this was the reception he was likely to receive?" one official said.
The Prime Minister yesterday downplayed the Canada-U.S. rift and highlighted Canadian support for the United States immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and reminded the House of Commons of Canada's past and future troop deployments to Afghanistan for the war against terrorism.
Canadian officials say the chances of repairing the relationship would not be helped by the likelihood of mass demonstrations in Ottawa and heckling from legislators when Mr. Bush addressed Parliament.
"Can you see any circumstances under which [Mr.] Bush would come here knowing this was the reception he was likely to receive?" one official said.
The Prime Minister yesterday played down the Canada-U.S. rift and highlighted Canadian support for the United States immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, reminding the House of Commons of Canada's past and future troop deployments to Afghanistan for the war on terrorism.
"The people of the United States know very well that on Sept. 11, in the first hour of their great difficulties, the Canadian people received in their homes 40,000 Americans who had no place to land," Mr. Chrétien said. "The people of the United States and the government knew very well that when they asked us to fight terrorism, we were the first ones to go there and we put troops in to fight terrorism in Afghanistan."
Sources said the White House is less angry over Canada's decision to stay on the sidelines as the U.S. fights in Iraq than at the sharp criticisms of the President over his handling of the Persian Gulf crisis.
In particular, sources said White House officials remain furious over Jean Chrétien's refusal to rebuke Herb Dhaliwal, the Natural Resources Minister, for saying last week that Mr. Bush's decision to go to war proves he is "not a statesman."
U.S. officials had hoped North American energy issues would be a central element of the meetings.
But one senior Liberal, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said "the Americans don't like the optics of having Dhaliwal as Natural Resources Minister sit across the table."
Mr. Dhaliwal's remarks have also scuppered efforts to organize a visit to Ottawa by Spencer Abraham, the U.S. Energy Secretary. "Mr. Abraham has said, since Dhaliwal's comments, that if they want to get me up there, they are sure not going about it in a very constructive fashion," the U.S. official said.
Stephen Harper, the Canadian Alliance leader, said he hopes Mr. Bush still visits Ottawa "and I would expect that he would get a good and polite and professional reception from all members of Parliament regardless of their affiliation."
Mr. Chrétien got another dose of criticism yesterday from Ernie Eves, the Ontario Premier. Mr. Eves wrote Mr. Cellucci to offer his government's support to the U.S. during the war in Iraq.
"I share your expression of disappointment in the response of the Canadian government," said Mr. Eves, whose letter followed a similarly pro-U.S. dispatch last week by Ralph Klein, the Alberta Premier.
Reaction by Liberal MPs to Mr. Cellucci's criticisms of the Canadian government was relatively muted yesterday following the government caucus's weekly meeting, but one MP took a harder line.
Alex Shepherd confirmed to reporters that he had called on the Prime Minister to have Mr. Cellucci "censured and expelled."
Mr. Shepherd said he made the demand because Mr. Cellucci "had gone over the diplomatic line" in his speech to an audience of business executives.
Several Liberal MPs who have been critical of the Bush administration refused to comment on Mr. Cellucci's remarks. Others said they hoped for a speedy U.S. victory in Iraq.
Mr. Dhaliwal said "the ambassador is free to express his views" and that he recognizes Americans are Canada's best friends.
"When they have casualties, that affects us as Canadians emotionally because we have a strong attachment to the Americans," Mr. Dhaliwal said.
"I've done business with Americans, I've bought millions of dollars worth of goods from down there. And I have family and relatives down there as well."
Marlene Jennings, a Liberal MP from Montreal who has criticized U.S. handling of al-Qaeda prisoners, said she understands U.S. disappointment with Canada.
"Now that the war has been engaged, I hope the United States and Great Britain and its other allies will be successful in their military operation in Iraq," said Ms. Jennings, who caused controversy last year by saying many U.S. legislators are ignorant and uneducated about Canada because they never travel abroad.
"I do believe the President has the best of intentions ... and that he is a highly moral man and he wants to do the right thing [in Iraq]," added John Bryden, the MP for Ancaster-Dundas-Aldershot, who has been a vocal critic of the U.S.-led war.
"It is a sign of the respect in which Canada is held by Mr. Bush that Mr. Cellucci should speak out in this way."
But Alex Shepherd, the MP for Durham and a frequent critic of U.S. foreign policy, said he was "upset" by Mr. Cellucci's remarks.
"I don't think that's the purpose of an ambassadorial role in Canada," Mr. Shepherd said. "I think back at some of the history of our country. We went and fought in the First World War, the Second World War without the Americans, and Mr. Cellucci could use a little wake-up call to history."
Jim Karygiannis, a Toronto Liberal, said he was offended by Mr. Cellucci's interference in Canadian policy making. "We're the ones that get elected, he is not."
That's the appropriate question. Why should President Bush even bother with this guy? Barring any major change in attitude by the Canadian government, I cannot conceive of any reason over the next six years that he should go there.
Good ... expel him. There will be palm trees growing in Ottawa before Canada sees another ambassador. Close the embassies as well ... assign a GS-5 clerk to represent the United States in Canada out of a small room in some friendly country's embassy (Australia or Poland or the like). Require all visiting Canadians to go to that clerk, in person, to fill out the visa paperwork .. which will have to be sent back to the States for approval .. to come across the border.
It should be quite fun...
What history, of what planet, is this guy reading from?
I thought only Mexican text books lied about their closest neighbor.
And Cretin know that if the situation were reversed, the US would have opened it's homes to Canadians.
I agree, there's not much to be said to Cretin at this point. Our President has more important things to do and more important people to see.
Prairie
Oh? Mr. Cellucci crossed the line, did he Alex? You mean like this?
In particular, sources said White House officials remain furious over Jean Chrétien's refusal to rebuke Herb Dhaliwal, the Natural Resources Minister, for saying last week that Mr. Bush's decision to go to war proves he is "not a statesman."
I can't stand the frogs either, but comments like you made are the reason some people oppose us, they are afraid of our military might. I guess if you were in charge it would be a rational fear.
LOL,, great stuff.
esp. those in Quebec, and especially since Dudley Doright couldn't do it all by himself.
The great hope of freedom, the US, under the leadership of attydjv, will attack Canada and free them from their elected leaders. LOL
Liberation, not domination.
We'll free them from themselves and then leave, we won't be dominant.
This stuff is priceless, but it needs a laugh track. Maybe we can get Robinson to design one for the site just for cases like this.
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