Posted on 06/03/2005 7:58:49 PM PDT by NorthOf45
McKenna tells Canadians to stop being smug when dealing with U.S.
June 3, 2005
OTTAWA (CP) - Frank McKenna, Canada's tough-talking ambassador to the U.S., has some advice for Canadians dealing with their powerful neighbours to the south - stop being smug and take the chip off your shoulders.
Americans are offended when Canadians attack them and endlessly moralize about what they should be doing differently, he said Friday.
"In short, a self-righteousness that isn't very flattering," McKenna told The Canadian Press annual dinner, a gathering of journalists and power-brokers.
McKenna, fresh from media tours in the U.S. where he tried to correct false American impressions of Canada, turned the table on his Canadian audience, calling on them to have a better understanding of Americans.
The world changed dramatically for Americans on Sept. 11, and dealing with the shock and fear of the next attack "trumps all other issues and all other relationships," he said.
"As Canadians, we intellectually acknowledge this reality, but we do not comprehend the full depth of the emotional scarring caused by that extraordinary event."
"It has changed America. Americans are consumed with the need to protect their physical security and economic security."
McKenna said that Ottawa's increase in spending for the military and foreign aid budgets have been well-received in Washington.Traditional diplomatic fights such as softwood lumber and BSE remain.
But fear of terrorist attacks is behind the latest diplomatic spat.
The recent move by Americans to have all foreign carriers register their passenger lists if they fly over the U.S. is causing trouble around the world.
Americans are also preoccupied with social security reform, soaring oil prices and being reliant on external markets for the majority of its supplies.
The growing economic might of China has given rise to an increase in protectionist rhetoric in the U.S., he added.
"Although Americans respect us and like us, they do not think about us very much," he conceded.
To raise Canada's profile, McKenna is looking to support from a fifth column - "the Canadian diaspora."
There are up to three million expatriate Canadians living in the U.S. and McKenna said he's looking to marshal them so they can help Ottawa on issues of importance to Canada.
I actually heard the news of McKenna's speech on CFRB 1010 am yesterday morning and I couldn't believe my ears! Perhaps there is some "sanity" in the "Mr. Dithers" cabinet after all! (God knows Martin has no sanity!)
Tell me about it. I am overdue for another business trip there I find myself putting it off. I sell to the Canadian steel industry between strikes. The customers appreciate the visit and transfer of new knowledge, but you have the very real feeling that the locals don't want you there. Why any American would go there as a tourist is beyond me and I even have family there.
I have no idea...polls there suggest a strong majority of the population HATE Americans.
One recent poll also suggested 37% of Quebec's population wanted military spending reduced to ZERO. In addition, wholesale opposition (meaning even with a UN mandate) for the Iraq war there was greater than 80% (compared to about 40% in the rest of Canada) and 84% of Quebecers opposed missile defense (compared to 43% in the rest of Canada).
Here is the REAL reason why we never went to Iraq: http://www.parapundit.com/archives/001090.html
True - with ominous undertones for the United States.
Interesting article.
"'Although Americans respect us and like us, they do not think about us very much,' he conceded."
I would like to think about them more, and in a less negative way: to achieve this, they'd have to stop sniping at us when we do so much to keep the North American continental mass safe, and other areas of the world known to harbor extremists who want to wipe us off the face of the earth, and they don't.
"The recent move by Americans to have all foreign carriers register their passenger lists if they fly over the U.S. is causing trouble around the world."
I see no problem here. If they are too busy to provide the passenger lists that will assist us in keeping our citizenry alive, they can fly over Canada or Mexico.
FYI
The reason many Canadians jump on the "America is Evil" bandwagon is because they are just like jealous younger siblings.
They are constantly fed anti-Americanism from our blatantly left-wing, socialist, conservative-hating media
and eat it up because it makes them feel important when they can cut down the bigger, more powerful nation. It is pathetic.
Canadians swallow whatever they are fed, for the most part. Then some proceed to take it to the extreme - this is easily done when a so-called "leader" of the country stomps on a George Bush doll on the state-sponsored television station. It is shameful.
If you want to know what most Canadians think on any given Tuesday, just watch the CBC on Monday night. We are ignorant of the truth and too lazy to do some searching.
I continue to fly Old Glory up here, and proudly say "God bless America and God bless President Bush", much to the utter disgust of some.
Further to my post #68....
My Grade 11 son is CONSTANTLY fed hate for America in his high school classes.
Spewing forth hatred for Bush and America is in every subject, every day. He gets very tired of being the only person in the school who sides with America. These people will have to answer for this when it gets taken to the extreme. That a 17 year old wants to set off a bomb in America does not surprise me. If you could hear what my son tells me, you would know what I am talking about.
The schools are run by the liberal-loving unions...the same ones that are foaming-at-the-mouth with their hatred in Ottawa.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience in PEI.
This is true.
... and many Quebecers also hate the rest of Canada.
Have you, or anyone else, ever approached the school board with your concerns on the biased subject matter? My oldest is in kindergarten and I'm getting to the point in general where, should he experience such issues, I'll have no problem taking it to our administrators.
The schools are definitely run by the left-wing unions - for a few years, I was swung way to the left by them...before moving rightward. It wasn't as bad as it could be though, since I lived in an extremely conservative area (more typical of Red State America) though.
I'd probably send my children to a private school if the time came.
Oh, it has nothing to do with PEI - I just refuse to set foot in Canada, period. I mean no offense to you personally, but I am fed up with Canada and simply want no part of it.
It hasn't always been that way - we had vacation homes along the border in International Falls, MN and we loved crossing the border and even flew the Canadian flag along with the US flag, but no more.
Canada can go to hell as far as I'm concerned.
Wages were better in Canada, so people did not feel as obliged to tip. NY had a minimum wage for service workers that was lower than the minimum wage in other industries.
Meal and drink prices were higher in Canada.
I made more money in NY.
Didn't Martin reverse his position on missile defense shortly after landing in Brussels for a conference?
Thank you, Judy; God bless all your family, and may He spread the truth, with grace, against these insidious efforts to sow hate between the two nations.
It's as if the French and British wars over who would colonize the North American territories just got swept into Quebec and left there, unresolved.
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