Canada's Friends And Enemies In Washington

In short, Canada has no Executive branch "enemies" on the level of those countries that have generated deep, historic animosity. In that regard, think Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Saddam's Iraq, or Cold War USSR. Canada does not even approach the irritation level generated by France. Frankly, however, it also helps that "Frank" is gone. Canada's former ambassador to Washington Frank McKenna was as much a part of the problem as any ambassador is likely to be. In retrospect, it remains surreal that he should declare the United States to be a "dysfunctional" society and describe Congress as akin to having 535 Carolyn Parrishes in one place. This was mad-dog diplomacy. More generally and unfortunately, Canada's "street cred" is minimal. The degree of trust and comity that featured in our bilateral relationship for decades has slowly dissipated; it will take as long to restore as it did to deplete. Our relations are likely to be case-by-case, ad hoc. Nor will the Executive branch be investing too heavily in Mr. Harper; one Joe-Clark-like miscount could tumble the government into an election. President Bush will be in office until January 2009; he has already worked with three Canadian prime ministers, and he is prepared to work with a fourth. On BSE, however, Canadians should recall that it was the frequently despised Bush administration that stood up for resumed beef imports--at no political benefit to the Administration. One additional supporter was Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) a veterinarian in pre-electoral life who argued for sound science in BSE rather than rhetoric. However, presumed friends of Canada such as Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) were foursquare behind a continued export ban in the 2004 election year. Politics is as local in the U.S. as it is in Canada. Canadians should not expect their Hill "friends" to hesitate a nanosecond before sacrificing Canadian interests for their political benefit. Canadians need to appreciate that opposition is issue-specific, not Canadian-specific. A North Dakota senator supporting water diversion to relieve the flooding of Devil's Lake (presumably against the interest of Canadians, who believe that such water is the devil's own brew) may very well be in Canada's corner when it comes to resisting a requirement for complex secure documents for border crossing. In both instances, the senator is looking out for constituent interests; in the one case, Canada gets sideswiped; in the other, it gets a free ride. Summing Up No surprises, really. In short, Canada is neither an eternal enemy nor an eternal friend in Washington circles (just as we assume is the case for Ottawa). It is easier on the ear not to be damned by every Liberal seeking a cheap shot target; however, we recall that Paul Martin came to power postulating improved relations with the United States. The coincidence of interests rather than inconsequential rhetoric will be determining. http://www.embassymag.ca/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=/2006/april/19/jones/ [Proofreader’s note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on April 21, 2006]

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