Embassy Row

"I said when I first arrived that my highest goal was to strengthen the ties that bind our countries, so these poll numbers are particularly encouraging," he said in a recent speech to the American Chamber of Commerce in Toronto. The poll, released Oct. 5, was commissioned by the Canada Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington and the Canada Institute on North American Issues in Toronto. "The results were most encouraging," said Mr. Wilkins, ambassador in Ottawa since June 2005. "It verified what I think all of us who are engaged day to day in the U.S.-Canada relationship have been feeling." The poll found that 58 percent of Canadians view the United States as their closest ally, an increase of 5 percent from last year. Eighty-five percent of Canadians view Americans as friends, an increase of 12 percent from the previous poll. Ninety percent of Americans call Canada a friend, an increase of 8 percent from last year. "Majorities on both sides of the border agree Canada is doing enough to secure the U.S.-Canada border, and that is exceptionally good news, as leaders in both our countries ... have spoken honestly about our mutual cooperation and communication in fighting the war on terror," Mr. Wilkins said. http://washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20061024-102251-6279r

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