Paul Martin's Shifting Rhetoric On Canada-U.S. Relations

'You can have a country like Canada. You can have a country like the U.S. But you can't have a country like Canada with the taxation levels of the U.S.' -- May 2004 election campaign TV ad criticizing Conservatives. 'We refused to send Canadian troops to Iraq two years ago. That decision stands. Canadian troops will not be going to Iraq.' -- Feb. 7, 2005 responding to reports that U.S. President George W. Bush will ask the Canadian government for a few dozen troops to take part in the reconstruction of Iraq's army. 'For us, there is no doubt, China and India represent an exciting new opportunity that we intend to take advantage of.' -- Oct. 7, 2005, warning Americans that the Bush administration may be jeopardizing secure access to abundant Canadian energy supplies by undermining NAFTA in the softwood lumber dispute. 'The Americans ask us to protect the borders. The Americans say there are things they do not like that come from Canada, well there are things that come from the United States that we don't like, and if we have a responsibility to them, they have a responsibility to us.' -- Oct. 24, 2005, calling on the United States to shoulder responsibility for cross-border gun smuggling that leads to crime in Canada. 'We're going to continue to press our case with the United States. We'll do so respectfully but we're not going to let up. If we have to go to court to get what's rightfully ours, we will. If we have to keep pressuring the Americans, we will.' -- Oct. 30, 2005, promising not to give up in the softwood fight against the United States. 'You cannot have free trade where one partner to a free-trade agreement -- when a decision goes against them -- simply says we're going to ignore it.' -- Nov. 17, 2005, warning Bush that U.S. credibility in seeking trade deals with the rest of the world is in doubt because his country won't respect a NAFTA ruling on Canadian softwood lumber. 'Climate change is a global challenge that demands a global response, yet there are nations that resist, voices that attempt to diminish the urgency or dismiss the science, or declare, either in word or in indifference, that this is not our problem to solve. Well, it is our problem to solve.' -- Dec. 7, 2005, chastising the U.S. for refusing to ratify Kyoto. 'I am not going to be dictated to as to the subjects that I should raise. I will make sure that Canada speaks with an independent voice now, tomorrow and always, and you should demand nothing less from your prime minister.' -- Dec. 14, 2005, responding to the U.S. ambassador's warning to stop making bilateral relations an election issue. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051215/ELXNQUOTES15/TPNational/Canada [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on December 17, 2005]

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