Oh. Canada - effects of Pres Bush's neglect to build relationship with Canada

Yet, despite the fact that Washington needs Ottawa's help to get an FTAA passed, the United States continues to take nearly every opportunity to screw Canada. Last October, the United States invoked a ban on potatoes from Prince Edward Island (P.E.I), an eastern province of Canada, after a wart virus was found on one small batch of spuds, even though the virus was not harmful to humans. It was no coincidence that, at the time, Washington State and Idaho both had a surplus of potatoes. Like many issues involving Canada, the tater tussle was largely ignored by the U.S. media and general public after the ban was invoked, but the lack of export markets ruined thousands of P.E.I. farmers and plunged the province's government into a deep deficit. In response to the P.E.I. ban, Chretien teed off on Bush in private during a Liberal Party closed caucus, blasting the U.S. president for allowing the potato dispute to fester and questioning whether W. even knew where Prince Edward Island was. Then, at the Summit of the Americas, Chretien revealed that he had served Bush and the rest of the U.S. delegation dishes full of tasty Prince Edward Island spuds during several dinners. The two countries are still working out a solution to this particular trade war.

Meanwhile, Bush seems unlikely to win Canadians over with his anti-environmental stands. Canadian anti-globalizationists were among the first to demand that hemispheric free trade agreements include provisions on labor and environmental standards, demands that have been picked up by U.S. protestors. What's more, because Canada historically has been more committed to social welfare than the United States has, Canadian anti-globalization protests have resonated with a wider audience--and Bush has shown little inclination to find middle ground. Canadian anti-globalization (read: anti-United States) protestors who descended last month on Quebec City for the Summit of the Americas, a meetlng of the leaders of every state in the hemisphere except Cuba, hung up signs that read "Starbucks=Murder," "Get Out American Morons," "Cuba is More Free than Washington," and, my favorite, "Bush Sucks at his Father's Teat" (a rough translation from the French).

54'40" Or Fight

When asked about America's northern neighbor, John F. Kennedy once said: "Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners and necessity has made us allies." These sentiments are still true today, and bilateral trade between the U.S. and Canada continues to grow exponentially. Yet the relationship between the two powers is slipping, and Canadians feel increasingly slighted by their powerful southern neighbor.

The new president can make a difference; his administration is full of policy-makers with Canadian experience, such as Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, and Trade Representative Robert Zoellick. By working closely with the Canadians to get an FTAA on track, maintain cordial relations with key South American nations, Clamp down on terrorism and small-arms proliferation, and cooperate on energy, the Bush administration can help reverse the benign indifference creeping into bilateral relations. Hopefully, the Bushies will realize that the United States needs Canada. If they don't, it'll be a long four years for the Western Hemisphere.