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rfmcdonaldYou know, when I get an E-mail from a sober-minded Canadian acquaintance of mine who warns that the United States might be planned to do to us what the United States is doing to Iraq, I'm concerned. Not because I believe that America is an evil expansionistic nation, not in the least, but rather because of what this reflects on Canadian/American relations. Never mind that American Ambassador Paul Cellucci appears to believe that he has been appointed proconsul in Ottawa:
A proposal: Perhaps Chrétien should ask the United States government to recall Cellucci? Let him practice his imperialist tendencies on a country that is willing to be dictated to. If not this, perhaps all Canadians should contact the United States embassy in Ottawa to let them know just what they think of his impolite threats to a country that may have tolerated his presence for too long.
The U.S. ambassador to Canada took the unusual step on Tuesday of openly criticizing Ottawa for not backing the war on Iraq and urged Prime Minister Jean Chretien to muzzle anti-U.S. sentiment in his government.
The comments by an angry Paul Cellucci dramatically reflected how much relations between the two close allies and trading partners have deteriorated over the last few months, mainly as a result of the Iraq crisis.
They also put more pressure on a Canadian government that refused to send troops to Iraq to fight an "unjustified" war but which now seems to be wishing the Americans well and backing their bid to remove Iraq leader Saddam Hussein -- a concept that Ottawa had previously condemned.
Cellucci told an audience of business executives in Toronto that had Canada found itself under threat, Washington would have come to its aid immediately.
"There is no security threat to Canada that the United States would not be ready, willing and able to help with. There would be no debate, there would be no hesitation. We would be there for Canada -- part of our family," he thundered.
"And that is why so many in the United States are so disappointed and upset that Canada is not fully supporting us now," he said. In the speech, and in comments to reporters afterward, he mentioned U.S. disappointment 12 times.
What will have been most disconcerting for the audience was Cellucci's statement that the United States gave a higher priority to security than to the booming trade relationship between the two countries.
Canada sends 87 percent of its exports to the United States and any delays in trade across the two countries' long joint border could have a devastating impact on the Canadian economy. Exports account for 40 percent of Canadian gross domestic product.
"Security will trump trade, there is no doubt about that," Cellucci told reporters, saying there could be unspecified "short term" strains in the relationship given U.S. unhappiness with Canada.
A proposal: Perhaps Chrétien should ask the United States government to recall Cellucci? Let him practice his imperialist tendencies on a country that is willing to be dictated to. If not this, perhaps all Canadians should contact the United States embassy in Ottawa to let them know just what they think of his impolite threats to a country that may have tolerated his presence for too long.
