C-ap
11/30/2004 4:21:00 PM
OTTAWA (AP) -- President Bush sought Tuesday to patch up
relations with Canada after years of bickering, flying to the
capital for talks with Prime Minister Paul Martin on trade, security
and a host of tough hemispheric and global issues.
Bush's landing here marked the first official visit by a
U.S. president in nearly 10 years -- a meeting that was akin to a
political dance where the president was trying to avoid any missteps
that could amplify anti-Americanism north of the U.S. border.
Relations between the Bush administration and Canada got off
to a rocky start when Bush, a new president, chose Mexico instead of
Canada as the first country he'd visit. Trade disputes and the war
in Iraq further soured the friendship.
Martin, Canada's former finance minister and a wealthy
shipping magnate, however, has repeatedly expressed a desire to
rebuild U.S.-Canada relations, which cooled under his predecessor,
Jean Chretien. The dialogue became even more strained when Chretien
decided against sending troops to Iraq -- a decision supported by
more than 80 percent of Canadians.
"Under Chretien, relations were terrible," John Hulsman,
research fellow in foreign policy at Heritage Foundation, said of
the former prime minister whose aide called Bush a "moron" in
November 2002. "It got so bad that in the Parliament one time they
forgot to turn the mikes off and someone was calling Bush a
bastard."
Bush will not make a customary speech at the House of
Commons in Ottawa where the sometimes raucous Parliament has been
known to heckle speakers. White House press secretary Scott
McClellan shrugged off suggestions that the president feared
hecklers, saying that Bush had elected to speak "directly to the
Canadian people" Wednesday in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Bush's unpopularity is expected to be protested by
demonstrators upset about trade issues, Iraq and U.S. efforts to get
Canada involved in the continental missile defense shield and Iraq.
The two-day visit was focused on creating goodwill, but
thorny economic issues were also sure to arise at the meeting
between the leaders whose nations have the world's largest trading
partnership. The United States and Canada do more than $1 billion in
business a day; 85 percent of Canada's exports go to the United
States.
Bush and Martin also are expected to talk about security on
the U.S.-Canada border, the war on terrorism and efforts to expand
democracy to other corners of the world.
Canada stood with France and Germany in deciding not to send
troops to Iraq, but pledged $300 million for reconstruction and is
helping train Iraqi police officers in Jordan. Martin is expected to
offer to send Canadian observers to help oversee January elections
in Iraq.
On trade issues, the two nations are fighting over a tariff
the United States has placed on imports of pine, spruce and other
easy-to-saw softwood lumber logged in Canada. On average, the United
States adds an extra 27 cents to every $1 worth of softwood lumber
imported from four Canadian provinces.
U.S. officials accuse Canada of subsidizing the lumber
business, saying it does not charge companies large enough to log on
public lands. Canada is challenging the tariff through international
trade organizations. The World Trade Organization has sided with
Canada in a series of preliminary rulings, but the dispute is far
from over.
Also, Canadian ranchers are upset about the U.S. ban on live
Canadian cattle that was imposed after a lone case of mad cow
disease was discovered in Alberta in May 2003. The United States is
Canada's biggest beef customer, and the American ban has cost the
Canadian cattle industry billions of dollars.
Under a rule recently drafted by the Agriculture Department,
Canada would be allowed to resume exports of certain kinds of beef.
That rule will be reviewed for the next several months by the Office
of Management and Budget.
"The process is moving forward at this point," McClellan
told reporters on Air Force One during the flight to Ottawa. He did
not, however, offer a timetable for resolution.
Bush will be served Alberta beef at a dinner tonight that
Martin is hosting at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
The United States and Canada are working jointly on
environmental issues as well as health and safety standards and
regulations that won't slow down trade and economic exchange across
North America, according to a senior administration official, who
spoke on condition of anonymity.
On Wednesday, Bush will travel to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to
give a speech, thanking Halifax and other maritime provinces that
received tens of thousands of Americans stranded after the Sept. 11,
2001 terrorist attacks. More than 200 jetliners heading for the
United States were diverted to Canada after the terrorist attacks in
New York and Washington. About 7,000 people on 44 planes went to
Halifax.