Report from Canada (FR mentioned positively in a national Canadian newspaper)

The fallout from Paul Martin’s decision not to participate in the ballistic missile defense program has been massive. I’m not sure Paul Martin knows what hit him.

The loony leftists aside, average Canadians are upset with the Liberal government and very, very concerned that this decision is going to directly impact them in the pocketbook, given that 80% of Canadian exports are sold to the U.S. market and that tourism here depends heavily on American visitors.

Many here suspect that the decision yesterday of a Montana judge not to reopen the U.S. border to Canadian beef would have turned out differently had Martin not double-crossed George W. Bush. The Canadian beef industry has been devastated by the closed border and may not survive if the border remains closed indefinitely.

The newspapers are full of supportive letters written by average Canadians and some have called the White House to express their disgust with Martin.

Also, the news media has ripped into Martin. 90% of the coverage has been highly critical of the substance of the decision and of the way he handled it, both here in Canada and in reporting it to the United States.

Yesterday’s National Post, a conservative paper, devoted two full pages to how not participating in BMD will adversely affect relations with the United States.

The first page, headlined, “From Texas, Ohio, New York and Boston, Americans ask one question of our Prime Minister: Why?” was devoted to reprinting editorials from U.S. newspapers.

Like many newspapers across the States, this page reprinted the infamous “Canadian Free Riders: Don’t Worry About Missiles; The Yanks Will Save Us” opinion piece from the Wall Street Journal (a subscription is required to read that at www.wallstreetjournal.com).

The second was a scathing piece from The Boston Herald, “Give Martin the Putin Treatment.” The original may be found here:

The third, entitled “The John Kerry of the North,” was from The Plain Dealer. The original may be found here:

http://www.cleveland.com/search/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1109413890261900.xml?oxedi

Finally, the Post also reprinted Freeper DH’s essay. DH owns a Texas company and has decided to no longer sell his products to Canada. He articulates his reasons why here:

Finally, the second page was devoted to lengthy and perceptive pieces by Claire Hoy (“Betraying a Great Friend”) and Andrew Coyne, “The U.S. is in No Mood for this Nonsense”

I could not find a link to Hoy’s article, but Coyne’s article may be found here;

Even left-leaning newspapers—including the Globe and Mail and the ultra-liberal Toronto Star--are criticizing Martin, whose government is demonstrating profound ineptness regarding its relationship with the U.S.

For example, today, the new ambassador to the U.S., Frank McKenna, opined that the refusal to participate in BMD is a “direct result” of softwood lumber and beef trade disputes:

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=e049e880-097d-4f69-a083-03d5a1138553

Oh really? If that’s why Martin came to his decision, it comes as news to Canadians, as Martin has never explained his position or allowed a parliamentary debate on this issue, as he had promised he would.

A recent national COMPAS poll reports that 54% of Canadians are against missile defense. However, this number is misleading. To better understand the situation, you have to break it down by province. Then you learn that amazingly, despite the liberal bias of most of the Canadian news media and the fact that not one politician has tried to make the case for joining BMD, 53% of Canadians outside of Quebec support it. It’s the 75% of Quebeckers who do not support it that skew the national poll.

In short, this debacle has all the makings of a situation where this minority government could come crashing down. The opposition could call an election and make the case that joining missile defense is a good idea and that in once again poking a stick in Uncle Sam’s eye, Paul Martin has seriously damaged the livelihood of average Canadians. A resounding Liberal defeat would go a long way to demonstrating to Americans that Canadians support them.

Unfortunately, we haven’t heard a peep from the Conservative leader, Stephen Harper, who appears to have been whisked away to an undisclosed location.

Is he, like Martin, aiming to appease Quebec? No one knows because he has apparently vanished, but one thing is certain--Canadians were stunned by this decision.

Freeper DH responds to Canadian Hate America 24/7 bs!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1352592/posts

Today, my company ceased sales to Canada.
Personal | 2/28/05 | DH

Posted on 02/28/2005 5:21:05 AM PST by DH

Today, I made a major decision not to sell our manufactured products into Canada.

We are a small Corporation that invents, manufactures, and sells unique electronic controls to the welding industry. Our market is narrow since our products apply to specifically American made welding machinery and few applications exist external to the US. I am the majority stockholder and President of the company.

It is uncommon to sell outside the bounds of the US but we do get inquires and orders from external countries. This morning I received an email requesting one of our catalogs along with a request for technical assistance pertaining to an American made machine located in Quebec.

As I read the email something swept over me. It kept gnawing at me for about an hour before I knew what it was. The answer came to me…it was a request from an individual in a country that hated Americans and all that it stood for, asking for technical assistance and requesting information on our uniquely American products that are not available nor manufactured in Canada. The products and assistance would greatly enhance this Canadian’s ability to save on the cost of repairs to his equipment and provide technical assistance he was apparently unable to receive in his own country.

Over the past few years I have rejected sales from French Canadians and now I expand this to the whole of Canada. As of today, no technical information will be given to Canadians and no sales will be made to Canadians until their hate for Americans and our way of life changes. I expect Hell will freeze over before this happens. They are in a headlong race for total Socialism, if not downright communism.

Now, this may not be earth-shaking news and what I do will certainly not even raise an eyebrow on a national basis, but what I do is the only way that I can fight them since our politicians and large American Corporations are “financial prostitutes” and will sell away the American way of life and the freedoms (those that still exist) to anyone (or any country) that will pay them for their pandering, regardless as to how small the amount.

My company website has the phrase “Made in Texas by Texans” on the home page and it has been there for years. Now I will be placing a notice that we do not sell to Canada and the reasons thereof.

Some may think this as a stupid idea since I will lose some sales. Like I said, they don’t amount to much anyway and the idea that I can irritate and inconvenience individual Canadians by refusing to sell to them along with providing them the reasons for doing so lets them know that at least one American is standing up and doing the only patriotic thing they can do to stave off the impending damage that Canada will do to our society, our freedoms and our security. Yes, I am aware that is not the textbook way of doing business.

I realize that this is a tiny, teeny, itty-bitty, miniscule, microscopic action that no one will notice except the recipient of my direct action but if many small corporations and small sole proprietorships (Ma and Pa businesses) who sell a very small percentage of their gross services or wares into Canada and can afford a small reduction in gross sales, will unite and refuse to sell to Canada, a major statement can be made. As each Canadian who is refused service or sales from America is affected, they will become annoyed enough to tell their associates and friends. In turn, over a period of time, they all will get the message.

Don’t expect the prostitutes to help, only little people can!

I think you are right,

as I fume over the last federal budget where Ontario was clearly shortchanged, for example Ontario gets $900 per new immigrant and Quebec gets $3800 per new immigrant, it can't get any more blatant and I listen to Sponsorgate - gee I'd love to make 9 million bucks for sticking I love Canada on a few pencils and stickers,

it is becoming clearer and clearer to me that letting Quebec go would be the best thing to happen to the rest of Canada

they'd have to take their share of the debt with them, I think based on population would be fair huh?

as it is the Quebec provincial government is always in deficit, I believe, the province has never been well run, even in the good old days and despite heftier transfer payments than the rest of Canada, so if Quebeckers had to survive without any transfer payments huh, they'd lose even more business than they do every time they threaten to separate, they do have hydroelectricity though but that's about it huh....

maybe Ralph would be willing to share some of the oil revenue if we kicked Quebec out......

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