Bush cancels visit to Canada

National Post ^ | 2003-04-12 | Robert Fife

[Lorenb420]

OTTAWA - George W. Bush has cancelled a planned visit to Canada on May 5 because of unhappiness over Ottawa's stance on the war in Iraq and anti-American comments by members of the Chrétien government, sources say.

The Prime Minister's Office has been informed by Condoleezza Rice, the U.S. President's National Security Advisor, that Mr. Bush will postpone his first official visit to Ottawa, where he was to address Parliament and hold high-level meetings on several issues, including energy policy.

One source said the final straw for the White House was the Prime Minister's order to the Canadian commander in charge of a multilateral naval task force in the Persian Gulf that fugitive members of the Iraqi regime must not be turned over to U.S. forces.

"People of good faith can disagree on this [war] but the [Chrétien] government tries to split it so well that the [Americans] see them as just muddling along. Why have an interdiction force in the Persian Gulf if Canada is not going to pick up people? What's the point of being there?" the source said. "They are just trying to please everybody."

Mr. Chrétien raised the possibility on Thursday that the President's visit might be postponed because of Mr. Bush's busy agenda.

"I don't know what will happen .... So far it is on, but it is coming at an awkward time perhaps for him. He is still invited but if he were not able to come, I will invite him to come later," Mr. Chrétien told reporters.

A U.S. embassy spokesman said there has been no announcement that the visit has been postponed due to the President's schedule.

In Washington, Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, was guarded whether Mr. Chrétien's refusal to join the war and the spate of anti-American remarks by Liberal MPs would affect the President's visit.

"Well, the President visits countries and has relations with countries not depending on just their reactions involving Iraq," Mr. Fleischer said. "We have many broader relationships and broader issues that also unite us, and common values and common friendship. And that's the context of any visits the President would take to any nation, whether they are with us or not."

However, a senior source said Claude Laverdure, the Prime Minister's foreign policy advisor, has spoken with Ms. Rice several times, "trying to work out a joint announcement [on postponing the visit] and they haven't worked it out yet."

Although relations between the President and Mr. Chrétien were never close, the source said they are now "very strained."

The two leaders have not spoken since February, and Mr. Chrétien did not phone Mr. Bush to inform him that Canada would not support the U.S.-led war. It is not known whether Mr. Bush will wait until after Mr. Chrétien leaves office in February to come to Canada. The Bush administration has indicated it is looking forward to improved relations if either Paul Martin, the former finance minister, or John Manley, the Finance Minister, succeeds Mr. Chrétien. Sheila Copps, the Heritage Minister, is also running for the Liberal leadership but on a strongly Canadian nationalist platform.

The strains in Canada-U.S. relations broke into the open after the United States invaded Iraq.

Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, rebuked the Chrétien government for not supporting the invasion and for failing to denounce MPs who had made anti-American remarks.

They include Carolyn Parrish, the Liberal backbencher who said she hated American "bastards," and Herb Dhaliwal, the Natural Resources Minister, who said Mr. Bush had failed as an international statesman.

On Wednesday, Mr. Cellucci again criticized Canada's position, calling Mr. Chrétien's refusal to turn over fugitive Iraqis to U.S. forces "incomprehensible."

Yesterday, Mr. Chrétien said Canada is willing to help in the reconstruction of Iraq and is prepared to send RCMP officers to help keep the peace, as it did in Haiti and Kosovo. "We've sent RCMP officers to Haiti and elsewhere. If it is a contribution that we can make, we will do it. If they want us to do something else, we will do something else."

Mr. Manley, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, said municipal police officers have also been involved in establishing and training police forces. "This is something that we have some experience and expertise in and it's something that if the world community judges that that's where we can best help, then Canadians should be prepared to do it."

A U.S. embassy official said the administration was waiting for a concrete Canadian proposal on reconstruction.

[gulfcoast6]

GOOD FOR HIM!!!!

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[goldstategop]

Just what I was waiting for. Prime Minister Jean Chretien made his own bed and he can sleep in it - alone.

[Diogenesis]

Excellent.

[UCFRoadWarrior]

Good job Mr President......now lets bring Colin home and away from the UN-Axis of Weasels. Divy up the rebuilding to those who fought and supported removing Saddam

[Snowyman]

This is good news. Watch the Crouton twist his way out of this one.

As more Liberals walk away in disgust.

[JonH]

I am shocked and amazed that our President would cancel a visit with the liberal weasels in Canada. Perhaps Canada should join France and Germany for a metting now that Putin is putting a little space between himself and the leaders of "old Europe".

[speedy]

I love this guy more every day. It's so great to have a President who differentiates between right and wrong.

[chachacha]

If they want us to do something else, we will do something else."

Go pound sand up your A**!

[Oldtory]

Me too- as a Canadian I am very pleased to see the cancellation. It will be interesting to see how much the Canadian government can beg some face saving explanation for this. I hope that thr White House does not permit them an easy out.

[pasquale]

I don't think that's the way Canadians feel about us. It's the damn Quebecois that are sticking up for their cousins across the way.

Most Canadians are sick and tired of them.

[jalisco555]

We've sent RCMP officers to Haiti and elsewhere

And we all know how well that "democratization" worked out. Stay out of the way, Canada.

[fooman]

Rah! Rah!

[Redleg Duke]

I sounds like the next country we need to liberate is Canada...from the French!

[PGalt]

Hooray! Why visit a province of France?

[billclintonwillrotinhell]

EXCELLENT NEWS! Every American should follow the president's lead and cancel their trips to Canada, as well!

[Hillary's Folly]

Constipated Canadians

[netmilsmom]

Once a year at Easter I cross the Bridge and buy about two hundred dollars (US) of candy for my family in Cleveland. It lasts all year. This year I will not be taking that trip.
We will all miss the Coffee Crisps, but.....

[randita]

If Bush is going to visit anywhere in Canada, he should visit the heartland, where he would be welcomed--not Ontario.

Canada's sealing its fate. Not content to just stay neutral, they've decided to actively thwart the success of this campaign.

[TopQuark]

And good for us that we have a principled and straight-shooting president!

I admire his courage and streangth of convictions. It appears that his own father was totally against the Iraqi was and wanted him to go back crawling to the UN. We have a mature, courageous man as president. Thank G-d.

[metesky]

Let's see if I've got this straight: TotalFinaElf's largest shareholder is a subsidiary of Montreal's Power Corp, whose co-chief executive is Jean Chrétien's son-in-law, Andre Desmarais. Mr. Desmarais' brother, Paul Desmarais Jr., sits on the Total board.

[cynicom]

Strains???? More like a rupture.

[Mare]

Understandable reaction, but those things will just hurt the Canadian people, a majority of whom support us and are disgusted by the Canadian government's actions (and words).

Chrétien is retiring from politics next year and could care less.

All the repercussions from those idiots will affect the average Canadian citizen. I live in Canada (husband is Canadian), and I am very concerned about the economic impact.

[Paul_B]

Bravo for Bush. Making Chretien accountable for his slimey actions is exactly the right thing to do. This has got to become an issue for the Canadian people to decide on; it definitely shouldn't be smoothed over.

It quite seems to me that there is far too much despicable French influence on the Canadian government. Maybe the rest of the provinces should let Quebec go, and then join in tight with us. That we have much more in common is increasingly clear. We'd make a great team of fast friends, and they'd be better off without Quebec.

[texastoo]

Hopefully, this applies to Mexico and Vicente Fox as well.

[reformedliberal]

We here are very worried about the impact of terrorism on our economy and our average American citizen.

The concerned Canadian citizens should exercise their vote in favor of politicians who understand the realities of the 21st century and the realities of Canada's economy. It seems from here that the Western Provinces understand these issues and the Eastern Provinces do not.

Americans finally have a President who does not do half measures. We like that. Many of us worked hard for years to get to the point where someone like George W Bush could run and win in America and we will not stop just because one conservative won one election. We have liberal elites on both coasts, as you do, and those of us either trapped there or lucky enough to live in the Heartland have stood up to them.

If we can do it, so can the Canadians. If it is impossible, then perhaps you can move a bit further south, if you are dissatisfied. Those Canadians who do not like America can then either stay in Canada or move to France.

We are just not going to sit back and be a target any longer. Actions have consequences and words have meaning. Our allies, neighbors and trading partners can understand that or not. If nations don't like us, don't expect us to coddle them or back down from our own self-interests. Unless our own domestic fifth columnsists figure out how to disenfranchise the majority of American voters, America will continue to act in her own defense and security interests.

[uncbob]

Western Canada should secede and then become several US States

Of course that precludes Canada having a Lincoln that would drag them back in

[scooby321]

Great News

[B4Ranch]

I am curious if this will prompt Canadians to review their candidates better at the next election for Prime Minister?

[Mare]

Whoa! Where is that coming from?

I am a proud American citizen, support George Bush 100%, abhor terrorism, and despise the liberals here in Canada.

Everywhere I go, every paper I read, most of the Canadian citizens are supportive of America's actions and ashamed of their Canadian government. Some people know I'm an American, some people don't.

The liberals here came to power the same way as the Clintonistas, uninformed and ignorant folks put them in power.

All I was trying to say was that in trying to punish the idiots in charge of this country, the people supportive of America will pay the price. Just something to consider.

[reformedliberal]

IMO, it will depend on how much of their souls they are willing to sell for the false benefits of socialism and how important it is to them to delude themselves that their very weaknesses are some sort of moral superiority.

[Beck_isright]

Prime Minister Yellow Stain has done it. Congrats! Now let's hope this wakes up the people of Canada that there really is a problem in the relations between the two old neighbors. Before it's too late. Or maybe this is the reason:

"The Western oil company with the closest ties to the late Saddam is France's TotalFinaElf. That's not the curious fact, that's just business as usual in the Fifth Republic. This is the curious fact: As Diane wrote in February and again last week, "Total's biggest shareholder is Montreal's Paul Desmarais, whose youngest son is married to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's daughter." - Thank you Mark Steyn; National Post April 10

V

[Mare]

I sure hope so.

This current stance regarding Iraq is the absolute worst international blunder those idiots in charge have committed. It's almost like their brains received the final zap.

[Beck_isright]

" and I am very concerned about the economic impact."

You should be. But you'd best hope that the voters realize this before unemployment creeps up to the 15-20% level. Otherwise you might be doomed to the destiny of France.

V

[Dog Gone]

There's an argument that can be made that Bush should visit Canada and take the opportunity to address the Canadian people, going over Chretien's head.

But I think this is the right decision. Actions have consequences, dammit, and Chretien has gone far out of his way in an attempt to frustrate the US. He hates America and he hates President Bush.

[Let's Roll]

It couldn't possibly be because cretin's daughter is married to the largest shareholder of a french oil company that formerly did business with Iraq, could it?

It doesn't get much more corrupt than that.

[Amalie]

My feeling is as most of the other posters - Canada and its population are going to need to show they are either for us or against us. IMO, the real turning point for American opinion was the boo-ing of a kids hockey team; ridiculous! At this point in history, lines are being drawn, and there are many relationships that will be forever altered by what is happening right now. Contact your elected representatives and make sure that they know where you stand. Regardless of where Jean is going in a year, this is serious business, and it could indeed have long-term reverberations throughout your economy. Get the other Canadian elected officials involvded...

[gcruse]

I live in Canada (husband is Canadian), and I
am very concerned about the economic impact.

Fair enough.  There were Dixie Chicks who didn't
trash the President from London, but their fate and
finances are bound up with the ones that did so long
as they maintain their association.  It is the business
of no one to tell the Chicks with whom they may
make music; if they choose to remain a group and
suffer the loss of their country fans, so be it.

Neither is it the place of Americans to tell Canada
what political party should be forming their government,
nor which province will have the top hand in deciding
how the country is run.  The consequences of maintaining
the status quo are not entirely in the hands of Canada, though.
And Americans cannot be faulted for choosing where to
spend their money and loyalty.

[Mare]

I agree with you.

I am very glad Bush has cancelled his visit to Canada. That is the level where the price must be paid for Chretien's idiocy.

However, what I'm talking about is if Americans start boycotting Canada in an attempt to punish the Canadian government, all they will do is punish the little people (merchants, etc.) and NOT the Liberal government.

[VRWC_minion]

Once a surrender monkey always a surrender monkey.

[gcruse]

You are correct, without a doubt. But the pain inflicted on the one Dixie Chick cannot help but hurt the others.

[Dog Gone]

However, what I'm talking about is if Americans start boycotting Canada in an attempt to punish the Canadian government, all they will do is punish the little people (merchants, etc.) and NOT the Liberal government.

How many of the little people elected the Liberal government?

[Mare]

Who knows? Voting is in private here.

[Dog Gone]

Yes, but I'm assuming you count votes accurately, so the answer has to be, MOST.

[paulklenk]

Blame Canada.

[CaptainK]

The Texas RSVP.

[max epr]

Canadians have been voicing snotty, sarcastic, condescending criticisms of the US of A for decades. Blaming it all on just French-Canadians is a diversion.

[gcruse]

The old analogy of the relationship between Canada and the US is hoary, but that doesn't make it invalid. The mouse and the elephant share the same bed. But the mouse has to worry about being rolled over on by the elephant, not vice versa. Chretein seems to have decided that the mouse needs no longer consider the effects of pachydermal physics. Unfortunately, the elephant is unlikely to roll over onto the head alone.

[edwin hubble]

"I don't think that's the way Canadians feel about us. It's the damn Quebecois that are sticking up for their cousins across the way.
Most Canadians are sick and tired of them. "

I think we have more friends in Canadian 'flyover country' of the central provinces. (A little like the distribution of the Red Zone in the US).