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No, you can't. But don't assume that this is a recent event, or that the softwood tarrifs were a result of Canada's actions since 9/11. Quite the opposite. Here are a few quick events that contributed to this 'Loss of Civility'.

The 5 year softwood tarrif agreement ended in May, 2001. Immediately after, lobbists petitioned the NAFTA panel to re-institute a 20 year old argument that Canadian Softwood was illegally subsidized. Those subsidies have been challenged again and again over 25 years, and decisions have always gone in Canada's favour.

The WTO has found that the 'Byrd Amendment' whereupon 'tarrifs' are given to the affected industry constitute illegal subsidies, and retaliatory tarrifs can be imposed on all US products imported into WTO countries to compensate.

9/11 happened, and Canadians accepted hundreds of thousands of stranded travellers into our homes. Bush made his speech I quoted above, saying 'America has no greater friend that Britan...' while I had a houseful of stunned Americans sleeping on any flat surface they could find. They were as stunned as I was.

President Bush cancelled a scheduled visit by our PM, citing a busy schedule, then invited Austraillian PM John Howard to his Texas ranch for the weekend.

President Bush took 4 days to express his sadness at the loss of 4 of our soldiers to American friendly fire.

President Bush, as is traditional, did not schedule a trip to Canada as his first official visit outside of the US. Not at all during his first term. In that, he showed a dislike for Canada.

Media frenzies that quoted public officials incorrectly. For example: Newt Gingritch saying that the 9/11 hijackers came from Canada. Ann Coulter's constant, overt threats against Canada. Carolyn Parrish misquoted as saying all Americans were idiots. A complete lack of understanding on Mad Cow (BSE). Things of this nature.

It's not the people of America we have a certain lack of civility with. It's just the ones that assume because we don't like the Administration, that we don't like all the people of the US. It's just the Administration, and those who bash us because they believe all the misconceptions of us fed to them by the media.

Those, we have a problem with. It's events before and since 9/11 that have led to a rift between our countries.

   

And those who would label you foolish for even trying to understand the nature of that rift.

   

Word!

   

The sad thing is, Boubou, I'm pretty sure that Penatrator is Canadian...

   

Those 2 are the ones that REALLY got to me, as well. I don't hate "America" for Bush's actions, I don't hate the citizens, to be fair when Bush made that speech, pretty much every American citizen I know (which in the 8+ yrs I've been online) was just as horrified as the Canadians I know, about the blatant disregard for Canada that was shown in that speech. And even AFTER that slap in the face, Canada STILL rallied up support for New York, the US called upon Canadian citizens to travel to New York to show their support through tourism, it was called something like "Canada loves NY Day"

As far as those 4 days he took to express his sadness about the soldiers, he wouldn't have expressed it at all if a journalist hadn't confronted him on the issue. His excuse for not having mentioned it sooner was weak & pathetic.

   

Exactly. bush has been anti-canadian since day 1. Canada has supported America when it need us to yet it takes very little for some Americans to vilify Canada for its "lack of support" over iraq, a war that only on a good day does more then 50% of its own citizens support. Anti-bush is no more anti-American then it is for any US citizens to be anti-bush or anti-iraq.

   

I'd have to disagree with the fact that Bush is anti-Canadian. In my opinion, you actually have to care to be anti anything. Canada simply isn't on Bush's radar to give him an anti feeling. However, if we cut off energy exports to him, then maybe some glimmer up North will blip on his radar and he might feel some..anti exhibitions. Would we really want that?

   

Been here before so one more time:

The Canadian Ambassador to the USA announced his support for Al Gore in the 2000 elections and was not censured for it by his government. In diplomatic circles this means that the then-sitting government of Canada had taken a position opposing George Bush. While I'm sure the comment was meant as a gesture of friendship between the Canadian government and the Clinton-Gore Administration, it was a grave breach of diplomatic protocol.

Canada was therefore officially anti-Bush before Bush's opinions even mattered.

The UK with Tony Blair and the Liberals in charge took no such position and the Bush Administration enjoys a very cordial relationship with Blair and the UK.

Once Bush was in office he decided to focus his efforts on countries that were not overtly hostile to his administration. Were he to ignore the Canadian Ambassador's comments and just go on with business as usual he would look foolish to his supporters and more foolish to his detractors.

Bush had absolutely nothing to gain by visiting Canada.

So far as his comment that Britain is America's best friend, at the current time this is demonstrably true.

Canada is a good friend, but Britain is our best friend.

The lesson here is that the Canadian government should stay out of our elections and if you're going to insist on picking side in our elections then it would do you well to pick the winning side.

   

Hi folks,
Bart that is an interesting point. I felt more comfortable with the Clinton administration then Bush. he seemed more intelligent and civil then Bush. The obsession with what Clinton did with his sticky bits was IMO gross voyeurism and more then a little hypocritical.
The idea our ambassador supporrted Gore could be a cause for dilike by Bush I am sure. Its odd though given a british newspapers campaign to get brits to write americans to get them to vote for Kerry does not figure into what you say.
I beleive our values as a nation for the most part do not coincide with bushes and conflict was inevitable anyway. Bush and the neocons are like a bad dream. I would hasten to add i do not dislike Americans as a group anymore then i dislike any nations population. I have American friends and relatives as do most Canadians. Like most canadians I like to help when disaster strikes down south but bush makes it very hard. I will say though that if i were an American i would hate bush. The political scene down south has never been more polarized then now.
Cheers
fred

   

Fred,
What Clinton did with Monica was not the crux of the issue, what was the issue was that he lied about it under oath. He was not impeached but he was disbarred for the lie. No one really cared about what he did with Monica, but he got caught lying to a court and that was the big no-no.

A Canadian Ambassador IS the embodiment of Canada in a foreign capitol and had the Canadian government then or now renounced the comment then it would not have been an issue. But by saying nothing about the comment of any substance the Canadian government effectively stood by the comment and announced itself as hostile to the Bush Administration.

Journalists are free to say whatever the hell they want and it is not official.

Ambassadors should know better.

   

A lesson your own Ambassadors should take part in *cough* Cellucci.

   

True enough. Glad to see you know what I mean!

   

That is something that I was not aware of.

As far as the comment (which I might add was made years ago, not "at the current time") regarding Britain, it was a huge insult. Certainly by now it is probably true, but at the time it was a HUGE slap in the face. It has certainly played a HUGE role as well, in how following situations played out. I believe that huge slap in the face very likely had a lot to do with why Canada did not support the war in Iraq. Why should we give lives, to support a man who makes a point of disregarding us?



And so should Presidents.

   

That would excuse him from not visiting Canada as his first official visit. That would be understandable despite the fact almost every other president has done so.

It absolutely does not excuse his deliberate slight against Canada in his post 9/11 speech especially considering the aid that Gander gave to mostly American travellers stranded that day. The comments of 1 ambassador's inappropriate comments and 1 PM's lack of public condemnation should never have been a political point in a speech representing the friendship between the US and its allies.

It absolutely does not excuse the appalling lack of tact & diplomacy (something we now know he is devoid of) he showed over the deaths of our sldiers especially considering we were there for no other reason then to support the US. Those soldiers didn't deserve to be used to make a political point especially considering the fact they died almost a full year before the iraqi invasion long before they knew we were not going to support him on iraq. As an ex-servicemen I think you can appreciate that.

With regard to the Gore-support, while it was politically inappropriate it should be noted that Canada had exceptionally good relations with the Clinton administration and that no doubt played a role in the slip up. bush's victory was by no means certain and (some still say tainted) in becoming president as it went down to the wire. No doubt the ambassador (and probably Chretien) felt that Gore would win and wanted the great relationship tp continue. That is an excusable and understandable error. What bush did in the above examples were not.

   

Whatever you want to say about the 2000 election, it is in the past. Three different liberally funded recounts came up with results that all showed Bush as the winner by even wider margins than the official count and you can check all of that on the net.

I'm sorry that it is taken as a sleight that the UK is our best friend, but this is a truth that has been so since WW2. The UK is the only country whose intelligence services and military have reciprocal privileges with ours.

This American appreciates the people of Gander in a huge way and I do deeply appreciate Canada's friendship over the years. Still, the friendship between the USA and Canada seems to be dependent anymore on who we have in office while the friendship between the USA & the UK always manages to overcome political leanings. Our friendship should not rise and fall with the tides of political fortune as it does.

And forgive me if I am still stymied by why people who so adamantly announce and celebrate their hatred and derision for George Bush so desperately seek his approval.

   

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