Some sharp views:
…
David Jones is a retired career diplomat. He served as minister-counselor for political affairs at the U.S. embassy at Ottawa during the mid-1990s and has kept a close interest in Canadian politics. He coauthored Uneasy Neighbo(u)rs–a study of U.S.-Canada relations.
…The decade-long Canadian combat commitment to Afghanistan is ending in July. It was never popular; Afghanistan is far away, and there was no 9/11 imperative to galvanize popular support. The commitment was a good neighbor substitute for not having been one of the “willing” during the Iraq/Saddam Hussein war. Nevertheless, Canadians are leaving with honor; their mission is morphing into a training contingent with much reduced troop levels. This gives Canadians more of what they prefer: “peacekeeping” rather than “peacemaking,” with much lower casualty counts…
Conservative Principles. While hardly a “conservative” in U.S. terms, Harper…
…because he doesn’t throw horse manure in the U.S. direction every time he picks up a pitchfork, he is unforgiven by those that remain convinced the North American Free Trade Agreement is a USG plot to beggar our neighbor while sucking their natural resources (oil/water) into our insatiable maw…
…there is a further sense that the Canadian public remains suspicious of anything with a conservative label and is willing to bolt away from the party given the least excuse…
With our foreign policy cup overflowing, it has been pleasant to have a northern neighbor that is looking after its interests but not convinced that it must tell us how Ottawa could better run U.S. foreign affairs…
A Liberal government would be… different…Liberals express a traditional attitude against the United States. While Tories want the best relationship with the United States that will not cost them the next election, Liberals have always sought the worst bilateral relationship that would not prompt U.S. retaliation [very nice apposition, that]…
Over 30 years ago, the Iranian revolutionaries seized U.S. diplomats and our Tehran embassy. Then Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor sheltered six U.S. diplomats in his residence, arranged for their escape using Canadian passports, and acted as de facto CIA station chief by providing Washington with detailed intelligence for months. The action was fully supported by a short-lived Tory government; then Liberal opposition leader, Pierre Trudeau, was unhelpful (even when the situation was explained to him). One can wonder whether a “prime minister” Trudeau would have directed Taylor to say “no room at the inn” and wonder equally just what a Liberal government would do in a comparable situation today [nice bit of knife putting-in].
Meanwhile over at Peeairs “newsite”, SCANDALS are going to topple the Harper govt. Evil SCANDALS, like Bev Oda impersonating Roy Orbison while SMOKING a cig, and Jason Kenny sending out the wrong letterhead on fundraising literature. Next time Jason just brown bag it like a liberal would. Evil scandal #3 Bev Oda denied funding to some money-sucking liberal church group to undermine Canadian Govt.! Oh the humanity! Bourque give it up, read the story from Jones and grow up, start to look for Canadas greatness like Harper does, not the small minded liberal money theiving ways your endorsing now.
Stopped visiting Bourque’s anti-Harper site a long time ago…
My personal experience may be indicitive of what can happen between “uneasy neighbours”.
My wife and I took a trip to the US, shortly after Ken Taylor helped the US diplomats escape their Iranian antagonists. I’ve never felt so welcomed in my life. Everyone who saw our Alberta plates honked their horns, and waved. There were billboards everywhere, reading thank you Canada. People wanted to shake my hand.
I made a similar trip in 2004, with my teenage sons. People were, once again, honking their horns and waving. This time, they were waving with the middle finger. People glared at us at hotels and service stations, and many were outright hostile. The most disturbing incident was being boxed in on a freeway, while an SUV tried to force us off the road, in Wash. State. It took some tricky maneuvers to get out of that mess.
What it boils down to is, Americans don’t f**k around. If they decide someone is not onside, there’s no limit to their response. I don’t hold it against them. I just stay out of the way when things turn ugly.
“…then Liberal opposition leader, Pierre Trudeau, was unhelpful (even when the situation was explained to him).”
Actually, it was worse than that. That bastard deliberately put the Embassy staff (and the Americans) in danger, all for the sake of scoring a few cheap political points in the Commons. After having been specifically asked (as were others) to avoid public discussion of Iran so as to not attract attention to our people there, he then proceeded to raise the matter in Question Period day after day, knowing his “questions” couldn’t be answered in full.
It was treacherous at the least, and treasonous at the worst.
And then we got four more years of that SOB destroying the country.
Should have been hanged.
That will teach you to visit Washington the progressive State, coach. I lived down in Texas from after 9/11 to 2008 and never got a finger when folks found we were Canucks. A few who were a bit savvy in world affairs commented about our petty lieberal idiots, especially when some MPs were dissing the US of A but they knew that sometimes elected officials don’t reflect the will of the people (ironic now it seems).
Lots of issues here…
I think the Libs have never come to the realization that they have often been Left-wing dupes. Their anti-Americanism isn’t based on “because Canada is a separate sovereign Nation”, it’s based on “because it looks really cool to attack America — Canadians are the Ché Guevara’s of the North!” Totally infantile, and the Yanks are completely justified when they criticize us (although they rarely do — certainly not as much as we like pontificate about our “moral superiority” over them). Let’s face it, Canada would have become nothing more than an underdeveloped Soviet satellite sub-arctic wasteland if we didn’t have our powerful friends to the south to discourage the Commies from crossing that narrow 100 km. gap separating us from the Russians invasion at the Bering Straight. For the Russians to invade Canada it would have meant invading the U.S. first. And what would Canada have used to prevent a Russian invasion? Our “no firearms allowed” laws?
Canada disarmed would have been a cakewalk for the Ruskies, much like the flimsy resistance that Kuwait put up when Saddam decided to invade. And who rescued the Kuwaitis? That’s right, it was “evil America” to the rescue again. Trudeau was a dupe and the entire Liberal Party of Canada (with a few expections) are dupes too.
BTW, the Free Trade Agreement was in Canada’s benefit more than the U.S.
@ricardo: I would add that during the Trudeau period there would have been large group of Canadians that fought with the Soviets against the Americans. These people are still around and mostly work in the public sector. There are a shocking number of people around who secretly wish the cold war had gone the other way.
Ironic that the American leader of the Liberal party could give the party some strength and credibility, but they only let him play left wing.
Joe Clark’s legacy towers over Trudeau’s.
max at March 8, 2011 5:57 PM: “…there would have been large group of Canadians that fought with the Soviets against the Americans”.
I agree max, and even before Trudeau. We seem to forget that the precursors to the NDP, Tommy Douglas et al — the CCF — was directly under the control of the KGB. In fact it was so much under Stalinist influence that the CCF supported Hitler in the pre-WWII era because the Soviets and Nazis were yet friendly. It wasn’t until the two became mortal enemies that the CCF came down solidly against Nazism — under the direction of their Stalinist controllers.
Joe Who?
what would Iggy & the Liberals do?
They’d piss their pants and turn on their allies in a liberal heartbeat.
No moral compass, just pursuit of power = Liberals.
Excellent analysis of Canadian Political dirty laundry.
Reading it made me feel like we as a Nation have been caught naked in the shower.
The only think I disagree with is his thoughts on anti-Americanism. He should have explained most of the animosity of Eastern Canada originates from the decedents of the Empire Loyalists who where kicked out of America, & have never forgotten.
Get over losing the Revolution already. I might add the influx of draft dodgers from the 60s hippies avoiding the draft where mostly Marxists.
JMO
Thing instead of think, My apologies
Buy that guy a beer ……..
I have encountered a few american’s who were rude over their latest misunderstanding…..
I then point out that for every draft dodger who ran to Canada about 20 of us mustered south to enlist in the US forces….for the same war….
I then point out that more Canadians were involved, on both sides, during the War of Northern Agression……….than fought for Canada during the War of 1812.
That makes me as welcome as the flowers…especially south of the Mason-Dixon Line…..except for stupid lefties Dumbocrats…obnoxious idiots anyway….
Dumbocrats are a rarety among the americans I encounter….meat eating, beer drinking, truck driving good ol’ boys….who believe gun control is using both hands….
Post 911 I encountered many who agreed that 911 had 1 benefit visi vis US-Canadian relations. A lot of stranded US travellors got to met and be the guests of Canada’s nicest people……….
We are fortunate that they didn’t get diverted to Quebec…IMNSHO……..
Ain’t that the truth.
Is Jones unaware of that well worn scenario when the American military quickly achieves victory,
then the State Dept moves in as top dog behind their shield, and everything quickly turns to sh*t?
Liberalism has destroyed this country and helped alienate our neighbours from us.
Jo Clark’s legacy towers over Trudeau’s and falls far below every other former PM.
“…during the War of Northern Agression…”
sasquatch, you can take your pro-Confederate and apparently pro-slavery phraseology (after you correct your spelling) and shove it up your ass.
He implies there is a vast difference between U.S. and Canadian conservative politics, but in reality, electable U.S. conservatives have been centrists just like our own. The only significant difference I can see is that some American conservatives feel emboldened enough to speak out on climate fraud and same sex marriage.
Let’s see if somebody can make a run for the presidency with those as unambiguous policy foundations, and then we can compare (because I would concede that our Canadian conservative politicians are either too timid or too compromised to take those stands).
We really face a continental problem rather than two different paradigms, and that problem is the watered down, timid conservatism of mainstream right of centre political parties. At this point in our history, we need something perhaps even stronger than Reagan’s brand of conservatism, and the people most likely to provide that are either silent inside government, or way down in the polls. But we need this to happen, incrementalism only works if you’re incrementally approaching the goal rather than incrementally not drowning.
Turdeau “ruined” our country. I hope the son of a bitch rots in hell.
I don’t say this lightly because we lost a young lady who was like a daughter to us but I think it was just reward that Trudeau got to bury his own son.
Bastard!
Trudeau was a disgrace to most of Canada but the CBC and Toronto loved the pervert. They at that time embraced failure, I think the times they are a changin thanks to Ford and the constant rants of the small circle jerk echo chamber media that is all things liberal in Toronto. People are wakeing up to the potential that is Canada when there is an honest captian at the helm, namely Harper. The world is now wanting to invest in Canada since the brown bags of cash are not flowing freely to liberal bagmen in sleazy restaurants, along with leaders writing ficticious reciepts on napkins in the house to cover theft and ass, yea those were the good old days for sleazy liberals. Thank God they are over.
Hey i have an innoccent question was trudeu in charge of that whole u.s. embassy thing in iran ,because i saw a documentary on that and they were praising trudeau for organising the whole thing .
Now if my memory serves me right were not the JTF2 ahead of the US forces in Iraq plus we didn’t go to Iraq because we had no forces to spare.
paul in calgary at March 8, 2011 7:55 PM,
I once assumed that Trudeau was the “hero” too, but apparently he was not — I think it was good old foreign policy expert Joe Clark for that brief interlude when the Conservatives were in power. In fact Trudeau pooh-poohed the rescue.
But leave it to the Liberals to engage in revisionist history, taking advantage of Canadians’ imperfect recall of that brief change of government during the Iran crisis. I was around for it myself and I even forgot the facts.
If the Liberals say Trudeau was the hero of the Iran crisis — even though he was not in power — then Trudeau was the hero! That’s the way Mao did it when he re-wrote Chinese history during the cultural revolution, and it’s no secret that Trudeau was an admirer of Mao.
@ ricardo .
Thank you! i appreciate it i herd trudeau had big nut’s but i thought it was because of that apparently not typical eh?
I am actually upset at that why and how they are allowed to twist fact’s like that is unbeelivable the documantary was on A&E.
Simeon –
As I recall, Canada didn’t join the Iraq expedition, because da li’l gar didn’t want to.
I see, so conservatists fudge with election regulations (in lock step with the lieberals) and the alternative is a protracted age of Turdeauism.
ya wonder why I got no respect for *any* of them?
While David Jones has perceived the issues fairly well (Afghanistan is a disaster waiting to return to the Seventh Century, unreformed), he should focus on the biggest threat to America, the Trudeau equivalent who currently occupies the White House.
Makes sense regarding Trudeau. Once upon a time I had access to sensitive ‘need to know’ information and the prime minister was not on the list of those allowed to see it. Uncle Sam has a long reach, especially on shared intelligence – I wonder who vetted Obama? Is he really allowed to see all the nation’s secrets?
Beagle – since none of the above is not on the ballot: Who/what do you favor?
[quote]A Liberal government would be different…Liberals express a traditional attitude against the United States. While Tories want the best relationship with the United States that will not cost them the next election, Liberals have always sought the worst bilateral relationship that would not prompt U.S. retaliation [/quote]
“NOT Always Sought”
The history of Canada was reversed before the Liberals became Marxists..Sir John A was a Conservative supported by the UEL’s, It was the Liberals, of that time, that desired an economic arrangement with the USA….The Conservatives were staunch anti-American, Pro-British Empire.. I think that held until after the second WW & changed with the Turd.
The Canadian Railroad ran east to west, Per John A.. Not to the natural North to South (Mississippi River) economic corridor connections in the US…
The Marxists liberals don’t have any policy for Canada… They just follow the UN/EU policies
heh… circa 2006 I was cave diving in north Florida and after a few hours underground stopped at a McDonalds on I-75… scruffy looking, unshaven and wearing an old sweatshirt with a red mapleleaf and Army/Armee on it… American lady in line asked me if I was in the army – I told her Canadian Army and while she looked a tad nonplussed, she thanked me for my service… first time that happened to me and it wasn’t a Canadian but one of our brethren from below the 49th… says something. Not sure what, but like most of my tribe in cadpat I have a lot of time for Americans
“”…during the War of Northern Agression…”
sasquatch, you can take your pro-Confederate and apparently pro-slavery phraseology (after you correct your spelling) and shove it up your ass.”
I hope you never complain about an overbearing, unconstitutional Federal government then. Because the federal Leviathan was born in that noble moral crusade of Yankee magnanimity. A crusade that didn’t become a noble campaign to free slaves from bondage until halfway through, by the way.
Yankees…why the world hates America.
Thanks for your service Tanker.
Pierre Bourque’s site refreshes itself ([META HTTP-EQUIV=”Refresh” CONTENT=”240″]
), undoubtedly to “keep us all informed as soon as possible” as to his latest car racing interests and paid-for flunky insider information. Astro-turfing got exposed and defined 10 years ago.
Every dirty trick in the book to destroy Joe Clark’s government.
The screams of outrage from the Liberals and cohorts about the fact that gasoline could go to an extra 18 cents a gallon. The poor hardworking general public would suffer. Part of the main Liberal plank in defeating Joe.
I have a gas station sign out of my back window. One year later with the Liberals in power, gasoline has risen to 36 cents per gallon.
Not to forget Beryl Plumtre and the price controls. Easily done on hourly wages, not so easily done on hundreds and hundreds of individual products in the supermarket. Prices kept on being nudged up anyway.
MissAnthropy-
Not quite that simple. The “…overbearing, unconstitutional Federal government..” at present is rooted in Wilson and “President for life” FDR along with his threats toward tSCOTUS of his time with their 10th amendment and “commerse clause” rulings than even remotely that of Lincoln. The “agression” was a response to succesion(only Texas had a legal right to withdraw), negation, and military acts toward USA forces by Confererate states. True, emancipation was injected later when Lincoln was sure of needed support. But the true cause was the northern states dedication to prevent the further spread of slavery into the territories. Once the existing slave states lost the share of representation in the US House that using their slaves as a partial person gave them and the number of Senate seats, then slavery would be ended by legislation which was clearly forseen in 1787 as the future.
“Liberals have always sought the worst bilateral relationship that would not prompt U.S. retaliation”
This is of course false. Chretien sent in troops to Afghanistan in some of the toughest fighting, and our snipers were highly effective. As stupid as some of the anti-American drivel that came out of that government, it was all really harmless hot air.
The consuckers here are, in the face of an election, desperate to portray the CPC as having some kind of positive net value. They may have convinced themselves and other cons, but, well, libertarians are smarter. Except for Stephen Taylor.