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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tejek who wrote (135812)	4/5/2001 6:00:06 AM
From: stribe30	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1572888

PM lets loose on `cowboy' Bush Complains U.S. leader `naive,' ignorant of Canada Ted; looks like the rumours of sour Canadian - American relations may be true... and if this story is true.. apparently Canada is hardening its attitude and not going to defer to US wishes as in the past. -------------------------------------- Tim Harper OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF OTTAWA - A frustrated Jean Chretien warned his Liberal MPs yesterday the country is in for four very tough years dealing with George Bush - but vowed he would play hardball with the new U.S. president on trade issues. If Bush wants to play rough on issues such as Canadian potato and softwood lumber exports, Chretien told a closed-door meeting, he would play just as rough or rougher when it came to U.S. energy needs. Export taxes on Canadian oil and gas or electricity can damage an already fragile U.S. economy, Chretien said, according to sources. He warned MPs he is dealing with a new American administration that is largely ignorant of Canada. Behind closed doors, the sources say, the Prime Minister lamented the fact he had to explain to Bush where Prince Edward Island was before he could discuss the U.S. ban on potato exports from the province. He also had to explain to the American president the size of the Alberta tar sands as part of an effort to bring him up to speed on this country. As well, he criticized the U.S. leader's *cowboy-style demeanour,* what Chretien called the ``damn the torpedoes'' attitude in the current standoff with China after Bush told Chinese authorities to release the crew members of a damaged American spy plane. Without using the terms, one source said, he left caucus with the impression he felt the new U.S. president was politically naive and had a steep learning curve when it came to relations between Ottawa and Washington. Chretien's unusually blunt assessment of the Bush administration comes little more than two weeks before the Prime Minister is to host the hemispheric trade summit in Quebec city. Some caucus sources expressed surprise on two points: They were stunned Chretien would ``slag'' Bush on an issue as volatile as the Washington-Beijing standoff, and that the Prime Minister referred to Canadian water as a ``tradeable'' good, something they had never heard him do before. On Monday, U.S. lumber producers formally filed a petition seeking taxes of up to 80 per cent on Canadian softwood exports through countervail duties and anti-dumping charges, a move that threatens 140,000 Canadian jobs. But the Prime Minister told his MPs if the Americans want to get into a full-scale trade war, they will regret it because of Canada's riches of natural resources. Bush, in desperate need of new fuel sources, has recently cast covetous glances at natural gas resources in the Northwest Territories. Chretien's frustration yesterday boiled over when an MP asked him whether he had raised the P.E.I. potato ban with Bush when they first met. It was then the Prime Minister explained how difficult it was to deal with Bush, compared with his predecessor, Democrat Bill Clinton, who had a good knowledge of Canadian issues. The tone for the new Ottawa-Washington relationship was perhaps set early in the U.S. presidential campaign when Chretien's nephew Raymond, the former Canadian ambassador to Washington, said Ottawa was hoping for a victory by Democrat Al Gore. One of the reasons Raymond Chretien cited was the ignorance of Canada shown by Bush, the former Texas governor. Official Ottawa was further peeved when the newly-elected Bush chose Mexico over Canada for his first official foreign visit. Bush's father George Sr., Clinton's predecessor, had a very close working relationship with Brian Mulroney and Clinton and Chretien developed a tight working relationship, bolstered on the golf course.But former prime minister Pierre Trudeau and U.S. president Ronald Reagan had a strained relationship. Liberal prime ministers and Republican presidents have a checkered history. Chretien and Bush met in Washington in early February and are scheduled to meet again April 22 when ChrŽtien hosts the Quebec summit. One Liberal said Bush has the potential to rekindle a level of Canadian nationalism that hasn't been seen for years. Later, Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief publicly echoed some of ChrŽtien's frustrations. Vanclief said P.E.I. potato farmers should consider growing something else, because it was clear Washington will not back down on the spud dispute. A clearly exasperated Vanclief said anyone who thinks Bush was going to give ground on trade issues is ``naive.'' ``None of us can be naive enough to think that the present administration in the United States hasn't already shown that they're going to be very, very protectionist,'' Vanclief told the Senate agriculture committee. ``We're frustrated. I make no bones about it. We're frustrated.'' A spokesperson for Chretien said there had been no communication between Bush and the Prime Minister since Washington launched trade action against Canadian softwood lumber Monday. thestar.com