mckenna flapping his gums

canada's history indicates canada has had a love/hate relationship with the u.s.







martin may very well have poked at the american's; but ... sometimes one has to call a spade a spade! and given that many american's, according to many more recent polls aren't too happy with bush either; which reflects his government and policies.










McKenna was 'muzzled'
Outgoing ambassador says softwood deal was close but no slam dunk now

Outgoing Canadian Ambassador Frank McKenna leaves the Canadian Embassy in Washington, yesterday. On his last day on the job, McKenna said Canada and the U.S. were in a very sweet spot in softwood lumber talks prior to the federal election, but politics took precedence over a deal.

WASHINGTON (CP) - Frank McKenna, Canada's outgoing ambassador to the U.S., confirms the two countries were close to a softwood lumber deal on the eve of the Jan. 23 election, adding it was scuttled by dynamics of the federal election campaign as well as differing expectations among provinces.

It won't be easy for Stephen Harper's government to come to a similar understanding, says McKenna, who's leaving the job after a year.

He says former prime minister Paul Martin was gutsy on the issue and was still pushing for a deal two weeks into the election.

But the ambassador, who says he's been muzzled for the last couple of months, was critical of leaks from the Prime Minister's Office, saying he was a victim of one himself.

McKenna says it's not true he was called on the carpet before a top U.S. environment official after Martin criticized the American position on greenhouse gas emissions during an international conference in Montreal.

There was frustration about perceived anti-Americanism, he says, but the two men mostly worked on a deal that helped keep the U.S. in the game on global warming.

Someone in Ottawa saw political advantage in portraying the meeting as a slap to Canada, he says. A pattern of leaks from the leader's office wasn't helpful, says McKenna, because the president and prime minister need a respectful, confidential relationship to solve problems.

Michael Wilson takes McKenna's place March 13.
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McKenna slams PMO for fanning anti-U.S. views
Frank McKenna leaves the Canadian Embassy in Washington on Wednesday, his last day as ambassador.
March 02, 2006

WASHINGTON -- After being "muzzled" for months as Canada's ambassador to the United States, Frank McKenna criticized former prime minister Paul Martin's office Wednesday for stoking anti-U.S. sentiment during the recent federal election campaign.

McKenna, speaking to reporters on his last day as Canada's envoy, called the behaviour "sanctimonious" and said it backfired on Liberals in the Jan. 23 election.

Moreover, the ambassador said, the White House was justifiably angry over politically motivated leaks from Martin's office about private discussions between the prime minister and U.S. President George W. Bush.

"The United States seems very prepared to have us be assertive for Canadian interests and they really respect us when we stand our ground on matters. But when we are judgmental and almost sanctimonious, I find they take offence, and quite rightfully so," McKenna said.

"I don't think [Canadians] buy into the idea of gratuitously being offensive. If I had to speculate, I would say that playing that card during the election was not helpful at all to the electoral prospects of the people doing it."

It was the first time McKenna had commented publicly about the chill that fell over Canada-U.S. relations during the eight-week election campaign, when the Liberals took aim at the Bush White House as part of their election strategy.

The White House was surprised and "frustrated" with Martin for accusing the Bush administration of lacking a global conscience during an international climate-change conference last December in Montreal.

But Martin's office deliberately fanned the flames by spreading a highly exaggerated story about McKenna being summoned to the White House for a reprimand, the outgoing ambassador said.

The conduct extended to leaked details of an earlier telephone conversation between Bush and Martin, in which the prime minister was cast as chastising the U.S. president over the softwood lumber dispute.

McKenna resigned his post after the election and is being replaced by former Tory finance minister Michael Wilson, who begins work March 13.

McKenna called his year as Canadian envoy the "most exciting year of my life in many ways" and said he is proudest of successes in tackling American misconceptions about Canada and reopening the U.S. market to Canadian beef.

The former New Brunswick premier said his biggest regret was leaving Washington before Canada and the U.S. could resolve the softwood lumber dispute.

McKenna said the two sides were within striking distance of a deal to end the trade war last fall, only to have momentum scuttled by the fall of the Martin government and the ensuing election campaign.

"We had a lot of momentum ... enough that led us to believe we were in a very sweet spot," he said. "We were right at it the weekend of the election [call], getting ready to paper this thing. We were that close to it."

But David Gray, co-chair of the Free Trade Lumber Council, said McKenna was successful in opening up a dialogue with the Americans but was not close to a deal that would be accepted in Canada.

"He got both sides talking. But don't mistake that for a conclusion," Gray said.
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