Canada’s Tit for Tat With The USA – Now We’ve Got Them Scared.

Canada’s new Ambassador to the USA, Frank McKenna, has weighed in on why Canada rejected participation in the North American Missile Defense System.

If you remember McKenna’s first sojourn into international diplomacy last week, just before he officially took his post as Canada’s Ambassador to the USA, he told the media that Canada was already in the Missile Defense System, only to be told a day later by Prime Minister Paul Martin that Canada was in fact not in.

For those of you who are reading this who might not know who McKenna is; he was the Premier (American Governor equivalent) of New Brunswick (1987-1997), one of Canada’s 4 poverty Maritime Provinces.

He was also a wannabe for the position of Prime Minister, but couldn’t muster the support to challenge the current Prime Minister (Paul Martin) for the leadership of the federal Liberal Party.

BACK TO WHAT MCKENNA SAID:

According to him, it wasn’t because Canada’s collaboration in the Missile Defense System would invite hostility from America’s enemies that Canada said no thank you to our ‘best friend’.

It wasn’t because Canada didn’t want missiles on our soil, since there wasn’t going to be any missiles on our soil.

It wasn’t because of the enormous financial investment this system will cost, since Canada wasn’t required to put up a single penny.

It wasn’t because Canada wasn’t going to have any input in the use of this system, since Canada was guaranteed a seat at the Missile Defense table.

And it certainly wasn’t because without Canada’s participation, the whole deal would fall apart. With or without Canada, the Missile Defense System is a go.

What makes Canada’s refusal to participate even stranger, is the loss of hundreds of high quality, high paying jobs promised to Canada by the USA for doing nothing more than saying “we’re with you”.

That’s not asking much is it? Especially since the dithering Paul Martin made it appear that Canada would participate until he said no.

In essence: Martin did to Bush, what Chretien did to Bush over Canada’s decision not to back-up America’s “play” in Iraq after suggesting we would.

To explain why Canada told the Americans to shove-it; Frank McKenna rushed to the scene on Wednesday (March 2, 2005) to proclaim that Canada decided not to participate in the North American Missile defense Shield because of the USA’s trade policy on softwood lumber and beef.

This is not a joke.

Here’s Canada’s new Ambassador to the USA telling the world press that Canada said no to a free ride in the defense of our continent because of rib-steaks and 2×4’s.

When McKenna was the Premier of New Brunswick, he hosted a conference of Canada’s Premiers (with the exception of Quebec’s Separatist Premier Lucien Bouchard) in Calgary Alberta, in September 1997.

The purpose of this conference was to create a new Constitution (Calgary Declaration) specifically to recognize ethnocentric Quebec as a “Distinct Society” within Canada.

It must be stated that this concept was rejected outright by the people of Canada twice before. Once in a national referendum.

I was at that Calgary conference as a recognized Radio Journalist, where I confronted McKenna in front of Canada’s pandering news media during his meeting with the press.

I asked him:

“What powers and privileges would Quebec receive in addition to what all the other provinces within Canada currently enjoy, if the “new” constitution you’re promoting recognizes Quebec as a “Distinct Society”?

He wouldn’t answer, and pointed to a “real” journalist for the next question.

But I wouldn’t relent, and this time I YELLED out my question. Still he wouldn’t answer, and again he looked to the other journalists for another question he could answer.

I YELLED out the same question yet again. And when no one else would ask him a question in anticipation of his answer to mine, McKenna stormed away from the podium in a huff. We never heard about this “Distinct Society” crap, and a new Canadian Constitution to appease Quebec again.

Back to the present: Almost in panic, Prime Minister, Paul Martin told the people of Canada that Ambassador Frank McKenna never said that we (Canada) walked away from the Missile Defense System because of America’s trade policy.

Too bad for audio and video recorders. What McKenna said is on the record.

It is unimaginable how these clowns in Ottawa can screw things up any more than they already have. But I have absolutely no doubt they will. They’re good at it.

It seems it’s the only thing they’re really good at other than stealing, lying, cheating, taking care of their friends, making certain there’s no opposition and mis-spending our hard earned tax dollars.

Lucky for us: I don’t think the Americans take what our government says very seriously, otherwise they might want to be teaching us a lesson we can very ill afford to learn.

Or maybe learning a lesson in humility, responsibility, loyalty and friendship would be something our leaders would do well to learn. The True North Strong And Free – Hah!