Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
29 December 2011
Prime Ministers and
Presidents Part Three
When Brian Mulroney became prime minister in 1984 relations with American warmed up considerably
The election of Brian Mulroney and the Progressive Conservatives in 1984 completely
changed Canada-
Mr. Mulroney came to Ottawa with few foreign policy plans beyond trying to end the chilly relations with Washington. As it turned out the friendship grew too warm for many Canadians.
Personal Friendship of Leaders
Mr. Mulroney and Mr. Reagan, who both had Irish ancestors, found they liked each other immensely.
At the first “Shamrock Summit,” held in March 1985 they embraced each other and burst into “song” with a rendition of “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.”
President Reagan saw in Mr. Mulroney the chance to build a strong friendship based
upon shared free-
Not only did the two conservative leaders renew the special relationship, they also discussed the possibility of negotiating a North American free trade area. Talks began and an agreement was reached in October 1987.
The final Mulroney-
Seamless
Leadership Succession
George H. W. Bush (shown strolling in White House garden with Prime Minister Mulroney
in 1989), previously vice-
Mr. Bush promised to end years of American foot dragging and to seek an acid rain accord that would be “beneficial to both countries.”
Shivering outside Prime Minister Mulroney’s residence at 24 Sussex Drive, Mr. Bush said that while the weather was “colder than Hell” the visit to Ottawa was “outstanding.”
While the temperature was warmer the following May when Mr. Mulroney went to Washington, the relationship had turned a little cool. Mr. Bush seemed to back away from any solid commitment on acid rain.
However, a close personal relationship developed between Mr. Bush and Mr. Mulroney.
This prompted the U.S. professor of Canadian Studies, Gregory Marchildon, to say
in 1990 that it was “likely the best period in Canada-
Critics of Prime Minister Mulroney, such as University of Toronto political scientist
Stephen Clarkson, said he was too pro-
The Chretien Years
As new leaders -
President Clinton seems not to have taken offence as Mr. Chretien developed a distinct Canadian position in foreign affairs while the economic relationship became closer.
And, once again, a personal warmth developed between the two leaders and they became golfing buddies.
Following a two-
There was no such familiarity with Mr. Clinton’s successor, George W. Bush.
Even before President George W. Bush was finally declared winner of the 2000 election the fat was in the fire.
Prime Minister Chretien’s nephew and Canada’s Ambassador to the United States, Raymond Chretien, stirred up controversy. He made a speech in which he implied that the Democratic Party candidate, Al Gore, would be easier for Canada to work with.
This undiplomatic comment from a diplomat was a reflection of history; Democratic administrations in Washington are usually easier for Canadian governments to work with than Republican ones. And, that has certainly proved the case with President George W. Bush.
Canada took it as a snub that Mr. Bush chose to go south to Mexico for his first foreign visit rather than travel north.
On September 11, 2001, scores of American planes landed in Canada and their passengers were housed and fed for several days. When President Bush gave a speech a week later thanking all the nations that had helped the U.S. in its time of extreme need he left Canada off a lengthy list. Canadians took that as another rebuff.
Canadian Insults for George Bush
But, Canadians dished it out too. In 2002, Francois Ducros, a senior aide to Prime Minister Chretien, was overheard calling Mr. Bush “a moron.”
Smiles for the camera, but behind the scenes there was tension between Prime Minister Jean Chretien (left) and U.S. President George W. Bush.
Later, a microphone caught Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish saying: “Damn Americans. I hate those bastards.” Ms. Ducros was forced to resign. Ms. Parrish, however, received no official scolding, and was applauded by the studio audience when she appeared on a TV talk show.
However, Ms. Parrish went a step too far when she stomped on a President Bush doll on the CBC satirical show “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” in November 2004. She was thrown out of the Liberal caucus.
Then, Mr. Chretien made a move that was very popular in Canada and turned Washington really cranky. The prime minister announced that Canada would not take part in the attack on Iraq in March 2003. U.S.
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci said the U.S. was “disappointed” and that it was causing a “bump in relations.”
According to Ambassador Cellucci, Americans felt Canada had let them down. “We would come to aid Canada without hesitation,” he said. “It’s disappointing that one of our family is not supporting us.”
President Bush went further; he cancelled a state visit to Ottawa three weeks before its scheduled date. In the world of diplomacy that’s the same as storming out of a room and slamming the door.
Prime Minister Paul Martin, who succeeded Chretien in 2003, was able to open the door a little. He held several meetings with Mr. Bush. The body language at the joint press conferences suggested the two men got along fairly well.
In a 2003 speech, Mr. Martin said, “What we must do is to pursue continuously a systematic
and coordinated effort to confirm and strengthen the Canada-
Resources consulted for this series
“Continental Divide.” CBC News.
“Canadian American Relations.” Canadian Encyclopedia.
“U.S. Presidents and Canadian Prime Ministers: Good Vibes or not.” Gil Troy and L. Ian MacDonald, Policy Options, March 2011.
“The Presidents and the Prime Ministers.” Lawrence Martin, Doubleday Canada, 1982.
© Canada and the World, December 2011
All rights reserved
Prime Minister Bryan Mulroney gives the thumbs up to photographers during the visit
of U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The March 1985 summit in Quebec City was described
by Time Magazine as “more show than substance: a piece of political theatre staged
not so much to solve international problems as to create an atmosphere conducive
to seeking their solution.”
“In the fall of 2000, when [George W.] Bush came to power and Mr. Chretien was re-
“…And, given his icy relationship with the
Chretien government...it can safely be assumed he (wasn’t) singing its praises. This may have poisoned the well.”
Lawrence Martin,
The Globe and Mail
In the hours following the terror attacks of 9/11, Newfoundlanders took in 6,000 strangers whose flights were diverted to Gander.
One hundred thousand Canadians attended a national day of mourning on Parliament Hill to express sorrow and solidarity with the U.S.
Thousands more donated blood at special clinics.
RETALIATION
There is always a fear that if Ottawa opposes Washington politically the latter will hit back economically.
With 86 percent of our exports going to the U.S. we can ill afford to make our American neighbours really grumpy.
The historical record, until recently, suggests Canada shouldn’t worry too much.
In the early 1950s, Canada annoyed the U.S. by providing only three destroyers for standby duty during the Korean War. However, Washington continued to cooperate with Canada in building the St. Lawrence Seaway.
A decade later, Canada was opposed to American involvement in the Vietnam War, but the Auto Pact was nonetheless signed in 1965.
An exception can be found in 1888. Canada had been aggressive in capturing American boats during an East Coast fisheries dispute. President Grover Cleveland retaliated by trying to close the border to all Canadian goods. The Senate, however, overturned Mr. Cleveland’s effort to close the border.
(It should be noted that the Senate thought the ban on Canadian goods might cause Americans to suffer just as much as Canadians).
More recently, President George W. Bush seemed happier than his predecessors to hit back at those who oppose him.
Many believe that the ban on Canadian beef and the import tariff on softwood lumber could be lifted in minutes; all it would have taken was a presidential phone call.
ACID RAIN
During the 1980s, there was a difficult debate about U.S. pollution crossing the border and falling as acid rain in Canada.
The effect of the acid rain was to kill lakes and forests.
In an April 1988 speech to the U.S. Congress Prime Minister Bryan Mulroney said: “What would be said of a
generation of Americans and Canadians who found a way to explore the stars, but allowed its lakes and rivers and forests to languish and die?”
A treaty to reduce pollution was signed in 1991.
According to a study by the Royal Bank of Canada ten years after the Canada-
At the same time, Canadian imports from the U.S. rose by 137 percent.