U.S. envoy dismisses Harper's Arctic plan

[tuvor]

The United States opposes a plan by prime minister-designate Stephen Harper to deploy military icebreakers in the Arctic in order to assert Canadian sovereignty, says the U.S. ambassador to Canada.

"There's no reason to create a problem that doesn't exist," David Wilkins said Wednesday as he took part in a forum at the University of Western Ontario in London.

"We don't recognize Canada's claims to those waters... Most other countries do not recognize their claim."

During the election campaign, which culminated with Harper's win this week, the Conservatives promised to spend $5.3 billion over five years to defend northern waters against the Americans, Russians and Danes.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/01/26/wilkins-harper060126.html

[sasha031]

1. doesn't look like Canada is in for a peaceful existence

[Bob3]

2. Well there you - creating a problem that didn't exist before

An ocean covered with ice is what we are talking about - don't people have anything better to do with their time?

[Tempest]

3. Or money?

Looks like Harper is going to follow in Bush's footsteps and squander Canada's surplus.

[joeybee12]

5. Yeah, but with global warming, there won't be ice much longer, and

that's the point...claim the land to get to all that oil.

[Angry Girl]

4. this is bound to turn ugly, and then some

Now that the ice is thawing and revealing previously unattainable minerals, the race is on.

Then there's the issue of water: The U.S. is experiencing a shortage and Canada has some, although not as much as you'd think (article does great job of describing the problems of Canada'a nonrenewable water)
http://www.recorder.ca/cp/National/060101/n010107A.html

[tuvor]

9. Thank you for the link, AG!

:)

[applegrove]

6. The only way to get through the arctic is through the archipelago

of Islands. Canada on the north, south, east, west.... Unless you head straight to the pole and cross there (probably only a few miles long.. a great place to cross really... except for the permanent icecap) where you are surrounded by Greenland, Canada & the Soviet Union.

[Lisa]

7. uh oh -- Harper made a big thing of this during the campaign

That was how he was hoping to attract the Canadian nationalists (some of whom had been in the David Orchard wing of the old PCs) -- not all the people who voted for Harper support Bush. Harper implied that he was going to assert our sovereignty even against the US.

So for the moderates, his promises on Arctic involvement (and disaster response for the big cities) were pretty major factors. If he ends up backing down now, the Liberals may be able to rally around this point. The "honeymoon" could be shorter than expected.

p.s. I know that his Western base can be quite snarky if they think they are being cheated out of something. They aren't so in love with Dubya that they would simply lie down and take it, just for the sake of "better relations". It wouldn't take much to shift the focus of their ire from Ottawa Liberals to the White House (some of them are so bitter about softwood lumber and the beef restrictions that if Harper doesn't get them satisfaction, they could even dump him!). Harper could end up in quite the corner.

[HuffleClaw]

8. "We don't recognize Canada's claims to those waters..."

gee, i can't imagine why. might it possibly have something to do with OIL perhaps? harper's gonna screw 'em on 'missile defence' too i think, mostly because he knows his minority government won't let him. and i DO hope bush comes here. i'd love to go and protest the chimp. we don't have 'free speech zones'.

[CHIMO]

10. There You

Go again. Basing the US of A.

And all them peoples wanted you to make nice with georgie.

Guess that Canada doesn't have good relations with the US anymore.

[Harper_is_Bush]

11. "Wilkins also said he expects less anti-American sentiment......"

"...from Harper's minority government"

You stupid fuck, don't confuse anti-Bushism with anti-Americansism.

[KakistocracyHater]

12. so, does this mean Canada is at (cold)war with Russia, Denmark, & the USA?

Or is it just a way to make money for certain shareholders who may have helped him get elected? I don't know much about Canada.....

[Harper_is_Bush]

13. No, it means the USA is in for an ass-kickin'

Stay out of our waters!