Sky not falling; Canada/US relations safe

The over-reaction has begun to Stephen Harper’s comments on the Northwest Passage, led by the Globe’s John Ibbitson.

David Wilkins must feel like packing his bags and going home. Once again, the beleaguered American ambassador has become the lightning rod for gratuitous criticism from the Canadian government -- in this case, the incoming Conservative one of prime-minister-designate Stephen Harper.

What did Harper say that was so damaging to Canada/US relations?

"We have significant plans for national defense and for defense of our sovereignty, including Arctic sovereignty," the prime-minister-designate told reporters in the lobby of the House of Commons after the time allotted for questions had expired. "We believe we have the mandate for those from the Canadian people and we hope to have it as well from the House of Commons, but it is the Canadian people we get our mandate from, not the ambassador from the United States."

Hardly fighting words in the spirit of Carolyn Parrish, but to Ibbitson :

There can be no conceivable reason for Mr. Harper's attack other than to defuse Liberal accusations during the election campaign that the Conservatives were secretly controlled by American interests, to which they would sell the country out unless stopped.

Balderdash. While Wilkins didn’t bring up the topic on his own, he may well have pleased the White House by providing a small test of just how far Canada is willing to bend on the subject of their relations. Wilkins was trying Harper on, as any good ambassador would.

Harper’s statement, while strongly worded was not delivered from a place of appeasement for nervous Liberals, but from a place of confidence that he can significantly improve bilateral relations without selling out his own country.

This will hardly be a memorable moment for either country in our ongoing history together. Larger issues need settling, which is when the US will form its opinion of this government. Until then, the US now knows that the best they can expect from Canada is a bend-don’t-break diplomacy; far better than the days of doll stomping and “bastards” to the south of us.

GL

Update Notice 1: Angry has a great take on this subject.

Update Notice 2: David Wilkins is on CBC Newsworld defending his statements from Wednesday. Looks like the media are trying to make a shitstorm out of a fart.