What The Presidential Snub Means

Deep down, those of us on the Canadian side of the river always knew that in the end the Americans would make the decision as to where the new bridge is going to go if one is going to be built at all.

There is no doubt that the Canadian team has tried very hard to keep it away from the preferred location that US DRIC initially proposed, namely right beside the Ambassador Bridge where the Americans are already spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the Ambassador Gateway project.

It makes the most sense for the Americans to build it right there rather than to duplicate everything a mile down the road. Moreover, why would the Americans want to force out hundreds of homeowners and businesses from Delray if they do not have to do so?

There is no doubt that the DRIC teams believed, notwithstanding the letter from the US Department of State, that the President would support a new DRIC bridge in the location that they preferred.

Take a look at the slide that I found yesterday in a presentation made in March 2006 by DRIC. They must have been overjoyed to put in this comment believing that they had his seal of approval:

• "The DRIC is mentioned in the President’s Security Action Plan three times"

If that is the case, then consider how DRIC must feel today when in effect the US President has decided that he is not supportive of a building a new DRIC bridge. Of course, the US president has not come out and said that directly. How can he when he would be accused of politicizing the DRIC process and being responsible for undermining it. He is not a that foolish. Only a desperate Canadian Prime Minister would take action like that by allowing one of his subordinates to leak a story to Radio-Canada to try to pressure the Americans!

Take a look at my BLOGs dealing with the SPP communiqué, NACC reports and US Consul General letter. There is no doubt in my mind that the Americans have stood back and have said that they have no intention of wasting taxpayer money to satisfy Canada when they have their own real infrastructure deficiency that needs correcting now. The idea of spending billions of dollars on an unnecessary DRIC bridge has lost a considerable amount of support in the US.

Take a look at the Mickey Kantor transcript I posted again if you want to know why the US Consul General's letter was sent to the Star and so quickly! There was a message to Canada that Harper would not like.

What I conclude from all of these diplomatic niceties is that the Government of Canada better start talking to the Bridge Company immediately about a resolution of the Border issue. Canada underestimated the US Government resolve badly. If not, there will be very little for Canada to talk about at all in this matter. Canada's bargaining position is weakening.

And as Senator Kenny told us, the Americans have a "dirty little secret" that could impact us negatively and very quickly.

Next time that a Canadian Prime Minister decides to threaten the Americans with oil, perhaps he should remember this exchange between Harper and Bush at the SPP meeting:

• PRIME MINISTER HARPER: I just said before, we'll be prepared for any possibility. The American people are going to make a decision -- the future American administration may have a different view. I can just tell you when I meet businesspeople not just from our country, but from around the continent, the benefits of our NAFTA relationship are without question. And what all the focus is in our discussions is how to make it work better -- how to make the borders thinner, how to make commerce flow more quickly, more freely. That's -- how to make our relationship more integrated and deeper -- those are the real concerns that I experience in Canada and when I deal with people who are focused on economic development in our trade partners' economies.
  
  But, look, as I said, we'll be prepared for any eventuality. Canada is the United States' number one supplier of energy. We are a secure and stable supplier. That is of critical importance to the future of the United States, and if we had to look at this kind of an option, I think quite frankly we would be in even stronger position now than we were 20 years ago, and we'll be in a stronger position in the future. But my preference is not to renegotiate what discussed in the past; it's to talk about the future. And I think that's what our respective -- that's what, at least, the Canadian population wants us to do.
  
  PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, sir. Good job, Stephen"

Contrary to what some Canadians believed at the time, the US President was not congratulating Harper. He was merely biding his time.