Ten years ago on the day Stephen Harper and his Conservative government were first elected into office, US Ambassador David Wilkins sent home a diplomatic cable outlining how the US could best support and direct a prime minister whose values were "not in line" with most Canadians.
He recommended Harper would be useful in "advancing the US agenda for Canada" and that giving him " a success story" like the softwood lumber deal would "shore up his credentials" with Canadians without appearing to "sell out to the Americans".
Ambassador Wilkins "transformational agenda" for Harper :
"Cross border law enforcement" "enhanced information sharing", "joint maritime operations", "more robust counter-narcotics efforts", "security perimeter", following the US lead on Haiti, Afghanistan, Iran, Venezuela, Colombia, ...
Has Canada done anything independent of this cable under Harper?
Last time for Harper's Perps with Perks - here are the stories behind each Perp.
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4 comments:
the U.S.A. must have been quite happy with Harper. Now that he is gone, Canadians can be happy. The U.S.A. needs to get over the fact that Canada is a sovereign nation and their interests come first for Canadians.
"advancing the US agenda for Canada" was certainly a retreat for traditional Canadian values.
Ten years of that humanoid did irreparable damage to a formerly well-respected nation 'round the world.
Good riddance, stevie . . . .
Recently returned from a trip to Russia which included mostly Americans on our tour. They are beside themselves with worry -- not being happy with either candidate in the coming election but know they're only option is to vote for what the call "the least of the worse". One retired doctor told me he saw our new Prime Minister being interviewed on the program 60 Minutes, and wondered aloud "why can't we find anyone like him in our country?" Many say they have friends who are threatening to move to Canada if Trump gets in. Finally, most of them also commented that they found a much different Russia than what their leaders have them to believe. It was a pleasant surprise to most of us.
e.a.f. : Manifest Destiny will ebb and flow. Mostly flow. Under any leader.
Bob : Good riddance, yes, but it will be much harder now to unseat a government espousing many of the same policies but with a winsome face. We follow, to our detriment, the American habit of placing party politics and the public image of the leaders above almost all other political considerations.
Lulymay : Never been to Russia - I do envy you that trip. I have friends who study in Russia and am fascinated by their stories.
Re US election - How much better off were Americans under Obama than under Bush?
Saw this in the NYTimes : Only 9% of America chose Trump or Clinton as the Nominees :
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/01/us/elections/nine-percent-of-america-selected-trump-and-clinton.html
Alternative visual version of same on youtube :https://youtu.be/gjTAgKAZW78
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