Yesterday a Big Win for Stephen Harper
I thought yesterday was a very good day for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party. Clearly Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama got along well and came to agreement on many issues. Both men represented their nations with honour. For Barack Obama it was important that his first foreign trip was a success. There is no question that he did all the right things. He was well briefed on Canada and was up to speed on our issues and media. He took some time to acknowledge his supporters in Canada and also those who campaigned for him during the primaries and general election. He stopped in the Ottawa market. I was also happy that he recognized our military efforts in Afghanistan and thanked our soliders while paying tribute to those brave men who have fallen as part of the mission there. He had a good 33 minute meeting with Stephen Harper and also had a strong press conference. There were no controversies and clearly there is a new attitude with regards to relations between Canada and the United States at least among Canadians. Gone was the usual anti-Americanism from the left in this country. It was terrific to see an American president greeted by fans and well wishers as oppose to the protesters that were common under the previous president. President Obama can now go back to Washington with a successful foreign trip under this belt and evidence that his election is repairing America’s image in the world that was damaged under the previous administration.
For Stephen Harper, this was the day I was waiting a long time for. In the past, Harper has took it on the chin for being “too close to Bush” or “too close to Americans”. Ironically that quickly turned around into a positive as under this president he can work together to further enhance the relations between our two nations without the usual criticism from the opposition and media. There was a lot of pressure to show that he could build a relationship with the popular US President. I think there was chemistry between the two and there is no question that Harper achieved his objectives of building a relationship with Obama while presented himself as an equal and someone willing to stand up for Canadian interests when necessary. I think Obama largely endorsed Harper’s position on the economy and environment. He gave credit to Canada’s financial institutions and actions that helped prepare us for this international economic crisis. He stressed the need for a climate change agreement that included India and China; a position Harper has been criticized in the past. There was no talk of Kyoto – a treaty that is now officially dead and irrelevant. There were no harsh statements on the oil sands, in fact based on Obama’s position on “clean coal” it seems that the environment will take a back seat to economic and energy issues. There were compliments on our commitment to Afghanistan, an issue that is sometimes controversial here. Finally, Obama went out of his way to show that he supported trade reducing concerns about previous statements on NAFTA and also the “Buy America” provision in the US stimulus package. I couldn’t help but notice how Harper and Obama sounded similar on the important issues of the day. If anyone was disappointed yesterday, it would be the left in this country who assumed that Obama was some kind of super Liberal or socialist. The reality that I couldn’t help but notice was that if Obama was a Canadian; his positions would be closest to the Conservative Party here. That makes sense as America in general is to the right of the political spectrum when compared to Canada.
As for the opposition, Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae (was he representing the NDP?) got their meeting but with little media attention. This foreign visit seemed to move Ignatieff’s positions closer to Harper’s as outside of Omar Khadr there was not much difference in what both leaders were saying in their meetings with Obama. It will be interesting to see what this means in terms of the polls. I suspect Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party will get a slight bump as it was clearly Harper who enjoyed the majority of the spotlight during this crucial visit by the new American President.
Outside of partisan politics, I think yesterday was a good day for improved relations between Canada and the United States. The biggest winners will be the citizens in both countries who will enjoy the benefits of increased trade, coordination on the economy and enhanced ties between our nations. Yesterday I was very proud of the United States and very proud of the way Stephen Harper represented Canada during this visit. Barack Obama and Stephen Harper’s people should be very proud of a successful meeting that was organized and met the objectives of both leaders and both countries interests.
-Darryl
