Prime Minister’s Dysfunctional Relationship with President Bush

May 31, 2002

Ottawa – The escalating trade tensions with the United States in softwood, agriculture and natural gas, provoked Jay Hill MP Prince George – Peace River to rise in the House of Commons this week and demand that the Prime Minister go to Washington and build a better relationship with the American President. Hill said his constituents in British Columbia are paying with their livelihoods for the Prime Minister’s lack of action. 

“The Prime Minister’s relationship with President Bush is dysfunctional and now we are paying for it with trade disputes,” said Hill. “The Prime Minister’s loose tongue has put a knife in Canada’s relations with the Bush administration; comments ranging from his open meddling in the US presidential election, to his most recent comment in Rome when he said he is too busy to talk with President Bush, but that he might talk to France’s President instead.”  

“The ongoing trade war, which now includes softwood lumber, farm subsidies and northern natural gas, are more than news clippings in my riding. It’s our livelihood,” Hill said in his statement in the House of Commons. “For the sake of my constituents and for all the other Canadians who rely on the billion dollar a day trade with the United States, will the Prime Minister go to Washington and not leave until President Bush commits to finding a solution to these trade issues?”  

While Hill agrees with the government’s action to take the softwood lumber and farm subsidies dispute to the World Trade Organization and North American Free Trade Agreement panel, he also stated in the House, “It may be too late when a decision arrives. Immediate action is required by the Prime Minister.”  

Hill’s comments come on the heels of the recent U.S. decision to impose a 27% duty on Canadian softwood lumber exports -a decision based on an opinion that Canada subsidizes forestry.  In the same month, the US Congress passed the US Farm Bill, which gives US farmers a 70% increase in agriculture subsidies.  

Hill applauded the comments made by Canadian Alliance leader Stephen Harper this week. Harper said: “We must realize that we will be totally unable to accomplish any of our goals with regard to fair and rules based trade settlement bodies without the support of the US administration. We will be unable to get the US administration on board unless whoever is in the White House and leading members of congress value and respect what our Prime Minister brings to the table.”