A Visit to the North.

A Visit to the North.

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Well it looks like President-elect Obama will make his first international visit to Canada after his inauguration on January 20, resetting the tradition between the two countries. Something George W. Bush opted out on when he made his first international visit to Mexico back in 2001. Many people seem to brush over the importance of this symbolic gesture and the history it entails. The relationship between Canada and the United States has always been one of change, some Prime Ministers and Presidents have gotten along, such as Mulroney and Reagan or Chretien and Clinton while others have utterly despised each other such as, Kennedy and Diefenbaker or Nixon and Trudeau. However, regardless of the relationship between the leaders of Canada and the United States, this day and age calls for compromise between the two nations.

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Compromise.

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Whether it’s the global economy, trade, North American security, global security, the environment or many of the other issues President Obama and most likely Prime Minister Harper are going to have to tackle – Canada and the United States need each other right now. With the economy in such turmoil and with Canada and the United States being the two biggest trading partners in the world, now is not the time for judgment nor is it the time Canadians to hide behind their anti-American cloaks. Compromise is what will need to be established between the two leaders. Obama is a young, energetic, intelligent man and while Harper without a doubt is intelligent, I fear their personalities and views on situations such as Afghanistan may not be the same. Furthermore, our own country is facing its own crisis within its own parties and if the drama continues I fear we may push our southern allies away. I mean who could blame them? The last few months have shown that all of the parties behave more like children than political bureaucrats. This is a time for compromise. We need compromise so that both nations can re-build their economies, and we need compromise so that each nation listens to one another and works to establish political solidarity in both Canada and the United States. Without compromise I fear more men and women may lose their lives without their being any changes being made in both Iraq and Afghanistan and without compromise I fear we could be wading in the shadow of 1930 all over again.

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“Good-and not too cozy.”

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Although Canada and the United States need to embark into 2009 on the feeling of compromise, we as Canadians must remember that we are a sovereign nation and we have our political crisis going on at home right now. On January 26 we’ll find out whether the parties have decided to put the Canadian people first or their own ambitions, but until then we must sit and wait in anticipation. We have our own nation and our problems and we as Canadian people need to make sure we resolve our own issues at home. Our economy is starving and a budget hasn’t been put forward, men and women are still dying in Afghanistan will their families witness minimal change to the country that their fellow soldiers are in. I’m not offering a solution, but something needs to be done. However, the United States is going to be there – they most likely always will, but we must always stay separate and remain independent in our thoughts, politics and values. Jean Chretien said it best about Canada – U.S. relations after his first visit to Washington. Relations he stated were, “Good-and not too cozy.” Just the way they should be.

- Ty