This blog was posted by Canadian, Teri Salvador as "politicol" on Feb 12 2009 on blogger before she moved to PoliticolNews.com and became Peter Neisman. It was copied "As Is", all mispellings and grammar are hers, as are the conspiracy theories.
Canada is not exactly a “foreign country” to most Americans but it is symbolic and tradition for a new American President to visit the neighbors even if they dump cold Arctic air and snow on the United States.
Already environmental groups are greeting President Obama with a message ” stop buying dirty oil from the Alberta sands”. The President’s short visit will be only hours of his time but the main topic will be how to stem the every increasing bad economic turn of both countries and the car industry. Free trade will also be a subject of concern to Canadians who are fearing a re-negotiated Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.
Energy security will be more targeted topic than Canada’s withdrawl of troops from Afghanastan and trade barriers will also be on the agenda. Obama’s campaign promises of green energy jobs smacks directly against the Conservative PM Stephen Harper who rejected the Kyoto Accord and still believes the perilous global warming is a myth.
Although the Canadian government is now working during Obama’s visit they maybe recalled to attend his address to the Canadian Parliament as all previous President’s have done since Truman.
In contrast to the Republican President George Bush who broke the tradition -Bush visited Mexico first, then Canada but then again that speaks for itself. President Obama’s visit will be short and sweet and it is doubtful he will have an overnight stay.
His limousine the Beast has arrived by cargo plane and the streets will be lined with Canadians who want to catch a glimpse of the popular President. Unlike Bush’s visit which was met with many protesters -Obama has millions of Canadian fans that are planning festivities for his visit brief as it will be. Mrs. Obama will not be accompanying the President on this visit but hopefully she will on future visits. Local Ottawa restaurants have designed an “Obama Burger” in honor of the President’s visit and a famous Canadian pastry treat the beaver tail is now called the “Obama Tail” .
The heavy security around Ottawa will have Obama’s route under heavy police security and the weather promises to be very chilly and snow is predicted in the weather forecast.
This will be a business visit and to start a dialogue on how the two countries can work together to resolve the energy crisis, the economic crisis, the automobile industry crisis, the monitary policy crisis and any other crisises that have occured in the last several months.
Politically Obama and Harper are on opposite sides of the spectrum as a Democratic President sitting while a Conservative Prime Minister barely hangs on to his seat as Prime Minister.
Harper had a non-confidence vote two months ago for which he shut down the government to avoid the opposition parties to vote him out of office. Since that time Harper has had to against his will design a stimulus package to get the Canadian economy back on track for which he had no choice. The leader of the Liberal Party Michael Ignatieff will meet with his American President counter part during the visit also. Ignatieff is the leader of the Liberal Party which is the official opposition in the Canadian government.
It should be an interesting conversation between the two leaders.
TAGS: Obama Comes to Canada, Prime Minister Harper, Liberal Party, Conservatives, President Obama, Free Trade Agreement.
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