Home The Ambassador Canada's chief representatives to the U.S. Michael Kergin Ambassador Kergin's Speeches March 31, 2003

Remarks delivered to the State University of Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, New York
March 31, 2003

Thank you for the kind introduction. It is indeed a unique honour to be the inaugural speaker of the distinguished Canadian address program at Plattsburgh State University.

Two legendary professors, Richard Beach and the late Jeanne Kissner, established a remarkable foundation for the study of Canada at SUNY Plattsburgh. Through the development of curricula, guest speaker programs, publications, conferences, and through promoting resident programs at seven Canadian universities, they really put this center of study on the map.

Today, I am very pleased to see the new direction taken by the Center for the Study of Canada under the leadership of Chris Kirkey. I salute the vigour he has brought to the program.

The enthusiasm for Canadian studies at SUNY/Plattsburgh is unmatched outside of Canada. (And perhaps some would say, even within Canada!). The Center for the Study of Canada provides one of the most comprehensive and active Canadian studies programs in the U.S. and as such enjoys the support not only of Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs, but also of the U.S. Department of Education.

As a border city, Plattsburgh has a long and profound association with Canada. Historically, Plattsburgh is known as the place of a key naval battle, where, in the war of 1812, the Yankees trounced the British Navy on the Great Lakes.

That early war - and the only one between our two countries - came out about even. British soldiers had successfully warded off American invaders from entering British North America, while American troops were successful in preventing the British from re-occupying their territory. (As is well known, the White House was quickly re-built.)

Luckily for all of us, Canada's commercial and social relations with Plattsburg started out more warmly and are still thriving today. Our academic, cultural, military, and commercial exchanges contribute to the strength of both countries. They provide the rock solid basis of the Canada- U.S. relationship: strong at home, strong in partnership, and strong internationally.

The long-term prosperity of our respective democracies requires us to succeed in each of these fronts.

Allow me to begin with a few remarks about being strong at home. It does matter to your economy that our economy does well. While most of us are aware of Canada's dependence on the U.S. market (which consumes over 85% of our exports), it is less well known that Canada absorbs about a quarter of your exported goods.

Indeed some 38 states of the union now have Canada as their single largest export market. That translates into many U.S. high value jobs.

I'm pleased to tell you that Canada's economy is firing on all cylinders right now. Weare indeed strong at home, and a sound fiscal situation should assure us of continued success. Canada avoided a recession in 2001. We led the G8 with growth of 3.3% in 2002. And the IMF and OECD predict that our GDP growth will again lead the G8 in 2003.

Not bad - when the Wall Street Journal in 1994 wrote that Canada had a third world economy!

My second theme is strong in partnership - both a security partnership and a trading one. (And if I may say, one of the reasons that this partnership is so strong is precisely because of the momentum sustained by the work of such institutions as SUNY Plattsburgh, which fosters understanding in the U.S. of the Canadian friendship.)

The focus of Canada's foreign policy is, of course, our relationship with the United States. Our countries are linked in ways like no two others. Our security and our prosperity are mutually dependent.

We jointly developed security institutions like NATO and NORAD, which enabled us to withstand together the Soviet threat throughout the Cold War, and continue to prove useful. (For instance, Canadians and Americans continue to work side by side at NORAD warning of missile threats to North America originating anywhere in the world -- an increasing problem as North Korea develops its missile capabilities.)

9/11 brought with it closer collaboration between Canada and the U.S. on security issues. Faced with new threats, we have been developing new tools to ensure our joint security. Through arrangements at NORAD, we have improved the means by which we share military intelligence and have enhanced maritime surveillance in North American waters.

We have passed strong anti-terrorism laws. We have funded tougher security measures. The number of police, immigration and customs officials at our border has increased. We have put in place state-of-the-art security technologies to monitor and verify trans-border shipments.

And we are creating a smart border - one that is closed to terrorists and to criminals of all kinds, yet that is open to legitimate business and tourism.

Modernizing a border that stretches over 5,000 miles, one quarter of which is through water, is no easy feat. But with over 200 million people each year and $1 billion in trade moving by land each day between our two countries, the smooth and safe functioning of our shared border is essential for protecting our economies and our ways of life.

That is why last week, when the security threat alert in the U.S. increased with the onset of the war with Iraq, Secretary Tom Ridge quickly called Deputy Prime Minister Manley to coordinate tighter border security. Canadian officials immediately started helping their American counterparts with enhanced inspections, just as they had done in the days following 9/11.

Our shared border supports the world's largest trading relationship - one that is largely trouble free. We owe this remarkable achievement to the foresight of those political leaders in both countries who concluded the free trade agreement in 1989, and then added Mexico to create NAFTA in 1994. As a consequence, since signing NAFTA, Canada's trade with the U.S. has increased by 51% and with Mexico by 65%; and trade among all partners has grown by 65%.

The polls in Canada continue to run resolutely 70% in favour of NAFTA.

Currently, there are two important trade disputes between our two countries affecting about 5% of Canadian exports: softwood lumber and wheat. The Department of Commerce has raised a tariff wall of some 27% against Canadian lumber and 4% against wheat. We are challenging these duties in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and NAFTA with the firm expectation of winning.

But it would be far preferable to negotiate our differences so that a permanent settlement of these two recurring disputes can be found - to the benefit of both our countries' consumers.

Another resource commodity, however, is trading well: energy. Energy is New York State's largest Canadian import, totalling close to $4 billion in 2002.

With instability in the Middle East, it is crucial to U.S. prosperity to have a reliable and secure energy source right next door. We supply the U.S. with 94% of its natural gas imports, 100% of its electricity imports and more crude and refined oil products than any other foreign supplier, including Saudi Arabia.

In fact, the U.S. embassy in Ottawa estimates that one third of all energy imported in the USA, as measured in BTU's (British thermal units) comes from your northern neighbour. Eat your heart out Saudi Arabia!

But, of course, the closeness of our relationship cannot be captured with statistics alone. It is found in the cooperative links between our two national governments, between our states and provinces, and between our cities. This spirit resides in our institutions of learning, our businesses, our hospitals, and, above all in our people who work together, marry one another, go to one another's schools and universities, and play in the same sports leagues.

Our unique partnership is working very, very well. But this relationship is too important to take for granted. We must always work to make it better, to make us both more secure and more prosperous. As George Shultz, President Reagan's Secretary of State wisely noted, this relationship is like a garden. We must be constantly diligent in tending that garden by preventing weeds from crowding out the many productive and beneficial plants.

My third theme is "strong internationally". Canadians, like Americans, care about our profile in the world. We, like you, faced great dangers in the last century when we came of age and developed our own outlook and distinctive international personality. That personality finds its roots in our history.

We are a G8 country that has never been a colonial power or a superpower; a country that has been an effective broker in the world; a country whose distinct perspective allows us to complement you as you exercise your enormous responsibilities in today's world.

We strongly believe in the value of a multilateral approach. An approach which is more necessary than ever, as we face the threat of global terrorism, crime and corruption, and environmental damage on a vast scale. These and other challenges cannot be successfully met by one nation, however powerful, acting alone.

Multilateral institutions are essential to managing our ever more integrated world - the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Organization of American States, and NATO to name a few. Many of these come out of the chaos and misery of the Second World War. None of these institutions would have been created without the involvement of the U.S. and the U.S. fostered their establishment precisely to strengthen, not weaken, American security.

Because we share common values, the views of Canada and the United States usually converge in these institutions.

I would continue to argue that these very institutions still serve as a strong support for U.S. security interests. In the current international climate, care must be taken not to damage this security network, which has been so painstakingly built up over the decades of the second half of the last century.

In the face of the danger posed by Saddam Hussein, Canada vigorously supported the U.S.'s efforts to find a solution within the U.N. Prime Minister Chrétien was unambiguous that a Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq would determine Canada's participation in the war.

When it became evident that the Security Council was having difficulty reaching a consensus, Canada worked hard to find a compromise to bridge the gap. Unfortunately a consensus could not be reached.

Late last week Prime Minister Chrétien outlined our position in Canada's House of Commons. He said, "We have to respect the decision of the Americans. They made their decision according to their own judgment. And they have respected our judgment ... I hope that this war will be very short and that there will be a minimum of victims. Of course I hope that the Americans will do as well as possible."

Just as President Bush has to do what is necessary for the U.S., Prime Minister Chrétien made a difficult decision, which reflected the majority view of the Canadian people.

Let me say as a personal comment, which, I know, reflects the sentiments of all Canadians. And that is: our hearts and prayers are with the U.S. servicemen and women out in the theatre of war. We hope they will make a swift and safe return to their families and friends.

While Canada is not at war with Iraq, we are continuing to make significant contributions around the world in the fight against terrorism. A fight, regrettably, which will likely endure well past the end of the campaign in Iraq.

Our forces, located in the Persian Gulf as part of "Operation Enduring Freedom", number about 1200. Canadian frigates and aircraft patrol the gulf to ensure safe and secure maritime traffic. Canadian forces were in Afghanistan over a year ago in the thick of the early action with the U.S. 101st Airborne.

We will be sending over 2000 new troops next September under the mandate of the international security assistance forces, to shore up Afghanistan's nascent democracy and create stability.

Canada is also committed to providing humanitarian assistance and helping in the post-conflict reconstruction of Iraq. Last week we announced a new $100 million humanitarian aid package for the Iraqi people. Nevertheless, I expect Canadians and the world community will be required to make additional and sustained contributions to Iraq's rehabilitation.

While we are all focussing on Iraq, we cannot ignore other threats to international security, such as North Korea's nuclear weapons program and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

There again, Canada believes in a multilateral approach where the world community, through the accepted, mandated, established forum of the United Nations can project its collective will in the interests of international peace and security.

These are some of the issues I am sure President Bush and Prime Minister Chrétien will discuss when they are expected to meet in Ottawa this may. These challenges require careful leadership and there is no stronger leader in the world today than the United States.

We must also recognize that armed response is not the only solution to long-term peace and security. Coordinated action on human development is also necessary. For hundreds of millions of people, the main threats to their well-being are those of starvation, disease, unstable economies, lack of educational opportunity, corrupt or inept governments and regional conflicts.

In Monterrey, almost a year ago, and in his recent State Of The Union Address, President Bush made a bold commitment to increase significantly U.S. contributions to international assistance. He also pledged to make special efforts to combat the plague of AIDS in Africa. Canadians are very pleased with that and they will do their part in contributing to these essential objectives.

It is of course the right thing to do to advance human development in poor countries. But we must never forget that by helping these people lift themselves out of poverty, we also advance our own security, our own prosperity and our own well-being.

Addressing issues of poverty, health and development is over the long run as important to a secure, stable world as confronting the immediate threat we face from terrorism. To succeed on both fronts, we will require the same determination, the same commitment to our values, the same coordinated efforts to forge strong partnerships and strong institutions.

I am confident that Canadians and Americans will meet the challenges, which lie ahead of us. We will confront them by being strong at home and by being strong internationally. But most importantly, we will triumph over them by being strong in partnership.

And this is exactly what the Canadian studies programme at SUNY Plattsburgh represents so well: a strong partnership between the best of friends.

Thank you very much.