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<html> <head> <meta name="Generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 8"> <title>MR. GRAHAM - ADDRESS TO TOWN HALL LOS ANGELES - LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA</title> </head> <body text="#000000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#551a8b" alink="#ff0000" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE BILL GRAHAM, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TO TOWN HALL LOS ANGELES LOS ANGELES, California August 25, 2003 It's a pleasure to be at the Town Hall forum to speak with you today. I'm also very pleased to be here in Los Angeles, especially in these lively political times for your state. But I'm afraid that the timing of my visit isn't as good as it might have been--they tell me that if I'd come two weeks earlier, I might have gotten on the ballot for Governor. Being in this city reminds me why it's no accident that so many talented Canadians have been drawn to the innovation and dynamism of Southern California. Some of my fellow citizens back home are still heartbroken by Wayne Gretzky's arrival here 18 years ago. But we've celebrated the success of Canadians here, including Dan Aykroyd, Jim Carrey, Eric McCormack and Mike Myers--not to mention divas such as Celine Dion, Diana Krall and Shania Twain. And we're proud to note that it was Frank Gehry, another Canadian, who designed your magnificent new Walt Disney Concert Hall around the corner from this hotel. Apart from personal successes, there is much else to be said about the relations between our two countries and their citizens. As you know, these are times when alliances are being put to the test. In the stabilization of Iraq and the war on terrorism, in the fight against infectious disease and environmental degradation, in the campaign for fairer rules of global trade--in all of these areas, we're seeing shifting patterns of cooperation between states and within the international community. Both Canada and the United States are deeply caught up in these changes. But amid this, one constant remains: the uniquely deep and broad alliance between our two countries. President John F. Kennedy captured the essence of our relationship when he addressed the Canadian Parliament in 1961. As he said, "Geography has made us neighbours. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies." I was not in Parliament 40 years ago, but I can tell you that the President's words, if spoken there today, would seem truer than ever. And since the terrible events of September 11, the alliance between our two countries has deepened through our joint response to the threat of terrorism. The United States has no greater ally in this fight than Canada. Our historic partnership in the joint defence of North America is embodied in NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense, which has protected our airspace since 1958. Few people know that a Canadian officer serving as Duty Director was in command at the Colorado Springs headquarters of NORAD on September 11; he was the one who launched U.S. Air Force and Canadian fighters that day. On that day of tremendous confusion and concern in our skies, Canada took in passengers aboard the 230 planes that were rerouted to our airports when our shared airspace was closed. Over the next days, Canadians were able to give shelter to 33,000 stranded passengers, most of them Americans. In so doing, they built personal relationships that remain strong today. In other directions too, the defence relationship between our two countries is expanding into new areas. A binational planning group has been formed to coordinate joint Canada-U.S. responses to natural disasters and terrorist attacks. And a few months ago, the Canadian government announced that it would enter into discussions on how Canada might participate in the U.S. missile defence system to secure North America against attacks from rogue states or other as yet unforeseen threats. We're also together with you in the fight against terrorism overseas. Canadian forces fought alongside the U.S. 101st Airborne in Afghanistan. For nearly two years now, our forces have served in the Arabian Sea as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, where Canadian frigates and aircraft ensure the security of maritime traffic in that vital theatre. On the ground, Canada today has 1,900 military personnel leading the International Security Assistance Forces under NATO's mandate to eliminate terrorists and support the new Afghani administration. When the United States turned its attention to Iraq, Canada too was deeply concerned with the threat of weapons of mass destruction. We supported the initial U.S. decision to take matters to the United Nations. Through the debates that followed, we maintained that disarming Iraq by force would require the greatest possible international legitimacy, which could best be provided through the United Nations. For this reason, we took the difficult decision not to go to war in Iraq. And while not all Americans were happy with our decision, many understood our reasons. As a recent essay about Canada in the New Yorker put it, "By sending their soldiers to serve side by side with ours in Afghanistan, they supported us in our hour of need--the act of a true friend. By declining to participate in our Iraq adventure, they let us know that they sincerely thought we were making a mistake--also the act of a true friend." And now that the initial campaign is over, Canada is joining with other coalition members and the UN to address the needs of the Iraqi people. We are contributing about a quarter-billion dollars for humanitarian and reconstruction assistance. We are providing airlift capacity to distribute food and medical supplies. And when the time is right, we will deploy police, correctional and legal officers to help with governance and security sector reform. Along with Americans, Canadians are risking their lives and investing their resources overseas to build stable societies in which terrorists will find no refuge. Our soldiers died in Afghanistan alongside yours. In the bombing at UN headquarters in Baghdad last week, two Canadian humanitarian workers lost their lives, and five others were wounded. There will be difficult days ahead in Iraq, but I assure you that Canada is committed to working with you to bring democracy to the Iraqi people and to establish peace in the Middle East. And as in the United States, terrorist attacks around the world have led Canada to improve security at home. The attacks on the World Trade Center, as well as those in Bali and Jakarta, all claimed Canadian victims. After September 11, we enacted an Anti-Terrorism Plan to prevent terrorists from arriving in North America, and to improve cooperation between our law enforcement agencies and those of other countries, particularly the United States. Most travellers flying into Los Angeles International Airport from Canada are now pre-screened by U.S. Customs at Canadian airports. (I was pre-cleared with U.S. Customs officers in Toronto before boarding the plane here.) Overseas, Canadian immigration control officers have stopped more than 40,000 people with improper documents before they boarded planes for North America. Here in Los Angeles, as well as in Miami and New York, Canadian immigration officers are working with colleagues in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to combat illegal migration. We have improved our security screening for refugee claimants, and new legislation gives our law enforcement agencies broader means of monitoring suspected terrorist organizations. With respect to our shared continental security, we know that we're in this together. Nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated than in our unique security cooperation along the world's longest undefended border. In December 2001, our two countries signed the Smart Border Declaration, with an action plan boosting cooperation on visa issues, refugee determination, intelligence sharing, law enforcement, and high-tech pre-clearance for frequent travellers and shippers. All of these measures bolster not just our joint security but the world's largest trading relationship, the scope of which is really not fully understood by many people on either side of the border. How many Americans, for example, know that we are each other's most important trading partner? Every day almost $1.2 billion in trade flows over the Canada-U.S. border; and over 200 million people cross it each year. The United States sells more goods to Canada than to any other country. Indeed, my country, whose economy is less than a tenth the size of yours, absorbs almost one quarter of all U.S. exports. The Golden State alone supplies Canada with $8.1 billion worth of goods ranging from computers to wines, from motor vehicle parts to fresh produce. As for the southward flow, you probably do not know that a Vancouver-based firm called PMC Sierra makes integrated systems for emergency responders across Southern California, including the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and the LAPD [Los Angeles Police Department]. And I suspect that many of your working habits, like ours, have been changed by the BlackBerry, a Canadian product made in my home province of Ontario. (It certainly demonstrated its usefulness last week, when it was one of the few communications tools not knocked out by the blackout we shared with the U.S. Northeast.) Briefly put, Canada is California's third-largest trading partner after Mexico and Japan; and for 39 U.S. states, Canada is the number one export destination. Inevitably, as in any close relationship, there are some disputes between our countries over trade issues. Presently these involve softwood lumber and U.S. farm subsidies. I know that softwood lumber is an important issue to consumers and to advocates of affordable housing in California, who support Canada's efforts to obtain a repeal of the 27 percent tariff imposed on Canadian softwood lumber. The Canadian government is contesting this tariff in NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement] and the WTO [World Trade Organization] as a violation of U.S. international trade obligations. But in the spirit of cooperation, we are also working hard with the Administration, Congress and partners in the private sector to reach a negotiated solution between our countries. I might add that Canada and the United States are serious partners in energy. In light of instability in the Middle East, it should give Americans some peace of mind to know that your largest and most dependable energy source is right next door. Canada supplies 25 percent of your nation's total energy needs, including 94 percent of your natural gas imports, close to 100 percent of your electricity imports, and more crude and refined oil products than any other foreign supplier. Our oil reserves are the second-largest in the world after Saudi Arabia. Indeed, our Alberta Oil Sands and Mackenzie Valley gas are crucial to the energy security of North America. As you know, more than 50 million people in the Northeastern United States and Ontario recently suffered through the worst blackout in North American history. Our two governments are working to find the cause and prevent a recurrence. But one thing we already know for sure is that we are mutually interdependent in matters of energy and how it's delivered. As in so many other areas, we're in this together for the long haul. From our shared vulnerabilities to power outages or terrorism, to our shared values and hopes for the future of world affairs, our two countries are inseparably connected now and in the future. As joint partners with Mexico on this continent, we hold much of our security and prosperity in common with that country as well. Earlier today, I met with members of the Pacific Council based here in Los Angeles, and learned about the Council's recent analysis of relationships among the United States, Mexico and Canada. In recognition of the importance the Canadian government attaches to advancing these relationships, I'm pleased to announce that Canada will be contributing $50,000 to support the Council's work. Of course, it's not always easy for governments or even citizens to manage this level of interdependence. Ten years ago, many Canadians feared that joining NAFTA would threaten our sovereign capacity to set our own course at home and abroad. But we decided to take the plunge, and NAFTA has brought us great prosperity. One measure of its success is that we will soon be expanding our trade representation in the United States. Among other locations, a new Canadian consulate in San Diego will support our growing three-way trade links with the United States and Mexico. This spring, SARS and the spectre of mad-cow disease posed challenges for our trade with North American partners. We've now recovered from these blows, though, and our economy is living up to the Economist magazine's recent rating of Canada as the best country in the world for doing business in 2004. And interesting things have happened along with the success of NAFTA. Even as we've strengthened our attachment to the fundamental values and interests we share with your country, we've also reinforced distinctively Canadian policies at home and abroad. Our countries share bedrock commitments to the same things: to democracy and human rights, to tolerance and diversity, to the promotion of prosperity and security at home and abroad. Our peoples are deeply intertwined: we marry one another, attend each other's universities, vacation in each other's countries, play on the same sports teams--and as you well know, we entertain each other's citizens on TV and film. This means that naturally we want much the same things for our own societies and share a common vision of a better world. That said, however, sometimes our countries pursue these aims differently. Let us not forget that we have very different political traditions, which arise largely from the fact that we in Canada are a parliamentary democracy rather than a congressional system. That's not to say that we don't have our own peculiarities. As a famous Canadian comic sums it up, American evangelists talk about life after death; we have an appointed Senate. Our countries have different roles in the world: Canada does not carry the awesome responsibilities of a superpower. As a middle power, we tend to work multilaterally with other countries on initiatives to improve the world for all of us in the long run. We have, for example, ratified the Kyoto Accord, supported the International Criminal Court and championed the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines. Within Canada, we have a distinctive social fabric, and Canadians continue to support policies such as tougher gun controls, our national medicare system, and family benefits that include a government-funded 12-month maternity leave. Recently we've passed sweeping campaign finance reform; and we've moved to reduce penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana, while stiffening penalties for large-scale growing and trafficking. Canada is also taking a distinctive approach to the complex issue of same-sex marriage. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien has announced that our government will not contest legal rulings in three provinces that a restriction of civil marriage to heterosexuals is incompatible with the constitutional right to equal treatment under the law. The government will be introducing legislation to bring our federal laws into conformity with the courts' decisions. Of course, this will place no obligation on religious denominations to change their own requirements for marriage. But our Charter of Rights and Freedoms requires that all Canadians be recognized equally by the state, and a majority of Canadians are committed to that goal. Let me leave you with one final thought. John F. Kennedy was right when he said 40 years ago that Canada and the United States are not only neighbours but unparallelled friends, partners and allies. Our prosperity and security, and the bedrock values of our citizens, are woven tightly together. To be sure, both of our populations hold very diverse views. Indeed, sometimes individual Canadians and Americans may feel they have more in common with each other than with their fellow citizens or, equally often, their own governments. But where our governments and citizens do disagree about how to pursue our shared aims, our relationship is strong enough to withstand frank discussion of these differences. True friends talk straight with one another, and both of our countries benefit from a candid exchange of views over the best means to our common ends. Thank you for allowing me to share these thoughts here today. I look forward to hearing your views. </body> </html>

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