The softwood lumber dispute generated a wave of anti-Americanism all across Canada. We had both signed NAFTA and we expected our partners to abide to the rules set in the agreement. Luckily, our politicians defended their country with pride and vigor:
Paul Martin: “Friends live up to their agreements”
Frank McKenna: “We’ll sue their a**es off”
But to our great despair, this was not enough. The Americans didn’t budge and we ended up having to accept a settlement which prominent Washington economist Elliot Feldman criticized as "one-sided" and a "bad deal for Canada". Of course it was “a bad deal for Canada,” the US basically got to keep a billion dollars in illegal duties.
At least we haven’t descended to their level. So much of Canada’s mentality is directly influenced by the US that you’d almost expect our politicians to suddenly start neglecting our international agreements.
But to my great pride and joy, we still take them very seriously. Take for example, the Kyoto protocol. This official document was signed by 168 countries and as usual, we Canadians lead the way in meeting the targets. Unlike those spiteful Americans, who can’t tell the difference between an international protocol and an election promise, we understood that all countries that signed the agreement had a moral obligation to meet their targets.
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