2 December 2004
Missile-defence pitch raises opposition hackles
Overture from Bush prompts accusations that Liberals are cozying up to the U.S.
By JEFF SALLOT
The Globe and Mail

Conservative MPs, meanwhile, derided the Liberals for failing to get a firm date from Mr. Bush for the opening of the U.S. border to Canadian cattle, asserting that the government is a poor manager of bilateral trade files.

As Mr. Bush's airplane was still in Canadian airspace, Prime Minister Paul Martin and other Liberals were quick to portray the two-day visit a hugely successful fence-mending exercise.

But the Liberals were also forced to reiterate opposition to deployment of weapons in space.

In private meetings with Mr. Martin, and in two public appearances, Mr. Bush made a point of saying he hopes Canada will co-operate with ballistic missile defence.

Canadian officials seemed unprepared for the overture. They believed Mr. Bush would not want to pressure the Liberals because of their precarious political position in the House.

Public opinion polls suggest that the U.S. plan is unpopular with Canadians. Several members of the Liberal caucus also oppose the proposal. The Bloc and the NDP strongly oppose it and the Conservatives are reserving judgment.

NDP Leader Jack Layton said he got the U.S. sales pitch during a reception Tuesday night with Mr. Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. "They want the Canadian flag on that system," Mr. Layton said.

The U.S. leaders confirmed that the system might mean deploying weapons in space, and weren't the least bit shy about saying so, Mr. Layton said.

Bloc MP Claude Bachand picked up the attack, saying the Liberals are trying to hide their intentions.

Lloyd Axworthy, who was foreign affairs minister in the last Liberal  government, said Mr. Bush's surprise pitch for missile defence requires a quick clarification in the House by Mr. Martin.

"I hate to be suspicious," Mr. Axworthy told CBC Newsworld. "But clearly it was on the agenda" and Mr. Martin owes it to MPs to report on whether any commitments were made by the government.

Mr. Axworthy, who opposes the U.S. plan because he believes it will kick off a new arms race, said Mr. Martin might still be able "to put on the brakes."

In the House, Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew said there will be no decision on Canadian participation until there is a vote in Parliament.

Mr. Pettigrew came under fire from the Conservatives for failure to get a firm date from Mr. Bush on the resumption of Canadian cattle shipments. On Sunday, the minister had predicted there would be good news announced during the visit.

This was an obvious "hoax," Alberta Conservative MP Rick Casson said. "The government created false hopes and shattered the dreams" of Canadian ranchers.

Belinda Stronach, the Conservative trade critic, said Mr. Pettigrew had been cruelly "teasing Canadians" with the suggestion the beef export crisis would be resolved.

Instead of a firm date, all the Liberals got, she said, was a U.S. bureaucratic process that might leave the cattle ban in place for more than six months, costing the industry more than $2-billion.