Not even that, apparently, because the CanWest news service has unearthed a letter from the U.S. government to the American lumber lobby demonstrating that Bush administration officials see the deal as a tool to hobble their Canadian counterparts:
Critics of the framework agreement said the letter backs up their view that Canada, by signing the deal, is giving up its numerous legal victories before North American Free Trade Agreement panels that have concluded that Canadian forest management practices don't harm the American industry.
Meanwhile, provincial governments and Canadian are beginning to treat the accord as they would a bad smell.
So, the Tories one substantive policy achievement, flawed as it was, goes down the gutter. No deal, no Tory majority. Haste makes waste, Mr. Harper. Haste makes waste.
"Haste makes waste". How wise you are.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, like our previous government, he should put 12 years of thought into it, and get absolutely nothing out of it. At least it's not hasty!
I am having trouble deciphering the actual meaning of your post, other than to trash Harper, but I love hearing all the lefties say things like "take em to court" and "don't back down to the US" (as your post is implying?), as if the international courts had any power over US behaviour. It's rich.
Well of course the big point was to trash Harper.
ReplyDeleteBut the next step for our lumber industry would have been to sue in U.S. courts, which U.S. governments can't ignore.
And in any case, there's no point putting together a deal so shabbily and in such haste that the forest industry (which is most likely pro-Tory) gags on it.
Which is all they've managed to accomplish.
I personally have a hard time believing that because Harper's a Conservative Washington instantly changed their mind. Surely the Liberals took their time, but wasn't the whole thing in front of NAFTA like three times over the past couple of years? Why then would the Libs sign anything if they were waiting for NAFTA to rule?
ReplyDeleteLastly, wasn't the appeal of getting Emerson to cross the floor becuase he was working on it from the other side previously? Doesn't that mean that Harper only provided the signature and none of the legwork?