Canada and the US
| Author | Jean Charest |
| Date | 01 June 2005 |
| Published date | 01 June 2005 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200506000202 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Jean
Charest
Canada
and the US
Change
and
continuity
President John F. Kennedy once said of Canada and the United States that
"geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends.
Economics
has made us partners. And necessity has made us
allies."
All
of this is still true today. We have a mature partnership. Our bor-
der is certainly an example to the world in its openness to trade and its
demonstration of
trust.
But our relationship was not always and won't
always be smooth.
Since
the last conference in 1984, the world has changed dramatically.
Reading
the different papers that were prepared for this conference, I have
started to make a list of things about the Canada-United States relationship
that have not changed—and, who knows, may never change—and another
list
of things that have changed since 1984.
My
first list contains the perennials: first, one country is big and pow-
erful;
the other has a small population and is much less powerful.
Second,
Canada pays a lot of attention to the United States and Americans do not
pay a lot of attention to Canada. Third, Canadians resent the
fact
that
Americans
pay little attention to Canada. And Americans have no idea that
Canadians resent that
fact.
Fourth, the relationship between both countries is much deeper than
the institutional and personal relationship of political leaders.
Fifth,
our
relationship is much more than economic. We depend on each other, for
our common defence, and to protect our environment.
Sixth,
there is one Canadian reality: we continue to debate the issue of
our identity.
What,
then, has changed?
Jean
Charest
is
the premier
oj
Québec.
I International
Journal
|
Spring
2005
| 321 |
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