In Canada, Obama treads lightly on trade, war

Somehow I expect the Canadian government to blunder the oil fields anyway. They seem to do those over the years especially with their aviation industry as one example. Then they'll want their beloved Obama to bail them out and that oil will go to US oil companies. This is not necessarily a bad thing but really Canadians do these blunders and even though they hate us southern allies (somekinda envy) we always come through to bail them out. Obama will be there for you.

note that the question of Arctic Sovereignty in the Northwest Passage (NWP) was not resolved and this will come up when or if the Obama love-in ever dies down.

USA already budgeted 100 billion into green tech, it'll be funny to watch the tar sands close! Canadians don't use it, it just goes to the West and USA. So I'm quite hopeful that the NWP won't even become an issue if the drill drill drill crowd is replaced.

What else can we expect from the Northern State?

I think southern province is more like it now. Mr. Harper, start building the wall now!!!

Harper aligned with Bush and now he will align with Obama. What else can we expect from the Northern State? They like to follow their leaders. We welcome those 30 million American citizens and thank them for their continued support no matter what we chose to do. True allies.

Gramm Leach Biley Act of 1999 was critized in this fashion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramm-Leach-Bliley_Act

Economists Robert Ekelund and Mark Thornton have criticized the Act as contributing to the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis, arguing that while "in a world regulated by a gold standard, 100% reserve banking, and no FDIC deposit insurance" the Financial Services Modernization Act would have made "perfect sense" as a legitimate act of deregulation, under the present fiat monetary system it "amounts to corporate welfare for financial institutions and a moral hazard that will make taxpayers pay dearly". [14]

I'm not convinced that Obama is contributing to the continued crash of the economy that the republicans contributed to and want to continue.

I'm glad Barack Obama went to Canada and took our best wishes for a continued United States/Canada relationship. < :-)

rodramos: aside from drivel aimed solely at dispelling false information based on a complete paranoia on your part, does your post have any point? More importantly, does it have anything at all to do with Obama's visit to Canada? (throwing "Canadians don't need to be involved in an unconstitutioanl conflict" into your rant doesn't count).

Boy Obama really has some of you on the right scared stiff that he's actually making progress. You laughed the other day at the possibility of trade wars, and now that Obama's in Canada reassuring Canada and others (via his speech there) that they need not worry, you're trying to find something else to accuse the man of. Apparently now it's that Obama is like Mussolini!

instead of going to the country that played a key role in putting our troops there in the first place.

I as well would love to hear how Canada played a key role in causing American troops to go to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Must be that the situation in Afghanistan is improving - why else would the Canadians be withdrawing their troops? After all, Canada benefits from a free and prosperous Afghanistan, like all other countries...

It become to unpopular and the only benefit Canada has seen from a free and prosperous Afganistan is increased importation of herion.

Per capita it is the worst of all developed nations.

Alberta and Ontario can be thanked for this, two provinces with more similarities then either one wishes to admit.

as a true member of the Democratic Party, Obama has continued to work in tandem with the Republicans to implode the US economy(see Gramm Leach Biley Act of 1999 and do a search for Bush Negroponte Business week 2006); the current 700 billion being another step to eventual collapse. How much now? 10 trillion since September!Obama admonished the bankers for their theft through extravagant bonuses, etc. Where are the subpoenas, the indictments? The TARP legislation was nothing but a blank check for future theft although its original intention was to provide relief for "troubled asset holders" and now we see Obama "considering" a fraction for homeowners!Obama is "considering" closing Guantanamo, "considering" ending renditions...please, the war in Afghanistan is solely about the opium trade(one of the reasons Blair gave for invading even though it is common knowledge that the Taleban called for an perpetual moratorium on its cultivation). A cursory search of the internet will reveal the incredible rise in opium production and the 300% increase in heroin use across Europe. Canadians don't need to be involved in an unconstitutioanl conflict. Obama is a child of the CIa, Brezhinski acolyte, and Chicago poverty pimp. 30 days in and mirroring Mussolini in every step. I direct the readers to a recent treatise by former Ambassador Masaru Yuu comparing Obama to Mussolini. Check out these things for yourself. .... A citizen of THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS

Since when has Canada been a leader on helping climate change. Per capita it is the worst of all developed nations.

The perception is that Canada is helping on climate change.

TexasAggie- you going to explain that last post? I'd love to hear your astute geo-politcal analysis.

More bad judgememt on Obama's part.

He should have made his first trip outside of the U.S. as president to Afghanistan and Iraq to visit the troops there instead of going to the country that played a key role in putting our troops there in the first place.

"It's a great pleasure to be here in Iowa - Ottawa."

Instead of his Blackberry, someone ought to give Obama a portable GPS.

poshdrivel - "For example ? All he's done so far is spend 700 trillion dollars."

700 trillion? Hmmm...after watching 8 years of insane spending under the previous president, it's all too easy to mix up billion and trillion.

posh drivel, indeed! :-)

Sushisake3,

"Heh, President Obama has done more good for his country than the previous president did in years"

For example ? All he's done so far is spend 700 trillion dollars, initiate fears world wide about possible US market protection, and sit back while the Dow Jones has dropped 500 points ! Throw in cabinet members bailing ship over "idealogical differences" and others resigning in humiliation over tax evasion, and... well, I can't imagine a worse start for any President since the Hoover administration. And it could get worse ! Imagine if North Korea's planned test missile happens to land in downtown Tokyo !

Peacekeeping requires a bit of muscle sometimes, it is good that Canada is in Afghanistan, the forces needed sharpening up. Obama should have asked for another couple thousand troops from Canada; better than giving the young people poggy to sit at home.

"It's a great pleasure to be here in Iowa - Ottawa."

Really, he is beginning to remind me of the guy just got out TYhe White House.

looking at photos of Obama in Canada, I was shock at what I saw.. even if I didn't like another county's official, I would have at least dressed up for the occasion.

Cat5: "It's normal for low brow people to dislike a superior taste."

Not sure if this was an attempt at insult, but if it was you just come off looking silly, esPECIALLY by trying to say that maple cookies are a 'superior test'. They are cheap cookies with maple 'flavouring' that absolutely stink up a room they are opened in.

I am utterly embarrassed, like Buddha4brains, when Japanese for whatever reason buy them in the dozens (packs) and give them out upon coming back from a visit. Now, you want to talk about maple syrup itself and I agree it is a superior product with no rival. If people gave me THAT all the time I'd be happy as hell. Or even some Labatt's Blue or Sleeman's. Maple cookies?? Please!

sf2k

using rail & water for transport is all fine & dandy but yr still going to need trucks to get goods to/fm rail depots, ditto for ports, yr soln simply moves the congestion, doesnt solve the core problem, and there is simply no way for rail/water to handle the volumes involved.

? after the word "change"

Since when has Canada been a leader on helping climate change. Per capita it is the worst of all developed nations.

oh, on the environment, Harper did a total flip-flop since he was previously in favour of the Bush model of climate change (whatever that was), and now he's in favour of an Obama climate dialogue (code for: Harper Gov't needs a way out of its "plans").

Expect real action when Obama gets going on wind and solar projects. The more pressure he can bear against Alberta's tarsands the better we'll all be.

This is a big change. Thanks Obama.

Having a parliament, we voted to leave by 2011. We lost 108 soldiers and the mission is not in our peacekeeping role as per our historical nobel-prize normal. We are to never do this again, and once these troops are back I believe I'll see a return of my country's pride in peacekeeping, not this Bush peacemaking debacle. We'll continue in Afghanistan training police and engineering projects. This was our pennance for saying no to Iraq, if we wished to survive a Bush presidency.

The whole thing on Canada's border is a real joke though, any moose can cross it. The issue is, why bother? Obviously its so cold up here that the very fear itself is keeping people back. If we just underline the fear of cold we'll improve the border.

The real issue is the Detroit/Windsor peace bridge lineups holding back billions of dollars in trade bottlenecked into single file. One possible solution here is the combined use of 1) computers with 2) railways, and load up trains instead more dynamically. Or the use of ships across the lake since ships can hold more freight.

Sticking thousands of trucks across the bridge everyday is just nuts

"its plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan"

Must be that the situation in Afghanistan is improving - why else would the Canadians be withdrawing their troops? After all, Canada benefits from a free and prosperous Afghanistan, like all other countries...

Its nice to see Obama making his way around the country. Four or five states and one annex.

smithinJapan - "Obama puts bush to shame on so many levels it's astounding. Obama is a man with real intelligence and a great ability to talk to people, reassure, and communicate effectively and sincerely."

You're right. Bush spent 8 years trying to convince us that his first language was English.

He still failed. :-)

Obama puts bush to shame on so many levels it's astounding. Obama is a man with real intelligence and a great ability to talk to people, reassure, and communicate effectively and sincerely.

Heh, President Obama has done more good for his country than the previous president did in years. :-)

Barack Obama on his first foreign trip. Short trip. We need to settle trade and border understandings before people go too far with our stimulus plan. < :-)