Canada, U.S. 'firm and fast friends,' McCain says in Ottawa

Republican says Ottawa, Washington in 'ongoing' talks over Khadr

Last Updated: Friday, June 20, 2008 | 2:52 PM ET

CBC News

Canada and the United States have a "shared destiny" in expanding free trade, maintaining security and combating the growing threat of climate change, presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain told a business audience in Ottawa on Friday.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is seeking to emphasize his support for free trade during his visit to Canada while also highlighting his differences with presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)In a speech to the Economic Club of Canada, McCain burnished his credentials as a supporter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), while emphasizing his differences with Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama on the 15-year-old pact.

"The best American statesmen have always understood that Canada is not some adjunct to America," McCain told the audience. "We are firm and fast friends. We are allies, partners in success and adversity alike, and a great deal depends on preserving that unity.

"What a blessing it is for the United States to have in Canada a neighbour we fear only on ice rinks and baseball diamonds."

The Arizona senator has been fiercely critical of his Democratic rival for saying he would renegotiate some aspects of NAFTA if elected.

"Even now, for all the successes of NAFTA, we have to defend it without equivocation in political debate, because it is critical to the future of so many Canadian and American workers and businesses," he said. "Demanding unilateral changes and threatening to abrogate an agreement that has increased trade and prosperity is nothing more than retreating behind protectionist walls."

During his address, McCain also praised Canada's leaders — past and present — for doing the "hard work" in the 1990s to restore fiscal balance, saying a "prosperous Canada means a more dynamic and resilient American economy."

He added he witnessed Canadians' generosity toward the U.S. in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington when he visited Canada three days later.

"We in America have not forgotten your kindness," he said. "And we will never forget the solidarity, compassion and friendship of Canada when it mattered most."

'Ongoing discussions' over Khadr

When asked by reporters following his speech about the case of Omar Khadr, a Canadian facing a military tribunal at the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. McCain suggested Ottawa and Washington were working toward a resolution, but did not provide specifics.

"There are ongoing discussions between Canada and the United States regarding that issue," he said. "I hope that we can continue our discussions between our two countries and resolve our issues."

When asked a followup question, McCain said he has been briefed on the Khadr case and understood that "the government of Canada has not asked for the return of the individual."

"I hope that we could comply with whatever is agreed to by the Canadian government," he said.

Canada 'willing to do hard things'

McCain, a former navy pilot who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, also honoured Canada's commitment to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.

"Together, our countries are going to see this mission through," he said. "As always in Canada's history, this nation has been willing to do hard things, even when the costs run high."

McCain, who has sought to differentiate himself from the Bush administration on climate change and energy policies, also emphasized the parallel threats the U.S. and Canada face by rising greenhouse gas emissions.

"We are also both Arctic nations, and because of this common geography, we must be acutely aware of the perils posed by global warming and take immediate steps to reverse its effects," he said.

McCain, a vocal critic of the White House over the use of torture in the interrogation of terrorism suspects, also noted that many Canadians have objected to U.S. policies regarding enemy combatants held at Guantanamo Bay.

"It happens that I also regard the prison at Guantanamo as a liability in the cause against violent radical extremism, and as president I would close it," McCain said.

Obama leak embarrassed Harper

McCain's visit poses a challenge for the Harper government, which will be anxious not to revive memories of its recent embarrassment in the so-called NAFTA-gate affair, CBC's Washington correspondent Michael Colton said.

That involved details of a private meeting between Canadian officials and Obama's campaign being leaked to the press by members of Harper's political staff last February.

In the meeting, Obama advisers had allegedly told Canadian diplomats that Obama's promise to reopen the North American Free Trade Agreement was just empty talk aimed at winning votes in the Ohio primary election.

CTV News went to air with the information on Feb. 27, focusing on the Obama side of the story, and it caused an uproar in the United States. Clinton accused Obama of double-talk, while McCain found his current theme that Obama wasn't a straight-talker and couldn't be trusted on trade.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper had to apologize for the affair and launch an investigation. Harper managed to avoid further embarrassment by being out of town for McCain's visit.

Asked by a reporter Thursday at an event in Regina why he wasn't attending McCain's address, Harper replied with a smile: "Because I'm here."

The prime minister then said he had spoken to both McCain and Obama in recent weeks to congratulate them on their respective primary victories. He added he was looking forward to having "good discussions" with them and was "convinced that both these gentlemen are friends to Canada."

Obama softens NAFTA stance

On Friday, Obama questioned why McCain would go to Canada to make a speech about trade when manufacturing jobs are being lost in the U.S.

"It's interesting to me that he chose to talk about trade in Canada instead of in Ohio or Michigan. [Michigan State] Governor [Jennifer] Granholm was with me today and talked about having lost 400,000 manufacturing jobs since George Bush took office. I think Senator McCain should have shared some of his views there to American voters.

"I believe in trade and I've had the opportunity to talk to Prime Minister Harper. I believe that the United States has an enormous interest in maintaining robust trade relations with Canada and Mexico and I expect those will continue under an Obama administration."

Obama has softened his anti-NAFTA rhetoric in recent speeches, saying he'd like to open a dialogue with Canada and Mexico about contentious issues in the trade deal.

Speaking this week in Flint, Mich., Obama said he supported trade agreements like NAFTA, but wanted to make sure they were fair to American workers.

"I'd said before and will say again, I believe in free trade," the presumptive Democratic nominee said.

In an interview to be published in the latest edition of Fortune magazine, Obama is quoted as saying that "sometimes during campaigns, the rhetoric gets overheated and amplified."

"Politicians are always guilty of that, and I don't exempt myself," he said, while also emphasizing that the U.S. should "open up a dialogue" with its NAFTA partners to find ways to improve the deal.

Obama will appear with former rival Hillary Clinton at a campaign stop next Friday in a move toward unifying a fractured Democratic Party after a particularly raucous Democratic primary fight.

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