2 hours Ago
IT IS a bit upsetting that current relations with our northern neighbor are a bit strained right now. Here in New Hampshire, we have a special relationship with Canada. In the Granite State some 8,274 residents were born in Canada, making Canada the most common birthplace for foreign-born residents here.
The flowers purchased for my church come from Canada. And one of my frequent service stations is owned by a Canadian firm and pumps gasoline brought here from Canada. And that is true for many Americans here in the Northeast.
Much of the peat moss used in our gardens this time of year comes from Canada. And come December, so do many of our Christmas trees. It is disheartening that two neighbors who share the longest undefended border in the world are now on the outs.
Only a few months ago at a National Hockey League game north of the border, when the sound system failed, the Canadian crowd spontaneously sang the Star-Spangled Banner a capella. That kind endeavor has now been replaced by boos. It seems that this most un-Canadian lack of civility is occasioned by surprise threats of tariffs and talk of annexation.
Certainly if I were a Canadian citizen, I would not have voted for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but calling him “governor” is to descend to the lowest depths of backbiting in a middle school cafeteria. If there are trade imbalances, these are best handled by frank discussion, not megaphone diplomacy. During my career in the Coast Guard, there were occasional disagreements between Washington and Ottawa on the extent and limits of sovereign fishing rights, both Atlantic and Pacific.
There were also contentions about arctic waters and what might be Canadian seas and what might be an international strait. I recall these discussions, and they were always conducted with professionalism and courtesy. No rancor or insult.
My interactions with counterparts in the Royal Canadian Navy and their intelligence services were always cordial. I did own one heated professional disagreement with a counterpart in one of Her Majesty’s destroyers. But we stayed on topic and without any demeaning characterizations.
We would do well to remember that our northern ally allowed some 20,000 citizen volunteers to enlist in American armed forces to fight in Vietnam and at least 134 lost their lives. One soldier was awarded the Medal of Honor. And let us also recall that in the 19th century, Canada’s fears of annexation, perhaps only imagined, were heartfelt.
It is best when the United States is known as being the best friend to our allies and the worst enemy only to real enemies..
