Minister Pettigrew Interview

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Minister Pettigrew Interview: Yes, Minister

The minister's staff surely breathed a sigh of relief when Pierre Pettigrew's year-end interview with the Ottawa Citizen went largely ignored by the national media. Calling the future of international trade after Seattle "precarious," he suggested that Canada was positioned to prevent a US slide into protectionism. He indicated that Canada was an ideal player to re-invigorate US interest in free trade because of the success of NAFTA, and the trust-based relationship with the US. Will somebody please show the minister US poll data on attitudes toward NAFTA?

With a gambler's instincts, he noted that, "Even when they do become insular, we are pretty lucky because it usually includes us." Fine chaps, those Americans. Especially in the 1980s. We were really lucky then.

According to the Trade Minister, with no major bilateral trade irritant in the current relationship, "...the strategy is simple: it is to be very hands on, very vigilant, and to prevent any issue from becoming big."

Putting that simple strategy immediately to work, the minister is quoted as saying,

The Americans have a very important existential question that they have to put to themselves...The Americans, now the unique superpower on Earth, have to ask themselves: 'Should we continue to bully people around all the time and abuse our powers in trying to impose our way?; [sic]or should we try to transfer that power into institutions, rules and systems that will still be able to protect your values and interests when you are no longer the dominant power?'

I believe deeply that the U.S. should follow this(latter) course...but I am afraid that is not what they are doing.

Always nice to be on the same team as abusive bullies, if things get rough.

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