It makes me sad that someone can’t speak an honest and true statement without being assulted by media and opposition politicians. She seemed to have been doing a good job and should not have been forced to resign over one comment.
From that article:
Conservative media and political foes, however, characterized the “moron” comment as a signal of worsening relations between the North American neighbors, who share the world’s largest trade partnership.
Increased disputes between Ottawa and Washington were expected when the conservative Bush was elected in 2000 to succeed Bill Clinton, whose administration had closer ideological ties with Chretien’s Liberal Party.
Since Bush’s election, the United States has imposed punitive duties on softwood lumber imported from Canada and is investigating possible penalties on Canadian wheat.
Nevertheless, Canada took in flights diverted from U.S. air space after the September 11 attacks and contributed troops, ships and reconnaissance planes to the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan. Chretien said Canada also would take part in a U.N.-authorized attack on Iraq.
And this:
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/business/021126/b112659.html
OTTAWA (CP) – Canada must be cautious in boosting health-care spending or risk undoing all its efforts to balance the national books and lower taxes, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday. The major study into Canada’s finances came only two days before the long-awaited final report of the Romanow commission on the future of health care.
Romanow is expected to call for sizable increases in health budgets in his report, to be released Thursday. In its study, completed last week but only released Tuesday, the IMF praised Canada’s efforts to eliminate its deficit and cut deep into the country’s long-term debt.
That has helped insulate Canada’s economy from the global downturn and put it on the best growth track seen this year among the world’s richest countries, said the IMF.
But all the sacrifices Canadians have made to achieve fiscal stability could be undermined if Ottawa goes too far in health-care spending, the report said.
Health care is important, and one of Canada’s biggest strengths. With an aging population it’s a big concern that it may become like the American one in the future. Denying any basic health care to the poor would be a serious injustice and against the priorities of a fair and democratic nation.