President George W. Bush finished a two-day working trip to Canada Wednesday in an effort to warm relations between Canada and the United States -- the first such visit in almost a decade.
"Beyond the words of politicians and the natural disagreements nations will have, our two peoples are one family and always will be," Bush said in a joint appearance with Prime Minister Paul Martin.
Recent polls, however, suggest the family might be moving in different directions, as Canadian views are at odds with their southern neighbors on a variety of issues.
For instance, a recent poll of 1,000 Canadians and 1,000 Americans conducted by Ipsos-Reid found that religious faith is important to the daily lives of 82 percent of Americans, compared to 64 percent of Canadians. Similarly, 71 percent of Americans endorse the death penalty, compared to 42 percent of Canadians.
The poll was conducted Nov 19 and 22, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
"I think Canadians see themselves as more circumspect, more worldly, more tolerant than the society next door," said John Wright, vice-president of Ipsos-Reid. "It doesn't make us any better, but it certainly makes us quite different."
"It's absolutely true, whether it's on religion, education, same-sex marriage or marijuana - there's a fundamental difference between how [Canadians] see the world ... and how [Americans] see the world around them."
A Canadian reporter asked Bush Tuesday if he bore any responsibility for the two countries' divergent opinions apparent in the recent polls.Bush replied, "You know, I haven't seen the polls you look at, and we just had a poll in our country where people decided that the foreign policy of the Bush administration ought ... to stay in place for four more years."
However, Bush did acknowledge Tuesday that he doesn't have the full support of Canadians.
Of his reception in Canada, Bush said, "I want to thank the Canadian people who came out to wave -- with all five fingers -- for their hospitality."
Between 3,000 and 6,000 Canadians protested Bush's Tuesday arrival in Ottawa.
Speaking in Halifax, Nova Scotia Wednesday -- an area that took in more than 33,000 Americans when flights were diverted on September 11 -- Bush presented a three-point summary of America's foreign policy goals.First on Bush's list is "to defend our security and spread freedom by building effective multinational and multilateral institutions and supporting effective multilateral action."
Referring to the United Nations' handling of Iraq, Bush said, "For the sake of peace, when those bodies promise serious consequences, serious consequences must follow."
"Our second commitment is to fight global terrorism with every action and resource the task requires," Bush said.
Stressing the importance of "taking the fight to them," Bush quoted remarks from a former Canadian Prime Minister.
"In the early days of World War II, when the United States was still wrestling with isolationism, Canadian forces were already engaging the enemies of freedom ... across the Atlantic," Bush said.
"Your prime minister, Mackenzie King, gave this answer: 'We cannot defend our country and save our homes and families by waiting for the enemy to attack us. To remain on the defensive is the surest way to bring the war to Canada. Of course, we should protect our coasts and strengthen our ports and cities against attack ... We must also go out and meet the enemy before he reaches our shores. We must defeat him before he attacks us, before our cities are laid to waste.'"
"Our third great commitment is to enhance our own security by promoting freedom and hope and democracy in the broader Middle East," Bush said.
Bush warned of potential consequences if the region is ignored.
"If 20 years from now the Middle East is dominated by dictators and mullahs ... our grandchildren will live in a nightmare world of terror," he said.
Prime Minister Martin had invited Bush to give his remarks before the House of Commons, as is tradition. However, Bush declined.
President Ronald Reagan was heckled there in 1987, and President Bush himself was heckled in the Australian Parliament in 2003.
