Wilkins's scolding of Martin shows US conservatism creeping into Cda: Barl

[CHIMO]

Wilkins's scolding of Martin shows US conservatism creeping into Cda: Barlow

TORONTO (CP) - When United States Ambassador David Wilkins warned the prime minister to stop chest-thumping, it was more than an off-the-cuff remark amplified in the heat of a federal election campaign, social activist Maude Barlow says.

It represented the latest example of American conservatism creeping into Canadian politics and posing a risk to our national values of tolerance and independence, the national chairwoman of the Council of Canadians says.

"Absolutely, and it's just this notion that you can make it public as ambassador . . . that you have a right to interfere in Canadian politics and bring this brand of conservatism north," Barlow said in a phone interview from Hong Kong, where she is attending the World Trade Organization meeting.

"An ambassador's role in the past has always been in the background, you work quietly in the background to influence policy and improve relations between your countries. You don't use that position to impose your brand of political conservatism or social conservatism on a democratic country."
http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/politics/news/shownews.jsp?content=n121611A

If one reads the whole article the similarity to the last interference resulted in the defeat of the governing party.

[Spazito]

1. The only quibble I would have is that this 'interference' is the

'stock in trade' of the bush cabal in ALL elections in ANY and ALL countries they choose to interfere with, Canada is not being singled out as a country of vast importance above any other it is just the way in which they work, period.

The other quibble I have is that the dislike of the bush admin is more viceral with Canadians than the more generic 'anti-Americanism' that was touted during the Diefenbaker minority government times ergo the response to tough talk from the PM by Canadians may well be very different as well.