Martin to ask Bush about mad cow, lumber

[Lincoln]

Martin to ask Bush about mad cow, lumber
CTV.ca News Staff

Prime Minister Paul Martin says it's back to business now that U.S. President George Bush has won the U.S. election. Martin says he'll "focus on issues that are of mutual concern."

Those issues will specifically include existing American restrictions on Canadian beef imports, U.S. duties on softwood lumber and wheat.

"I will as well be saying that obviously, during any election campaign, there is a hiatus in certain numbers of matters and I hope that we would be able to get down to discussing those matters which are of great concern to Canadians," Martin told reporters in Ottawa just after a caucus meeting.

Martin said he plans to raise these issues when he calls Bush to congratulate him on his win Wednesday afternoon.

When asked what he thought about Republican victories in Congress, Martin said it showed "what we've really got to do is work much harder at that level."

He said Canadian politicians have to start changing their focus when it comes to issues being decided in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.

"We tend to focus on the presidential elections, when a great number of the problems we face, whether it's mad cow or softwood lumber, are in fact in the Senate and in Congress," Martin said.

"That's why we opened up the Canada/U.S. Secretariat in Washington and we really intend to make use of it."

Martin announced the opening of the secretariat in April. At the time he said the office would "enhance Canada's overall advocacy efforts in the United States, while supporting a single Canadian voice."

The prime minister also said he plans to speak to Bush about "our international vision."

When asked whether Canada would send troops to Iraq, Martin said he didn't want to spread our resources too thin.

"We're playing a very important role in Afghanistan. We are doing so in Haiti. We intend to play an important role with the African union in training military experts for peacekeeping efforts primarily in Sudan and Darfur but obviously throughout Africa," he said.

"There is a limit to the capacity we can devolve. I think it's simply a functioning of the world sharing."

The prime minister said he's looking forward to meeting with Bush face-to-face in a few weeks at the APEC conference in Chile.

Canadian opposition MPs aren't being nearly as diplomatic about Bush's win.

"The prime minister has to say to Bush, 'You call yourself a free trader, now step up to the plate," Conservative Foreign Affairs Critic Stockwell Day said.

"We have to respect the choice even if we don't like it, and then make it work the best we can as Canadians," NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Alexa McDonough said.

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1099345283163_94754483?hub=topstories

lol, nice to see Stockwell talking again.