It was a delicate balancing act last week for Canadian officials in Washington and Ottawa as they tried to decide how to promote a declaration from U.S. president George Bush that he favours an open Canada-U.S. cattle border.
Agriculture minister Bob Speller became the main vehicle for the mixed message.
On the positive side, Speller wanted to promote Bush’s statement as a sign that he and prime minister Paul Martin had scored a victory during their first official visit to the White House.
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“The president today gave a very clear commitment that he wants to see the border opened as quickly as possible and he wants decisions based on science and I think that will go a long ways to helping move this forward very quickly, when the president of the United States says that,” Speller told a news conference after the meeting April 30.
But when a reporter noted that Conservative leader Stephen Harper has suggested because he is more supportive of the U.S. and Bush policies he could get the border open faster than the Liberals, Speller quickly said that Bush is not the kingpin to the American decision on when or whether the border opens.
U.S. legislation requires a public comment period that ended April 7 and then the administration is obligated to analyze the comments, in this case more than 3,000 comments including many urging that the border remain closed for now.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry was among the dissenters, joined by party luminaries senators Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Hilary Clinton of New York.
“What the president of the United States can do, he can’t make that decision,” said Speller. “That decision has to be made by the secretary of agriculture but he can work with her to put pressure and resources to make that decision go quicker.”
As if to emphasize Speller’s point, Reuters News Agency reported from Washington last week that cattle industry officials were predicting the decision is months away.
“I think it’s going to take them (USDA) at least two months” to wade through the more than 3,000 comments submitted by industry, consumer groups and ranchers,” said a meat industry official quoted by the news agency.
A beef industry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “You’re looking at the end of next month, the end of summer” before the decision is made.
It’s that kind of prediction that worries Canadian Cattlemen’s Association president Stan Eby.
“If there’s politics now, it’s in the timing of the announcement and that’s why I wish there was some clarity there,” he said.
