Clinton Addresses Buy American Concerns In Canadian Visit
Posted June 13, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The United States will work with Canada to find a way to alleviate concerns surrounding the Buy American policy in the U.S. economic stimulus bill, which some say is shutting Canadian companies out of lucrative contracts, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Saturday.
“I’m well aware of the concerns that there may be elements of the international trade obligations or absences of agreements that should be looked at so that we can promote more procurement and other kinds of trade interactions,” she said during a joint press conference with Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon.
“And I have assured Minister Cannon that we will take a close look at that.”
However, the Buy American provision “isn’t being enforced in any way that is inconsistent” with America’s international trade obligations, Clinton said.
“We take that very seriously,” she said.
“Obviously, Canada is our No. 1 trading partner. It is a mutually beneficial relationship that we intend to not only nurture, but see grow.”
Both Cannon and Clinton expressed optimism that a solution could be found after discussing the matter during their hour-long meeting in Niagara Falls, Ont., which marked her first visit to Canada as secretary of state.
“I was able to bring the secretary of state up to speed on this issue, and at the same time, get assurances that we would look to find different options to make sure that what we already have built as a solid foundation can continue to flourish and to prevail,” Cannon said.
“We still have work ahead of us and we’re looking forward to doing that.”
The two also said they would re-open the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement – a pact which hasn’t been touched since 1987.
The announcement came during a ceremony on the Rainbow Bridge to mark the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Boundary Waters Treaty – largely considered to be the first piece of modern environmental legislation.
Environmentalists have been urging both countries to update the Great Lakes agreement to reflect more modern problems, such as invasive species, climate change, emerging chemicals and contamination.
The agreement, first signed in 1972 under former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, lays out the rights and obligations of both countries for the Great Lakes and a portion of the St. Lawrence River that straddles the border – particularly their obligation not to pollute boundary waters.
It stemmed from the century-old Boundary Waters Treaty, which sets out principles for Canada and the U.S. to follow in using the waters they share.
Under the treaty, both countries must agree to any project that would change the natural levels or flows of boundary waters. It also states that waters shall not be polluted on either side of the boundary to the injury of health or property on the other side.
