For the past three years, tensions between Ottawa and Washington have created a substantial problem for Canada’s billionaire ruling families. Trade disputes with the United States have cost Canadian companies billions in lost profits. Ottawa’s refusal to join the imperialist invasion of Iraq in 2003 heightened the tensions.

Growing unease with this among Canada’s rulers helped fuel a sharp factional struggle for leadership within the then-ruling Liberal Party and played a key role in its defeat.

The Conservative Party won a minority government, 124 seats out of 308 in Parliament, in the January 23 election after 13 years of Liberal party rule. Harper took office February 2.

On his first trip abroad, Harper went to Afghanistan March 12 to visit the 2,200 Canadian soldiers who are part of a NATO force there. In a quick vote in parliament May 17, the Conservatives won a motion to extend this Canadian mission to 2009.

The Conservative government is accelerating a transformation of its military, begun by the former Liberal government, into one that can be rapidly deployed using light-armored equipment for what they dub “peace-making” combat roles instead of “peacekeeping” policing missions. Such missions, under the UN flag, were the hallmark of Canadian military interventions abroad for decades.

On April 27, a sharp trade dispute between Washington and Ottawa was settled, with Washington agreeing to remove the high tariffs it had placed on Canadian softwood lumber in 2002. As part of the accord, Washington will return $4 billion of the $5 billion in duties collected and Ottawa will restrict exports if lumber prices fall below a certain level.

Taking steps aimed at reversing support for sovereignty in Quebec, whose French-speaking majority is an oppressed nation in Canada, is also a goal of the new government.

On May 5, Harper announced an accord between Ottawa and the Quebec provincial government that grants Quebec permanent representation in the Canadian delegation to UNESCO, the UN’s educational and cultural body.  
 
 
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