U.S.-Canada relations
The
bilateral relationship between the United States and Canada is perhaps the closest and most extensive in the world. It is reflected in the staggering volume of trade (over $1.4 billion a day) and people (over 200 million a year) crossing the
U.S-
Canadian border. In fields ranging from environmental cooperation to free trade, the two countries have set the standard by which many other countries measure their own progress. In addition to their close bilateral ties, Canada and the U.S. also work closely through multilateral fora.
Although Canada views its relationship with the U.S. as crucial to a wide range of interests, the two country's policies are often at odds. This is particularly true of
Cuba, with regard to which the U.S. and Canada have pursued divergent policies for nearly 40 years, even while sharing the common goal of a peaceful democratic transition.
History
\nRelations between Canada and the United States started poorly with the American Revolution and the US invasion of Canada in the War of 1812. Americans saw Canada as territory that should and would join their union and abandon Britain. In the Articles of Confederation there is an open invitation to Canada to join the United States. Most of the animosity disappeared over the 19th century, although as late as the 1930s, the United States studied plans to invade Canada in War Plan Red, albeit as a largely academic exercise.
Following co-operation in the two World Wars, Canada and the United States lost much of their previous animosity. As Britain's influence as a global superpower declined, Canada and the US became extremely close partners. Canada was a close ally of the United States during the Cold War.
The Canadian military supported the US in most major wars, including the Korean War, the Gulf War, the Kosovo War, and the War on Terror. The main exceptions to this were the Canadian government's opposition to the Vietnam War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which caused some brief diplomatic tensions. Despite these issues military relations have remained close.
Defense
\nU.S. defense arrangements with Canada are more extensive than with any other country. The Permanent Joint Board on Defense, established in 1940, provides policy-level consultation on bilateral defense matters. The United States and Canada share NATO mutual security commitments. In addition, U.S. and Canadian military forces have cooperated since 1958 on continental air defense within the framework of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
Trade
\nCanada and the United States have the world's largest trading relationship with huge quantities of goods and people flowing across the border each year. Since the 1988 Canadian-American Free Trade Agreement there have been no tariffs on most goods passed between the two countries.
With such a massive trading relationship trade disputes between the two countries are frequent and inevitable. American firms have complained about subsidies to softwood lumber, the Canadian Wheat Board, and Canadian cultural restrictions on magazines and television. Canadians have complained about such things as the ban on beef since a single case of Mad Cow disease was discovered in 2003 and the high American agricultural subsidies.
Environmental issues
\nThe two countries also work closely to resolve transboundary environmental issues, an area of increasing importance in the bilateral relationship. A principal instrument of this cooperation is the International Joint Commission (IJC), established as part of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to resolve differences and promote international cooperation on boundary waters. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1972 is another historic example of joint cooperation in controlling transboundary water pollution. The two governments also consult semiannually on transboundary air pollution. Under the Air Quality Agreement of 1991, both countries have made substantial progress in coordinating and implementing their acid rain control programs and signed an annex on ground level ozone in 2000.
Illicit drugs
\nThe U.S. has expressed concern that Canada is an illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market; the use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors. Consequently, it has a growing role as a transit point for heroin and cocaine entering the US market. In 2003 the American government became quite irate when the Canadian government announced plans to decriminalize marijuana.
Territorial Disputes
\nThese include maritime boundary disputes with the US (Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Machias Seal Island, Gulf of Maine)
See also: \n*Foreign relations of Canada\n*Foreign relations of the United States\n*Canadian and American politics compared\n*Canadian and American economics compared\n*Canada and the American Civil War\n*Canada and the Vietnam War\n*Canada in the Cold War
Category:CanadaCategory:United States
