I frequent another board which has several Canadian members on it.  it seems they are all up in arms about G.W. "snubbing" Canada.  He goes on and on about how "important" Canada is to the U.S. economy and how the U.S. is " heavily dependant" upon Canada for natural resources, energy, and how Canada is the biggest investor in U.S. businesses...also aparrently Canada is the U.S.'s biggest "trading partner".  maybe when if we're talking wheat!  the trading and export/import of oil and gas from Canada have doubled since US/Canada and NAFTA trade agreements were put into place by Klinton, which was basically done to help THEM out..so now...theyre doing US a favor and think Bush OWE them something?  am i way outa line here??  input please!  

I think the Canucks have it the other way around!!!   We have States with larger economies!!

i'm no expert on the matter and could be WAY off base...but...i think you are correct eod, LOL.

Look at it this way:
If Canada stopped buying U.S. goods, what would happen? Very little.
If the U.S. stopped buying Canadian goods, what would happen?
THEY'D BE IN DEEP SHIT.
So who is dependent on who???

wait, ppl. actually live in that hellhole to the north? [:O] [:P]

I have always understood that Canada is the USA's largest trading partner.

I think the Bush gov't idea to exclude countries that didn't support freeing Iraq is a good one. The federal Liberal party in Canada should have understood that by backing Saddam, they made a choice that has consequences.

..by the way I am Canadian.

[b]How important is Canada to the US economy??[/b]

Let's see, hmmmm...

Canadian Bacon?

Sourdough bread?

Crown Royal?

Nope, we can do without 'em!

Canada is what the US would turn into if the Democraps ever got back in control[flame]

 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

son of a bitch, crown is canadian, wild turkey is made by a french company............if somebody tells me that makers mark isnt American im gonna have to go cry in a corner

Blame Canada!

i think the F-body Zs and T/As were built in canada..but they no longer are being built

They sell American citizens American made health drugs at prices that we can afford.
Of course I am not sure if that is important to us, or is a prime example of how we are boning ourselves.

Canada is our best friend, bar none.  We always claim it's the UK, but only because we are SO friendly with Canada that diplomacy, etc... is really not a factor.  Not that I think it's in jeapordy now, but we should never reduce this relationship...EVER.

So their government disagreed with ours, big friggin deal.  After all, they are an independent country.  We'd be outraged if another country expected us to ally ourselves with them over certain topics.  IMO, their lax immigration policy is a larger issue than their 'Wait for the UN' stance on Iraq.  Their Iraq policy is a diplomatic choice, but their immigration policy is quite naive and a serious burden internally even if one doesn't condider the risk to our border.

I don't have a problem with offering preferential treatment in this case to the countries that went along with the conflict, but refuse to 'bash' Canada over an international disagreement is silly.  I'm a patriotic American, but I also understand that the world and international politics requires more than a solution Ah-la Teddy R.

I don't believe that Canada is economically significant to the U.S. with the possible exception of natural gas.  OTOH, ever since NAFTA was passed, you should see all of the Canadian trucks bringing government subsidized goods down here.  When driving I94 between Fargo & Chicago you will almost get run over by the Canadian trucks.

Canada is closely integrated with the US economically with a population of what, 30 million?  The effect of a trade freeze would be the same, and not as desireable, as putting a wall around California.

More than a few major corporations make no note of the Canada/US border.

Besides, Vancouver girls are HOT HOT HOT!

Per the Iraq contracts, I can't believe the French, Germans, Russians, Chinese, et al actually have a problem with us cutting them out.  Actions have consequences, and this is what you get for ditching your alliance with the US in favor of Saddam Hussein.

I think Bush's problem with Canada is the Frog who is prime minister.  The new guy coming in....Paul Martin?  I am sure Bush will be very open and welcoming of him.

[url]http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/index.html[/url]

I believe you are right. I am Canadian as well and glad I left.
Of course, the US greenback is just Fiat currency while the Canadian dollar is backed by the beaver pelt.
Why anyone would back their currency on a crappy Italian car I dont know but I'm just glad to be her.[:D]

The new PM is pssed we they have put in 300 mil. and arent included. The frogs and krauts tried to sabotage the whole deal.

Don't blame us, blame the liberal commie government up here,

I supported and still support the war in Iraq, and Afghanistan, and also think Iran, Saudi, China, and North Korea deserve to be on the list.

After 9/11 I TRIED to enlist in the US services, ANY services, I was told the same thing, without a Green card or work VISA I could not enlist, and I could not get either because they said I could just as easily serve in Canada's military. Been there, done that, Canada (the .gov) did jack shit to stop terrorists, even now the screening is a joke. Most of them came through canada, it is understood that many terrorists overseas use Canuck passports, whether real or fake... who knows?  

But it is not canada the countries fault, at least not most of it

With our electoral system, two provinces with a large population (Ontario, Quebec) can vote in a .gov that everyone else in the country despises, and they have,

did the canuck gov bone the US on the war? Yes

Is Bush right to ban them and Germany and France from rebuilding contracts? Hell Yes

Bout time this government learns that there are CONSEQUENCES to actions taken, or lack thereof