US embassy cable - 03OTTAWA1722

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 001722 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR DEPUTY SECRETARY ARMITAGE, NSC FOR DEPUTY 
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR HADLEY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/17/2013 
TAGS: PREL, ETRD, MARR, SMIG, PARM, CA, KICC 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH NEW CANADIAN DEPUTY 
FOREIGN MINISTER HARDER 
 
REF: (A) STATE 164143 (B) USUN 1525 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Paul Cellucci, 
Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
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SUMMARY AND COMMENT 
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1. (C) Peter Harder, Canada's new Deputy Foreign Minister, 
met with Ambassador Cellucci on June 17 to discuss the 
bilateral relationship and his June 19-20 visit to 
Washington.  Harder and the Ambassador discussed management 
of the relationship, energy cooperation, missile defense, the 
ICC, the Trafficking in Persons report, and the Proliferation 
Security Initiative.  Harder's appointment is part of an 
effort, led by Privy Council Clerk Alex Himelfarb (a close 
friend of Harder's), to get U.S.-Canada relations on a better 
footing.  We expect Harder to be more pragmatic in his 
approach to the relationship than is usually the case at 
Foreign Affairs.  As Deputy Minister at Industry Canada (his 
previous post), Harder told his staff that the biggest 
priority for Canada is how it can exist and prosper in "this 
North American space."  END SUMMARY AND COMMENT. 
 
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BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP 
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2. (C) Harder told the Ambassador that meeting with him and 
visiting Washington were top priorities for his first week on 
the job.  While in Washington June 19-20, Harder will be 
meeting with Deputy Secretary Armitage and Deputy National 
Security Advisor Hadley, among others.  The Ambassador 
responded that while there have been strains in the bilateral 
relationship over Iraq, the relationship remains strong.  He 
noted that the "Buy American" provision in the House version 
of the 2004 Defense Authorization Bill (ref. A) was motivated 
in part by some members' desire to punish Canada for its 
position on Iraq, but that State and Defense are opposing the 
provision. 
 
3. (C) Harder said that Foreign Affairs (DFAIT) and the 
Government as a whole are looking at how to better manage 
U.S.-Canada relations, making for more coherent policy across 
the many agencies involved.  The Ambassador cited the GoC's 
proposed legislation to decriminalize marijuana as a policy 
initiative in one area that would have detrimental effects in 
another, the border.  Harder agreed.  He noted that greater 
central supervision of the bilateral relationship is also 
being discussed by the contenders in the Liberal Party 
leadership race. 
 
4. (C) Harder said that the GoC needed to work on its 
"post-NAFTA" agenda, strengthening the bilateral economic 
relationship and "trilateralizing" some issues to include 
Mexico.  The private sector would need to be consulted, he 
said, because its support had been critical for pushing 
through both the bilateral Free Trade Agreement and NAFTA. 
Provincial Premiers and U.S. Governors should also be engaged 
more often on issues such as energy transmission.  Harder was 
pleased that Canadian is increasing its diplomatic presence 
in the U.S., and said that Industry Canada had sacrificed 25% 
of its incremental budget in FY2003-2004 to help fund this 
expansion. 
 
5. (C) The Ambassador observed that the relationship between 
Secretary of Homeland Security Ridge and Deputy Prime 
 
SIPDIS 
Minister Manley was excellent, but that Manley's future was 
uncertain given the Liberal leadership race.  Harder said 
that our border management cooperation needed to be 
institutionalized.  He noted that in 1993, the Conservative 
government of the day had created a Department of Public 
Security, which drew together many of the same functions as 
the U.S. has now done under Homeland Security.   Harder 
became Deputy Minister of Public Security, but the Department 
was closed after only a few months because of concerns that 
immigration should be kept separate from law enforcement. 
Harder did not expect the GoC to create a new 
"super-department," but it was clear that stovepiping needed 
to be reduced. 
 
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MISSILE DEFENSE/NORAD 
--------------------- 
 
6. (C) On missile defense, the Ambassador welcomed the June 
18 visit to Washington by a Canadian delegation to discuss 
potential Canadian participation.  He noted that the missile 
defense execution mission would be at NORTHCOM, instead of 
NORAD, but said that Canadian participation was important to 
continue our longstanding cooperation in North American 
defense.  Harder said that DFAIT and National Defense hope to 
be able to complete negotiations and report to Cabinet in the 
fall, but their understanding from DoD is that this will take 
longer.  Harder added that Foreign Minister Graham is 
planning to visit NORAD August 28-29, and that he may try to 
join Graham for that visit.  The Ambassador encouraged him to 
do so. 
 
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ICC/UNSC RESOLUTION 1422 
------------------------ 
 
7. (C) On the ICC, the Ambassador raised Canadian PermRep 
Heinbecker's statement opposing UNSC Resolution 1422 (ref. 
B), and said that Canada should be sensitive to the U.S. 
position.  We want to continue to support peacekeeping 
operations, but we're a target internationally, as evidenced 
by the outrageous war crimes charges brought against U.S. 
officials in Belgium.  Harder responded that Heinbecker was 
simply restating Canadian policy, and that DFAIT was careful 
to ensure that his statement did not directly criticize the 
U.S.  He hoped that the U.S. position would change once the 
ICC had a track record showing that it would not allow 
frivolous claims. 
 
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TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 
---------------------- 
 
8. (C) On the recent Trafficking in Persons report, the 
Ambassador explained that Canada had been dropped from Tier 1 
to Tier 2 status because of inadequate enforcement and 
prosecution.  We hope that the anti-trafficking legislation 
Canada enacted in 2002 will make a difference.  Harder said 
that Citizenship and Immigration Canada was puzzled by the 
lower ranking, and that our official cooperation on this 
issue has been excellent.  The Ambassador said that one area 
where Canada could help would be removal of South Korea from 
its visa waiver program, as this is one route for sex trade 
victims to enter Canada. 
 
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PROLIFERATION SECURITY INITIATIVE 
--------------------------------- 
 
9. (C) Harder expressed his disappointment that Canada had 
not been invited to participate in the June 12 Madrid meeting 
on the Proliferation Security Initiative, given Canada's 
activism on non-proliferation issues and our North American 
security cooperation.  Harder said that Defense Minister 
McCallum had raised this with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld at 
NATO, and that DFAIT Assistant Deputy Minister Wright would 
do so with Under Secretary Bolton. 
 
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BIO NOTE 
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10. (SBU) Harder is a career public servant who began at 
DFAIT but has served in a number of different departments. 
Harder, now 50, was the second youngest Canadian ever 
appointed as a deputy minister in 1991.  According to 
contacts at Industry Canada, he focuses on making decisions 
which will serve the interests of the largest number of 
Canadians, and presses his staff to identify such choices. 
He is sharp, affable, and popular with his staff.  Harder's 
right hand person is Pam LeBlanc, who has been with him in at 
least four assignments and joins him again at DFAIT.  Harder 
is part of the inner circle of senior Canadian bureaucrats, 
most of whom expect he will be the next Clerk of the Privy 
Council, the top civil servant position in Ottawa.  At DFAIT, 
Harder replaces Gaetan Lavertu, who has been re-assigned as 
Ambassador to Mexico. 
CELLUCCI