Canadian participation in BMD on life support and going fast

[bitwhys]

1) sorry bbChris. last time through I was WAY more surly than I had to be.



2) now the good news...



PM to shoot down missile plan



OTTAWA (CP) -- Prime Minister Paul Martin will deliver a firm No to Canadian participation in the U.S. missile defence plan and break a lengthy silence that fomented confusion on both sides of the border.



The announcement, first reported by Radio-Canada and confirmed by federal officials Tuesday night, will come Thursday and end a streak of obfuscation where Martin refused to state Canada's position.



News of the announcement follows a day of confusion on Parliament Hill after Frank McKenna, Martin's choice to be the next ambassador to the U.S., sparked a political firestorm by saying participation in the controversial continental missile defence system is a done deal.



The end of Martin's silence will come as an about-face for a prime minister who had repeatedly stated his support for missile defence when he was a Liberal leadership candidate barely a year ago.



Martin had promised a new era of Canada-U.S. relations after bitter divisions over the war in Iraq. But American officials had warned it would be an inauspicious start to any new era if Canada refused to join the missile plan.



Opposition inside and outside the Liberal party made it impossible for Martin to move forward, said government officials.



The U.S. was informed of the Canada's plans at a NATO summit in Brussels, attended by Martin and President George W. Bush, and the news was also conveyed Tuesday through diplomats in Ottawa and Washington.



"(The Americans) were told we will not participate," a federal official, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Canadian Press.



"It is a firm No. I am not sure it is an indefinite No"



The prime minister had repeatedly voiced support for missile defence when he was a Liberal leadership candidate, but began backing away during the federal election campaign last June.



Desperate to court left-leaning votes in English Canada from the NDP and in Quebec from the Bloc Quebecois, Martin suddenly said he would not condone the project if it meant the weaponization of space.



The political realities -- especially the frailty of the Liberal party in Quebec -- have not changed and Martin will complete his retreat on the issue this week.



When even the staunchly pro-U.S. and military-friendly Conservatives began waffling over missile defence a few months ago, the Liberal government was left isolated.



Fear of seeing his Liberals take a beating in an election over missile defence forced Martin to hit the pause button months ago. Current political events appear to have hastened his decision.



With his minority Liberals braced for a potentially fatal confidence vote over the budget, and for a bruising battle over missile defence at a policy convention next month, Martin spent recent days preparing his reversal.



"The will to participate is no longer there," another government official said several days ago.



"I think the internal conflict -- the dissension within the party -- is now almost insurmountable. This is because of domestic considerations."



Liberal brass was prepared to "get destroyed over this" by the rank and file at the Liberals' biennial convention in Ottawa early next month, said the source.



Public opinion polls have suggested two-thirds of Canadians opposed missile defence. That opposition grew in the vacuum of any public support from the federal government.



Within Martin's cabinet, only Defence Minister Bill Graham and Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan lobbied in favour of the project. Leading opponents included Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew and Infrastructure Minister John Godfrey.



McKenna's comments earlier in the day triggered an uproar and prompted an opposition pile-on during Tuesday's question period in the House of Commons.



"We're part of it now and the question is what more do we need?" McKenna said of Canada's role in missile defence.



"Canada's position is not a done deal," a beleaguered Graham insisted later in the House of Commons under a hail of opposition questions.



He noted the government has yet to sign a memorandum of understanding on the program.



The program would cost billions of dollars and the U.S. hasn't requested any money, and the Americans were offering Canada a decision-making role in the system's deployment.



Bush made a bold pitch for Canadian participation during his visit here late last year.



He already secured Canada's agreement to amend the cross-border NORAD program last summer and make it the monitoring agency for missile defence.







btw, today is budget day at the hill. should be a zinger!