Canadians complain that Americans take their country for granted. A dispassionate analysis concludes that the U.S. national interest is in being able to take Canada for granted. Capital flows copiously both ways across the border. Politicians who try to stop it are forgotten.
The Canadian dollar is worth 72 U.S. cents and the Canadian economy and population are one-tenth their U.S. counterparts. Most Canadians huddle near the border; few Americans do. A second former Canadian leader likened the relationship to sleeping with an elephant: You notice when it turns over.
The main issues between the two nations are trade matters that loom large in Canada and are little noticed in the U.S. At the moment, all seem settled, though that is a temporary condition. President Clinton astutely dropped his idea of charging for border crossings before he crossed the border.
Mr. Clinton is at the nadir of his popularity. His host, Prime Minister Jean Chretien, an awkward, inarticulate man, is at the apogee of his. One very popular thing Mr. Chretian does is to keep a greater distance from his American counterpart than did one of his predecessors, Brian Mulroney.
Actually, Canada's only problem is that it threatens to come apart at the seams. Canadians, complacently believing they have the best country on earth, cannot agree on how to run it and affect to despise each other. The second most popular politician in Canada, Lucien Bouchard, the leader of the opposition, wants to pull Quebec out of the federation. A bad idea.
It is against U.S. interests for Quebec to separate, but Mr. Clinton must not say so too crudely lest that be considered interference in Canada's domestic affairs and counter-productive. At last poll, most Quebecers did not want to separate, by 60 to 40.
The two leaders' one showpiece will be to sign a measure opening air service to competition. They will worry about the Mexican peso. Mr. Chretien will want an assurance, which Mr. Clinton cannot give, that the U.S. is not going to pull the plug on U.N. peace-keeping (a major Canadian activity). All in all, just a summit between friends.