page_title: Foreign policy of the Stephen Harper government
section_title: Relations with the United States
hierarchical_section_title: Foreign policy of the Stephen Harper government / Relations with the United States
caption_attribution_description: President George W. Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper hold a joint press conference in the East Room Thursday, July 6, 2006. "The President and I have agreed provide a more forward-looking approach focused on the environment, climate change, air quality and energy issues in which our governments can cooperate," said Prime Minister Harper. "We raised the issue of how regulatory cooperation could increase productivity, while helping to protect our health, safety, and environment."
context_page_description: The Conservative Party Government of Canada led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been characterized as a great break from the previous 70 years of post-war Canadian diplomacy. Indeed, Harper moved away from the multilateral and internationalist policies of the Liberal Party, and reduced Canada's emphasis on the United Nations, peacekeeping, conflict resolution, and multilateralism. Harper's foreign policy has been described as "ideological", incoherent" and "diaspora-driven".
  Harper sought to strengthen cooperation with the United States, particularly in their War on terror. As part of this policy, his government continued and expanded Canada's participation in the US-led War in Afghanistan. Harper also led Canada in the Libyan civil war and the Syrian civil war. In parallel, Harper showed relentless support for Israel throughout his whole premiership.
context_section_description: Relations with the United States are always a central issue in Canada, and the period prior to Harper's premiership was criticized by Kim Richard Nossal for "the lamentably awkward and embarrassingly public handling of the continental relationship." She blames Canadian politicians for "firing off verbal pot‐shots at American expense – a temptation to which they have succumbed even when they have been perfectly aware that their doing so can serve no useful Canadian purpose, much less exert a constructive influence on American behaviour."
  In contrast, during the 2006 election campaign, Harper promised to improve relations with United States, blaming the previous Liberal government of damaging the relationship due to inappropriate comments made towards the George W. Bush administration.
  However, shortly after being congratulated by George W. Bush for his victory, Harper rebuked U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins for criticizing the Conservatives' plans to assert Canada's sovereignty over the Arctic Ocean waters through an increased presence by the Canadian Forces.
caption: Stephen Harper and George W. Bush hold a joint press conference at the White House on July 6, 2006
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