For all the fretting in the oil patch about what Obama thinks of the oil sands and whether the State Dept. will block the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to Texas, a diplomatic cable released today by WikiLeaks indicates that behind closed doors the Obama administration has sent a reassuring message to…

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In a 2007 US Embassy cable released today by WikiLeaks, entitled “Canada border in 2007: Ground Truth and policy Implications,” US diplomats suggest that oft-repeated Canadian concerns about post-9/11  ”thickening of the border” are overblown: “In general we found a disconnect between the rhetoric of a “thickening of the border,” in which longer lines and bureaucratic…

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Nice to know diplomats have a sense of humour: From a December 2008 US Embassy Cable: Stephen Harper’s Christmas Wish List: 1. (SBU) As Santa Claus prepares to leave his North Pole (Canada) base to deliver presents around the world (with NORAD dutifully tracking his progress), Prime Minister Stephen Harper may be offering up his…

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Excerpt from a November 2009  US embassy cable describing a meeting between US Ambassador and then-Environment minister Jim Prentice: “Calling himself “conservationist-minded”, Prentice said he would step in and regulate the sands if Canada’s image in the world gets further tarnished by negative coverage. Although he never mentioned Natural Resources Minister Raitt by name (perhaps,…

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Here is the WikiLeaks index to the Canada release.      

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Connect2Canada is organizing an election-watching event here in Washington, DC: Canada’s Federal Election Night in DC Join fellow C2C members in watching coverage of the 41st Canadian General Election. Food and drink specials offered by Elephant & Castle. Date: Monday, May 2, 2011 Starting time: 7:00pm; Results from 9:30pm Location: Elephant & Castle 1201 Pennsylvania Ave.,…

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  WikiLeaks has released a  2008 cable explaining why the US Embassy “remains frustrated by the Government of Canada’s continuing failure to introduce – let alone pass – major copyright reform legislation.” The accounts of meetings and conversations with Canadian officials, cabinet ministers and opposition MPs shed interesting light on what diplomats do all day.…

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The Pembina Institute, an Alberta environmental think tank that also maintains a plugged-in  Washington, DC presence, has come out with  a set of recommendations for improving the environmental impact of oil sands development. They describe it as a 19-point plan that “identifies policies required to protect the environment and restore Alberta’s international reputation.”   The report is here:…

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