    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [March 23, 2005]
    [Pages 510-520]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference With President Vicente Fox of Mexico and Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada in Waco, Texas
    March 23, 2005

        President Bush. Thank you all for coming. It's my honor to welcome
    two friends to Baylor University. First, I want to thank the Baylor
    University family for providing these facilities for us. Your
    hospitality is awesome.
        I appreciate the meetings we just had. Our relationships are
    important today. We intend to keep our relationships strong. Our
    relationships will be equally important for the years to come.
        And so we had a good discussion about prosperity and security. And
    it turns out the two go hand in hand. It's important for us to work to
    make sure our countries are safe and secure, in order that our people
    can live in peace as well as our economies can grow. We've got a lot of
    trade with each other, and we intend to keep it that way. We've got a
    lot of crossings of the border. I intend to make our borders more secure
    and facilitate legal traffic.
        We've got a lot to do. So we charged our ministers with the task of
    figuring out how best to keep this relationship--these relationships
    vibrant and strong. And I appreciate the commitment of the Prime
    Minister and the President toward a spirit of partnership to outlast
    whatever politics may occur; that puts in place a firm commitment to
    markets and democracy and freedom and trade and mutual prosperity and
    mutual security.
        And so I want to welcome our friends. After we go through this
    exercise of democracy--that being answering your questions--I'm looking
    forward to hosting them to the ranch for a little lunch and a further
    discussion. We'll be spending time talking about the neighborhood, the
    countries in our region, and how best we can work together to make sure
    that democracy is firmly a part of the future of this neighborhood of
    ours.

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        And so, Mr. President, welcome. The podium is yours, sir.
        President Fox. Thank you very much, President Bush. I want to also
    extend a greeting to Prime Minister Paul Martin and my gratitude for
    this wonderful reception, for this wonderful facility here at Baylor
    University, and, of course, my gratitude to the authorities here in
    Waco, the venue of this important event.
        Today we have met to hold a very important encounter that has to do
    with the future of our nations. In the last decade, trade between our
    countries, the flows of investment, of the creation of jobs have held a
    good pace. And these efforts have been successful thanks to NAFTA. This
    bilateral cooperation, this trilateral cooperation has now become
    strengthened, and it has expanded. But above all, we are making progress
    on a daily basis toward greater understanding, toward greater knowledge
    and greater cooperation between our three Governments and our three
    countries.
        Through the Partnership for Security and Prosperity and the quality
    of life of North America, today we begin a new phase. We are in a world
    that is constantly changing and that demands that we meet the new
    challenges and opportunities. We also face new threats that carry a risk
    for our societies. But we also want to work toward the good performance
    of our economies. This is why my Government is working toward a true
    coordination with our partners in North America. We are seeking an
    objective balance between the concerns that have to do with security and
    those that have to do with having a good and agile flow of goods and
    people across the borders.
        North America should be the most competitive region in the world. It
    should be the safest region in the world. And 10 years ago, we took a
    great step in that direction. As Governments, we are obligated to turn
    this objective into a permanent process, to continue taking steps
    forward. This Partnership for Security, this Partnership for Prosperity,
    for the quality of life can have no other objective beyond improving the
    quality of life, itself, and the development of our peoples and of our
    societies.
        Today my friend from Canada, Mr. Paul Martin, and the President of
    the United States, George Bush, all of us feel proud to present this
    joint statement to you. It reflects a shared vision for North America
    that will be a framework for cooperation, for partnership between our
    Governments and nations.
        Thank you.
        Prime Minister Martin. Good afternoon. It's a real pleasure to be
    here in Texas and to stand with President Bush and President Fox as
    representatives of a strong North America. We represent three sovereign
    nations that have formed one of the most successful partnerships in the
    world.
        That being said, we also recognize that we cannot be complacent. The
    world is not standing still. New economic powerhouses such as China and
    India are rising, and we face new opportunities, but we also face new
    challenges. And this requires a new partnership, stronger, more dynamic,
    one that is focused on the future. We are determined to forge the next
    generation of our continent's success. Now, that's our destination. The
    Security and Prosperity Partnership that we are launching today is the
    roadmap to getting there.
        I'm going to be a little longer than you were, President Bush,
    because I've got to do this in two languages. [Laughter]
        Here in North America, we have many achievements to celebrate. But
    we do know that we cannot be complacent. The world does not stand still.
    New opportunities present themselves, as well as new challenges, as well
    as threats. In a world in constant change, we need a renewed
    partnership, more strong, dynamic. And we must have a roadmap that will
    bring us there. The roadmap is the North American Partnership for
    Security and Prosperity, which we are starting today.

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    [At this point, Prime Minister Martin continued in English.]

        [Inaudible]--ways to help our citizens with healthier, safer, and
    more productive lives; for good jobs, for higher income; as well as a
    secure continent, cleaner water, cleaner air.
        One thing is very clear, and that is when we work together as
    countries to make North America safer and more competitive, then the
    fact is all of the continent and all of our citizens benefit from that
    collective achievement.
        The partnership that we are starting today acknowledges the fact
    that in a modern world, the objectives of prosperity, security, and a
    better quality of life have never been as interdependent.
        What we seek to do is to improve the competitiveness of our
    industries, expand consumer choice by cutting redtape. We want to
    eliminate regulations that are a nuisance, not a necessity. And we want
    to maintain the highest standards of health care and safety for our
    citizens. We want to pursue agreed approaches based on sound science
    that will help us avoid the risk of hidden protectionism and, some would
    advocate, in responding to BSE. And I want to thank President Bush; I
    want to thank President Fox for the support that they have shown. We
    look forward to the day in the future when, notwithstanding all of the
    lobbying, all the legal challenges, all of North America is open to our
    safe and high quality beef.
        In terms of security, we understand that protecting our borders is a
    crucial checkpoint on the road to our collective prosperity. Our safe
    borders secure our people not only against terrorism, but they make
    possible a speedy flow of goods, services, and people and information
    among our three nations. And standing on the shoulders of the Smart
    Borders Initiative, we are making new investments in security and in
    defense spending. Quite simply, Canada is a full and forceful partner in
    building a secure North America.
        We have agreed--and I've got a long list here, Mr. President, which
    I'm going to forgo, basically a long list of items that we have agreed
    that we will task our ministers to accomplish, and then we will hold
    them to account, as we will be held to account by our people. Let me
    just say that this great--that these measures involve everything from
    how do we deal with our borders, how do we deal with infectious
    diseases, and how do we deal with fresh water concerns like Devil's
    Lake, which I will be talking to you about over lunch.
        Let me just say that when a public health risk emerges, we want our
    laboratory centers in Winnipeg, in Atlanta, and in Mexico City talking
    to each other. We want to improve our air and our water quality, and we
    also want to make NAFTA work. And what that means--and, again, this is
    something we'll be talking about--is that we want the decisions of our
    dispute settlement panels to be respected and implemented. We want to
    resolve our differences in a fair manner based on the rule of law. And
    I'll continue to press for the resolution of softwood lumber dispute,
    and I look forward to discussing means as to how we make this
    partnership work better.
        Let me just say that we have committed as leaders to meet on a
    regular basis. We're going to do this to assess our progress.
        The efforts deployed over the last decade have been fruitful. It is
    up to us now to meet the new challenges and to seize the new
    opportunities that present themselves to us.
        Mr. President, the efforts of the past decade have been successful,
    but as we've said this morning, it now falls to us to respond to new
    challenges, to seize new opportunities. The Security and Prosperity
    Partnership is our commitment to do so together.
        President Bush. Thank you, Paul. I appreciate that very much.

    [[Page 513]]

        We'll now answer two questions a side. I'll start with Jennifer
    Loven [Associated Press].

    Theresa Marie Schiavo

        Q. Thank you, sir. Can you tell us what actions you support, since
    the Federal courts continue to decline to allow the reinsertion of Terri
    Schiavo's feeding tube? And have you discussed options, next steps with
    your brother the Governor of Florida?
        President Bush. I have not discussed next steps with the brother--my
    brother, who is the Governor of Florida. I have
    looked at all options prior to taking the action we took last weekend in
    concert with Congress. And we felt like the actions taken with Congress
    was the best course of action. This is an extraordinary and sad case,
    and I believe that in a case such as this, the legislative branch, the
    executive branch ought to err on the side of life, which we have. And
    now we'll watch the courts make its decisions, but we looked at all
    options from the executive branch perspective.

    Democracy in the Americas/Immigration Policy

        Q. Mr. President Bush, many countries of Latin America in recent
    years have elected leaders from the left. What possibility do you see as
    far as the arrival of a leader from the left in Mexico in the future?
    And on security, how difficult is it for you to keep your national
    security policy in place when you have a border where terrorists can go
    through that border, according to your Cabinet? What do you think of
    those illegal crossings?
        President Bush. I am pleased that there are democracies in our
    hemisphere. As a matter of fact, every country is a democracy except
    one, Cuba. And that's incredible progress. And I look forward to working
    with whomever the people of Mexico choose. The choices as to who will
    lead Mexico--or any other country--is not the choice of the United
    States President, the United States Government, or the United States
    people. It is the choice of the Mexican people. And I know the people of
    Mexico are proud of their democracy. I'm proud of the democratic
    traditions upheld by Vicente Fox.

        In terms of the border, listen, we've got a large border. We've got
    a large border with Canada. We've got a large border with Mexico. There
    are some million people a day crossing the border from Mexico to the
    United States, which presents a common issue, and that is, how do we
    make sure those crossing the border are not terrorists or drugrunners or
    gunrunners or smugglers?

        And I have told the President that we will--I will continue to push
    for reasonable, commonsense immigration policy with the United States
    Congress. It is an issue with which I have got a lot of familiarity.
    After all, I was the Governor of this great State for 6 years, and I
    dealt with this issue a lot, not only with President Fox's predecessor
    but with Governors of border States--Mexican border States, Tamaulipas
    and Nuevo Leon. And I know what--I know the issue well. And I will
    continue to call upon Congress to be commonsensical about this issue.

        And the basis of the policy is that if there is a job opening which
    an American won't do, in other words--and there's a willing worker and a
    willing employer, that job ought to be filled on a legal basis, no
    matter where the person comes from. That makes sense. We need a
    compassionate policy. In other words, if this is in place, then someone
    will be able to come and work from Mexico in the United States and be
    able to go home, back and forth across the border in a legal fashion.
    That seems to make sense to me. It's a commonsensical way of doing
    things.

        I think we ought to have a policy that does not jeopardize those
    who've stood in line trying to become legal citizens. We

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    want to reward those who have been patient in the process. There's
    plenty of Mexican citizens who have applied for citizenship. They
    should--their position in line should not be preempted because of--
    there's a worker program. But there's a better way to enforce our
    border, and one way is to be compassionate and decent about the workers
    who are coming here to the United States.
        And, Mr. President, you've got my pledge: I'll continue working on
    it. You don't have my pledge that Congress will act, because I'm not a
    Member of the legislative branch. But you will have my pledge that I
    will continue to push our Congress to come up with rational, commonsense
    immigration policy.

    Cooperation in North America

        Q. Thank you, Prime Minister. A question to yourself and to
    President Bush and President Fox as well. You've been talking about
    cooperation, what you, Prime Minister, referred to as the new generation
    of success or the next generation of success. Keeping in mind, in front
    of us, the European Union, how much is this partnership a first step
    towards continental integration? If so, how far would you like to go?
    And can you give us some sort of a roadmap and perhaps give us a
    distinction between partnership and integration?
        Prime Minister Martin. Well, what we're really talking about here is
    not a big bang; we're talking about big progress. And if you look at
    each of the areas in which we have tasked our ministers, based on the
    work that they have already done, that is precisely what is coming out
    of this meeting, and that's precisely why we want to be able to measure
    the success and hold people accountable for the targets that we have
    set.
        So when you're talking about security, there's no doubt about the
    importance of the security of our borders, given the increase in
    Canada's defense budget, our ability to work together, that obviously we
    want to make sure that there is the greatest degree of coordination
    between our defense and our border sources.
        In terms of the economy, getting rid of nuisance regulation, making
    sure that we have better rules of origin, essentially what we want to do
    is to make sure, given the threat that we face from rising economies
    elsewhere, but primarily in Asia--both the threats and an opportunity,
    by the way--that, in fact, North America is as strong and as competitive
    as it can possibly be. And there should be no restriction on that--
    quality of life, the environment, how we work together--so that
    essentially what we really want to do is to make very, very substantial
    progress and to make sure that we continue to do it, so that the forces
    of protectionism never take over North America and that we're as
    competitive as we can.
        I just wanted to say that what we're trying to do is not a big bang;
    what we're truly seeking to do is major progress. And this is in the
    field of border security, for example, what we have done so far. We went
    even further, and now the Government of Canada is spending money on its
    borders and its defense. And we're going much further in terms of
    elimination of nuisance regulations so that Canada can be competitive in
    the United States as it is in Canada and Mexico, but also maintaining
    quality of life, environment, working together. That's what we're
    seeking to do.
        President Fox. Thank you. I feel that the purpose that we have
    discussed today is clear. This is an objective that has been coming on
    for several months now as a result of an intense dialog. We are talking
    about a partnership--that is the key word, ``partnership''--a
    partnership for security and a partnership for prosperity, a partnership
    that is based on human capital and that aims to improve the quality of
    life. This is the key element of this new task that we have laid out for
    ourselves. We have built upon NAFTA's achievements. It is widely--the
    benefits of NAFTA are

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    widely known, but now we find new challenges that demand that we take
    new actions. These actions are defined in the program that is being
    launched through these precise instructions that we have given our
    ministers, our working groups, and their instructions are to carry out
    these ideas in the next 90 days.
        So we are going to work through several approaches, and our purposes
    are based on three pillars of this proposal. The three pillars are
    security, to address any threat that might arise from abroad, address
    internal threats. We need to address also the inefficiencies in the
    movement of people, merchandise, and goods. We must also look to join
    talent, strategy, and resources to improve North America's
    competitiveness with other countries and other regions of the world. We
    need a level of competitiveness that allows us to reach the objectives
    that we have laid out for ourselves.
        We need to reduce the costs of doing trade. We have a lot of trade
    between our three countries, and we feel that we can still bring down
    the costs of trade much more, and that will allow the trade between our
    countries to increase even more. We think that the biggest challenge of
    the 21st century will have to do with human capital, investing in our
    people, investing in technology, and that is another thing that we are
    going to work on.
        Moreover, we are partners in protecting the environment. We are
    partners to protect our natural resources. We are partners to protect
    the health of our people. And we are partners, too, in the broadest
    sense of the word. So that is the road that we have before us. We have a
    timeline, and we have responsibilities to carry out, and we will make
    sure that these things happen.
        President Bush. The future of our three countries will best be
    served by establishing trade relations with the rest of the hemisphere.
    It's kind of the most logical extension of a vision that recognizes that
    common trading areas are going to be needed in order to maintain
    lifestyle, particularly as the Far East begins to emerge as strong
    competitors for capital and goods and services and markets.
        We started to advance this idea in Quebec City, as a matter of fact,
    in 2001 with the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. To me, that's the
    most practical extension of the recognition of the realities that we're
    all going to be facing as the 21st century evolves. In order to make
    sure that the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas has a chance to
    succeed, it is important to show the sovereign nations in South America
    that trade has worked amongst the three of us. NAFTA has been a success.
    All you've got to do is go down to the border of our State. If you could
    have gone down 10 years ago and gone down today, you would have seen a
    marked difference of quality of life on both sides of the border. I
    mean, it's been a very successful program in order to lift the standard
    of living in Mexico and the United States.
        And I think when people see that we're willing to continue to work
    through issues--Canada, the United States, and Mexico--it may make it
    more palatable for countries to recognize the benefits of trade. So that
    the vision that you asked about in your question as to what kind of
    union might there be, I see one based upon free trade, that would then
    entail commitment to markets and democracy, transparency, rule of law.
        To this extent, we have entered into an agreement with the Central
    American nations called CAFTA. I think--I know it's an important part of
    the prosperity agenda throughout the hemisphere, and I asked Congress to
    make sure that they approve CAFTA this year.
        Thank you. Caren [Caren Bohan, Reuters].

    Situation in North Korea

        Q. Secretary Rice has made clear that the United States is growing
    impatient with North Korea's refusal to come back to the six-way talks.
    And there has been talk that

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    the United States has a June deadline. What consequences would there be
    if they don't come back to the talks? And also, is China doing enough to
    keep the pressure on?
        President Bush. Thank you for bringing up Secretary Rice. She just got back from her trip Monday evening
    and came down to Crawford yesterday to brief me on the trip. I'm
    grateful that she took time out of her schedule to come down and talk
    about not only the discussions she had with China but discussions she
    had with South Korea and Japan, the leaders of India and Pakistan. And she
    also went to Afghanistan, so she had an extensive trip. It was about a
    2-hour briefing, I want you to know.
        We didn't set deadlines. What we said is what we've said to North
    Korea, ``If you want to--if you want the way forward, if you want to be
    accepted by the world, if you want not to be isolated, get rid of your
    weapons programs.'' And fortunately, it's not just the United States of
    America saying that. China says that. As a matter of fact, it was here
    at Crawford that Jiang Zemin, at the ranch, said
    that the foreign policy goal of the Chinese is for there to be no
    nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula. And Hu Jintao made that clear to Secretary Rice that that is still the objective of the Chinese
    Government, so we share an objective. We share a goal. The Japanese
    share that goal. The South Koreans share that goal. The Russians share
    that goal.
        So we've got five nations saying the same thing to Korea--North
    Korea, and we'll continue saying it to North Korea. And I'm a patient
    person, and so are a lot of people that are involved in this issue. But
    the leader of North Korea must understand that
    when we five nations speak, we mean what we say. And there is a way
    forward, and I repeat, for Kim Chong-il. And it's his choice to make.
    We've made our choice. China has made its choice. The other countries
    have made their choices. And for the sake of peace and tranquility and
    stability in the Far East, Kim Chong-il must listen.
        And so I am pleased with the report I got from the Secretary. I am pleased today that Hu Jintao and the Chinese Government expressed continued
    interest in this subject and understanding of the importance of the five
    of us working together to achieve the common objective that we have set
    out.

    Immigration Reform/Energy

        Q. Mr. Presidents and Mr. Prime Minister, I wanted to ask you what
    concrete actions do your Governments want to lay out in order to make
    this partnership a reality as far as energy markets, which is a very
    critical issue for all of our countries--energy markets? I also want to
    ask you, in this Security and Prosperity Partnership, when will you
    include the migratory--or immigration policy in this partnership? And,
    President Bush, I wanted to ask you about your opinion about those
    people who are hunting migrant people along the border.
        President Bush. I'm against vigilantes in the United States of
    America. I'm for enforcing law in a rational way. That's why we've got a
    Border Patrol, and they ought to be in charge of enforcing the border.
        We talked about migration, of course; we spent a lot of time talking
    about migration. We've got a big border with Canada, a big border with
    Mexico, and it's an important issue. But the issue on the borders is not
    just people; it's goods and services. And so the agreements we're
    talking about, the way to strengthen our relationships, of course,
    includes our border policy. And we'll continue to include border policy.
        I forgot the other part of your three-part question. What's that--
    you have something else you asked? I can't remember what it was.
        Q. About energy.
        President Bush. Oh, energy, yes.
        Look, yes, we're using a lot of it, and we need to conserve better
    in the United States. We're dependent on energy from

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    overseas, and we've got to become less dependent on energy from
    overseas. We appreciate the fact that Canada's tar sands are now
    becoming economical, and we're glad to be able to get the access toward
    a million barrels a day, headed toward 2 million barrels a day. And I
    want to thank--and that's, by the way, an advantage for open trade. The
    American people must understand that when there is open trade, it helps
    solve our energy deficiency.
        But one thing we can certainly do is cooperate better on sharing
    technologies. Look, we're going to have to change our habits. We're
    going to have to develop a hydrogen-powered automobile. And we look
    forward to working together. We've got integrated automobile industries
    between the three of us. And someday, hopefully, our automobile
    industries in our respective countries will be on the leading edge of
    technological change when it comes to helping change the habits of our
    consumers.
        We're going to need liquefied natural gas coming into our three
    countries and into our markets. And I look forward with the Presidents
    on how to develop more access to liquefied natural gas, which--and
    there's a lot of natural gas in the world. The question is, how do we
    economically get it to our respective markets?
        I recently went and saw those developing zero-emission coal-fired
    plants. I think we spent about a billion dollars on what's called the
    FutureGen Project. Look forward to working with our respective countries
    on sharing technologies and how to move forward to come up with zero-
    emissions coal-fired plants.
        And so there's a lot we can do and will do on energy. But there's no
    question the United States of America is hooked on foreign sources of
    energy. And I put forth a strategy to the United States Congress in
    2001; they're still debating it, the issue. Now is the time to get a
    bill to my desk; this is the year. People see the prices of their
    gasoline rising at the pumps, and I am concerned, and the American
    people are concerned. And it's now time to implement the strategies that
    we laid out in legal--in the law.
        But, no, this is a very important subject matter. Thank you for
    bringing it up. We spent a lot of time discussing it.
        President Fox. As far as concrete actions, the first concrete
    actions are those that have to do with all of the topics addressed by
    this Partnership for Security and Prosperity and quality of life. And
    the first concrete actions are going to be a specific charge of 90 days
    to present detailed ideas at 12 different working groups, working tables
    that have to do with the general ideas that we are laying out here.
        Another concrete action that we have agreed to is that the three
    Presidents feel that about halfway through this 90-day period of time,
    we need to be able to assess the direction, the pace, and the degree to
    which these issues are becoming a reality towards the end of those 90
    days. We want to be sure to have that final report be complete with all
    of the detail necessary, with all of the vision necessary that the
    Presidents have laid out.
        Concrete actions in this sense also have to do with a sector-by-
    sector analysis so that from these analyses, we can create a strategy
    sector by sector, perhaps third-generation strategies that go beyond
    anything we've done before to make the economies work well jointly; also
    concrete actions as far as security along the borders and especially in
    our territories. Specifically in Mexico, we want to ensure peace and
    tranquility for our society. We want to provide guarantee to our people
    that our security plans are working in every sense. Mexico has a very
    ambitious security package that starts with our southern border, with
    our brothers, friends, neighbors, and partners in Central America, where
    we also want to address the issue of security because, in the end, this
    has repercussions throughout North America.

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        Concrete action will be taken as far as quality of life issues,
    health, education. I repeat, we are going to write these down, write
    these objectives down in black and white and carry out--and have this
    plan well configured and consolidated within the next 90 days to make
    sure that it is feasible, because all of us have a sense of urgency. We
    want to make North America into the most competitive region in the
    world, and we can do it with actions in the fields of energy, education,
    technology, security, and through protecting our natural resources. This
    should serve to give us the level of competitiveness that we seek.
        In effect, we discussed immigration. We discussed it as a trilateral
    issue. We discussed the issue of border crossings, and how we can
    protect our borders and be efficient along the border, and also how we
    can keep people from crossing who shouldn't be crossing and address the
    threats that our nations have faced. So this is something that we also
    look at jointly. And in the end, this also has to do with
    competitiveness, and it also has to do with reaching the objectives that
    we have for security and quality of life.
        Prime Minister Martin. In terms of energy as--we all know of the
    tremendous capacity that exists within Mexico. President Bush has
    referred to the tar sands, which are a great, great opportunity. And in
    fact, the whole energy sector, I think, for all of us is a huge, huge
    opportunity in terms of our competitiveness with the rest of the world.
    But in addition to the tar sands, you've got our conventional sources.
    You've got the Beaufort, the Hull, the question of pipelines that
    eventually will be addressed.
        But there are also other areas, renewables. The President talked
    about clean coal technology, as an example. Renewables are dependent
    upon technology. And we're putting a lot now into wind pump--into wind
    power. There is, in the province of Saskatchewan, a major project going
    on in terms of CO2 sequestration, which essentially will be a
    major factor in fighting--in the whole climate change issue, and
    tremendous opportunities for us using these new technologies.
        But the other thing that I would like to highlight as well, in
    addition to nuclear, is Canada has great potential in terms of hydro-
    electricity--northern Manitoba, Quebec, Newfoundland, and Labrador, to
    simply only give you a couple of examples. And what we've got to do--
    especially looking at the failure of the electricity grid in North
    America a year ago--we've got to make sure that that grid is very, very
    sound. So the opportunities for cooperation are huge.
        President Bush. The final question, Paul.

    Canada-U.S. Relations

        Q. My question is both to President Bush and Prime Minister Martin.
    You've had some very sharp differences with Canada in the past,
    especially on issues like missile defense. Has this strained relations?
    And is the door still open for Canada to join missile defense in the
    future, something you call fundamental to the defense of North America?
        Prime Minister Martin. Our relationships are very, very strong and
    in a wide range of areas. And the fact that the three of us are meeting
    here today and that we have put out what is really quite an ambitious
    program that is going to be measurable, I think is an indication of
    that.
        Are there differences of opinion? Of course there have; there have
    been throughout our history, and there will be in the future. On BMD,
    the file is closed. But our cooperation in terms of defense, in terms of
    our borders, in terms of the defense of our common frontiers, is very--
    is not only very clear but it is being accentuated. And I've got to take
    that one step further. The defense of North America is not only going to
    take place in North America. Canada is playing an increasing load, as an
    example--role in Afghanistan,

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    and that's also part of the defense of North America.
        So we're working together, and we're going to continue to work
    together increasingly in the whole way in which we establish a common
    security, in which we protect it, in our defense.
        With respect to the shield, this is an issue that is closed. But in
    terms of capacity to work together, this is something where we have
    provided major budgetary increases, because we want to protect ourselves
    at home in Canada. We want to assume our responsibilities in North
    America at the border level, in the north, and with the oceans. But we
    must also say that Canada will accentuate its role in Afghanistan. That
    shows you to what extent the defense of North America is not only here
    in North America, but really that speaks of the necessity to bring the
    battle beyond our borders.
        President Bush. It's interesting, ``sharp differences.'' I guess
    that's--``sharp'' means kind of, if you think about what that means,
    that means maybe differences so that we can't have a positive
    relationship. I view them--look, we've got differences. I don't know if
    you'd categorize them as differences that would then prevent us from
    finding common ground. I don't view it that way. I can understand why
    people disagree with certain decisions I have made, but that doesn't
    prevent us from cooperating in intelligence sharing, for example.
        You know, a lot is made about softwood lumber, and it's clearly a
    sensitive issue. I know it firsthand; I've heard it ever since I became
    elected President. People are frustrated that we haven't got it solved.
    I understand that. But think about all the trade we've got between our
    countries. And we've resolved a lot of issues in a positive manner, and
    we'll continue to resolve them. I mean, we had an issue with cows, and
    that is getting resolved. I'm amazed that we don't have more sharp--
    whatever you call them--disagreements because we're doing a lot
    together.
        In other words, what I'm telling you is that I think the
    relationship is very strong and very positive. And just because somebody
    doesn't agree with our policy doesn't mean that we can't continue to
    have very positive relationships. The relationship with Mexico and the
    relationship with Canada are very important for the United States of
    America. And there's going to be disagreements and differences. And the
    fundamental question is, do we have the capacity to continue moving
    forward with the relationship? And the answer is, absolutely.
        And I want to thank the leaders for coming. People of our respective
    countries will see how vital these relationships are. And I look forward
    to our ministers reporting back with concrete action. They will be held
    to account, you're right, Mr. Prime Minister--and look forward to saying
    to our respective peoples that--and making clear that the relationship
    between America, Canada, and Mexico is vital to our mutual prosperity,
    mutual health, and the benefit of our folks.
        Thank you all for coming. Good to see you all.

    Note: The President's news conference began at 11:22 a.m. in the Bill
    Daniels Activity Center at Baylor University. In his remarks, he
    referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida; former President Jiang Zemin and
    President Hu Jintao of China; and Chairman Kim Chong-il of North Korea.
    Prime Minister Martin spoke partly in French and President Fox spoke in
    Spanish, and their remarks were translated by interpreters.

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