    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 32 (Monday, August 16, 1993)]
    [Pages 1596-1597]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks on Swearing-In James J. Blanchard as Ambassador to Canada

     August 10, 1993

        The President. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm delighted to
    have you here today at the White House for the swearing-in of my
    longtime friend and a very able public servant, Governor Jim Blanchard,
    to be our Nation's next Ambassador to Canada. I have known and respected
    Jim for many years now. We've worked on many things together both as
    Governors and as fellow partisans in political wars. I can tell you that
    he is one of the ablest Governors with whom I ever worked, one of the
    most creative and innovative people I have ever met in public life.
        As a Governor and earlier as a Member of Congress, Jim Blanchard was
    known as someone who would innovate, listen, and act. Those are
    capabilities which will be indispensable in his new assignment. His
    service in Ottawa will also benefit from his insights and his personal
    ties to Canadian leaders gained from being Governor of a State with a
    large border and close ties to Canada.
        When I nominated Jim Blanchard for this post, it was a sign to me,
    and I hope to the Canadians as well, of the immense importance I place
    on our relationships with Canada. For that relationship is
    unquestionably one of the most important in the world to us. Canada is
    our largest trading partner. Over $200 billion in goods and services
    cross our borders annually. That amount increased significantly after
    the passage of the free trade agreement. And I believe it will increase
    again after implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
        Our relations with Canada are far more than economic, however. The
    fact that we share the world's longest undefended border is one of our
    greatest security assets. And Canada's cooperation on a host of
    international security efforts is absolutely invaluable. Canada has been
    our partner in efforts towards the former Soviet Union, Haiti, Somalia,
    and many other areas. With Canada we founded the United Nations and
    NATO. We worked closely together today in the Group of Seven, in GATT,
    in international peacekeeping operations, just to name a few

    [[Page 1597]]

    of the arenas that are important to us because of what we are able to do
    together.
        Today the United States and Canada share a challenging list of
    opportunities for mutual progress. We can work together to promote
    greater economic growth in our own hemisphere and throughout the world.
    We can work together to protect the air, the water, the environmental
    quality that is significantly shared by our two peoples. We can work
    together to improve the security of both our nations in this new era of
    world affairs.
        In all this I have greater confidence in the ability of Canada and
    the United States to make that kind of progress knowing that we will be
    represented in Ottawa by Jim Blanchard. I appreciate the fact that Jim
    and Janet are willing to accept this assignment. We all wish them great
    success.
        And now, Mr. Vice President, I would like to ask you to do something
    I cannot do, administer the oath of office.

    [At this point, the Vice President administered the oath of office.]

    NAFTA

        Q. Mr. President, have you given up on NAFTA?
        The President. That's ridiculous. No.
        Q. Some people say that the administration isn't fighting hard
    enough for it.
        The President. We don't have an agreement yet. We have to wait until
    we finish. The Trade Ambassador has not finished with the negotiations.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:48 a.m. at the North Portico of the West
    Wing at the White House.