Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper and American President George W. Bush held bilateral talks on the margins of the North American Leaders’ Summit in New Orleans on this date in 2008. The main agenda items for their talks were border security and – naturally – trade.
“We had a good visit. I'm always interested in making sure that, if there's any bilateral tensions or bilateral issues, that I know of them, so that we can work collaboratively to deal with them,” Bush told the assembled Canadian and American media when their talks were completed. “And in the past, one such issue was whether or not our people could travel back and forth between our respective countries in a way that didn't inconvenience them, or the borders were -- being able to flow smoothly so it didn't inconvenience trade. And I think we've worked through those issues.”
“I can remember the last time we visited,” Bush continued, “there was great concern about whether or not the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative would be counterproductive to our friendship and relationship. I thank your government, thank your ministers and the people in your staff for working hard to find a way that meets our laws and didn't inconvenience the people of Canada or the United States. So, I'm pleased with that progress.”
For his part, Prime Minister Harper also had a positive report on the talks with Bush to share. He also had words of praise for his American counterpart.
“That said, what I appreciate most, what I've appreciated in our relationship over the past couple years has been the fact that whether we agree or disagree, we're always able to talk very frankly, very up-front,” Harper said. “The President has never promised me anything he couldn't deliver, and that's always appreciative -- appreciated.”
