Choosing sides

Just in case there was any doubt which side the Con government is on in the softwood lumber dispute, take a look at the official Ottawa reaction to yet another win in court on the softwood deal, this one potentially resulting in an order of a full refund:

Friday's 74-page ruling sided with the Canadians in a decision an industry spokesman said opens the door to refunding about $5 billion US in duties and interest...

Federal International Trade Minister David Emerson was unavailable for comment but his communications director said the ruling changes nothing.

“The fact is this decision can be and most likely will be appealed rather quickly to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the federal circuit,” Robert Klager said from Ottawa. “The final outcome of that probably wouldn't be learned until mid-2007.”

It shouldn't be much of a secret that the winning side in a decision should generally want to highlight the outcome, not minimize it. But for Harper and Emerson, a win for Canada is a personal loss, since they've staked their credibility on the claim that Canada can't do anything more than grin and bear it while the U.S. does what it wants. Which makes it less than surprising that Canada's supposed leaders are calling for us to declare defeat in the face of victory...but also begs the question of how long enemies of Canada's cause should be left in charge.