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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, MARCH 22, 1985
The film on Thailand that we saw at Bible study was so very moving
to me. It makes so much sense that what the king and queen are
doing there is what we will be doing during the Millennium. The
way that they work with their people is truly inspiring. The
film also helped me realize how great my responsibility is to our
four children, to teach them God's way.
ON THE WORLD SCENE
Mrs. F.B. (Piqua, OH)
--Richard Rice, Mail Processing Center
CANADA AND u.s.: MENDING THE FENCES
I
POLITICALLY AND MILITARILY Just a
brief look this week at American-Canadian relations, which have in recent
months taken on a very positive tone. This trend began in earnest with the
election of Brian Mulroney, first as leader of the Progressive Conservative
Party in June 1983 and his subsequent election as Prime Minister last Sep
tember, events that greatly pleased President Reagan.
Last week this
growing across-the-border comaraderie culminated in the St. Patrick's Day
"Shamrock Summit" (both men are of Irish extraction) in Quebec City. Tele
vised news coverage showed the two men and their wives heartily singing
"When Irish Eyes are Smiling" on stage at a gala dinner.
There's no doubt Mr. Reagan and Mr. Mulroney get along very well together.
Not only are they similar in their conservative views, there is "good chem
istry" between them. Asked about Mr. Mulroney's personality, Mr. Reagan
responded in the March 18, 1985 issue of MACLEAN'S, the Canadian news week
ly:
People respond more warmly to some than to others. We're all
human. And I confess that I like Brian Mulroney a lot. He is a
true Canadian patriot. He is honest, hardworking, intelligent
and articulate--in two languages at that. So, let's just say
that the chemistry is good.
At the summit, the two leaders signed a number of bilateral accords, in
cluding one which ends a bitter 15-year battle over West Coast fishing
rights. The sensitive issue of acid rain, and the role of U.S. industry in
contaminating Canadian forests and lakes, was assigned to commissions to
investigate.
The most critical decision was the agreem�nt to upgrade the early warning
DEW defense line in Canada's extreme north with new technology along with
adding ·additional unmanned radar units. To be renamed the North Warning
System, Canada for the first time will share in the costs of the system
(which is intended to warn against manned bombers and cruise missiles) as
well as sharing in the defense contracts necessary to upgrade the system,
giving Canada access to U.s. technology. This development flows from Mr.
Mulroney's intention to contribute more to Canada's role in both North
American defense and NATO (he also dispatched additional troops to Europe
as a gesture in this regard) as well as further intensifying Canadian-u.s.
economic ties. Unlike the previous Trudeau government, Mr. Mulroney is
actively encouraging investment from the U.S. and elsewhere.
To further explain the relationship between Canada and the United States, we
present excerpts of two articles, the first one from the March 10 SAN DIEGO
UNION, entitled "Canada--World's Biggest Buffer State." (The Soviets could