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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, MARCH 22, 1985
has made it as easy as possible for the U.S. military to test the
cruise missile over Canada. When your countryside looks like the
winter terrain around Moscow, it's hard to say no to your NORAD
and NATO partner••••
Ironically·, the cruise tests over Canada illustrate the new stra
tegic implications of the "Star Wars" defense system. If "Star
Wars" ever becomes a reality, Canadian military planners believe
that offensive and defensive strategies will fall back on 20-
year-old precedents. If satellites can protect against inter
continental missiles, then the enemy will try to penetrate the
defense shield with low-flying manned bombers and cruise mis
siles.
A Unique Relationship
Americans, as Canadians are quick to point out, take their northern neigh
bor for granted. Perhaps this is partly due to the fact that the two
brother countri�s have worked so harmoniously together, even in the rela
tively bad years of the Trudeau era. The trade flow between the two nations
is enormous; nothing else compares with it in the entire world. In fact, it
can be said that the only true "Common Market" in the world is in North
America. And while much is said of the predominant role of U.S. industrial
investment in Canada, there is a lot of the reverse investment as well, as a
lengthy article entitled "Canada's New Economic Clout," which appeared in
the February 17, 1985 NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, graphically reveals:
It is entirely possible today that some average American goes to
work in a skyscraper owned by Canadians, that he processes office
forms printed by Canadians before grabbing a quick lunch in a
restaurant owned by Canadians. He buys a Canadian novel in a
bookstore owned by Canadians and perhaps watches a new office
tower being built across the street by a Canadian firm.
After work, he jumps on a railroad car made by Canadians and
powered by electricity from Canada and settles in to read a news
paper printed on Canadian paper. His wife waits for him in a car
built in Canada with Canadian iron ore. They drive on Canadian
cement to a home insured by Canadians and heated by Canadian
natural gas.
On the weekends, if the weather coming down from Canada is nice,
they might take in a race featuring Canadian thoroughbreds, catch
a Canadian-made movie with Canadian stars or stay at home to
watch Canadian football or hockey teams and sip Canadian whisky
or Canadian beer hauled south on an American railroad owned by
the Canadian Government.
It is an important measure of the advanced state of economic in
tegration in North America today that l!Q ..2.n! really� much at
tention to this phenomenon, unique in a world just becoming aware
of its acute economic interdependence. Two independent countries
that once were English colonies and then went their own ways
politically have now drifted back together so closely economical
ly that virtually every action any sector takes has some signifi
cant effect in the other land.