Antics of Canadian Aimed at Bush on Eve of Presidential Visit

WASHINGTON – An antiwar Canadian lawmaker stomped on a doll of President Bush during a television satire just more than a week before the American leader is due to arrive in Ottawa for a two-day visit, reinforcing worries about the rowdy reception Mr. Bush may get north of the border.The stunt by the Liberal member of Parliament, Carolyn Parrish, who tossed a Bush doll on the floor and ground it under her heel, embarrassed Prime Minister Martin. After trying to downplay the incident, Mr. Martin, who is also a Liberal, punished the lawmaker.The leader of the Conservative Party, John Reynolds, said Ms. Parrish’s behavior sets the wrong example, particularly for children. “Somebody like that,” he said, “needs some real help.”Mr. Bush’s trip to Canada at the end of the month, scheduled to be his first visit to another country since his reelection, is part of an effort by Mr. Martin and Washington to repair the countries’ relations, which became severely strained when Canada did not join the American-led invasion of Iraq.Last May, Mr. Bush canceled a scheduled trip to Canada a fortnight after Prime Minister Chretien, Mr. Martin’s predecessor, pulled out of a planned visit to Washington, in what was seen as a snub to the Bush administration.Already chilly before Mr. Martin became prime minister last spring, relations worsened when Mr. Martin used anti-American rhetoric during the Canadian election campaign.The White House has been restrained in reaction to Ms. Parrish’s theatrics. “The president and his team have the highest respect for the Canadian people and members of the Canadian Parliament,” said a spokesman, Sean McCormack. “Freedom of expression is a great tradition in our democracies.”But the bizarre antics of a member of Mr. Martin’s own party incensed Canadian Conservatives, who demanded that Ms. Parrish, who represents a district outside Toronto, be ejected from the Liberal caucus. At the same time, Ms. Parrish’s gesture has complicated discussions between Washington and Ottawa over details of Mr. Bush’s upcoming visit. Amid fears that Mr. Bush may be heckled, or confronted by what one Canadian politician has dubbed boorish behavior, there is no agreement yet on whether the president will address Parliament. Many political leaders hope he will.One Conservative politician, Gordon O’Connor, argued that an address by Mr. Bush may help to improve relations. “Bring him to Parliament so we can see him and hear him face to face,” said Mr. O’Connor, “and maybe those people who demonize him might see that he’s a human being like everybody else.”In 1987, a Canadian politician, Svend Robinson, heckled President Reagan as he addressed a joint session of the Canadian legislature, and Mr. Martin and opposition leaders are fearful the same thing could happen. They have appealed to lawmakers to show Mr. Bush respect and have sought to secure promises from their party members to refrain from heckling.In a bid to placate opposition party critics and to send a message to junior lawmakers, Mr. Martin, after initially saying only that he didn’t share Ms. Parrish’s sense of humor, acceded yesterday to Conservative demands and ejected Ms. Parrish from the Liberal caucus. She will remain in Parliament as an independent member.A maverick, Ms. Parrish said last year she regretted saying she hated Americans and calling them “bastards.” More recently, and without any subsequent expression of regret, she renamed Mr. Bush’s anti-terror coalition of the willing “a coalition of the idiots.”Asked whether she was worried about her television jibe doing further damage to Washington-Ottawa relations, Ms. Parrish said: “I’m not worried. Do I look worried?” The stunt was aired Wednesday night by the program “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. A Bush action figure is handed to a smiling Ms. Parrish, who then throws it on the floor and as, the camera zooms in, stomps on it.“C’mon guys. It’s humor, it’s humor – if you can’t make fun of yourself, what the heck is the point of living?” she told the Toronto Star newspaper.Mr. Martin once “made a joke about sending me to the moon in a rocket,” she recalled, saying “10% of people don’t get humor, 10%’s never going to be happy.”Although Ms. Parrish is a renegade, her history of anti-Bush remarks has made her into a folk hero of sorts in a country where recent polls have found 59% of respondents hold a negative view of Mr. Bush. Major students and antiwar demonstrations are being planned for the president’s visit.“We invite all who oppose Bush and his policies to come to Ottawa for these events. We are organizing housing, food and legal resources, and a central information and welcome centre. Anyone demonstrating against Bush can make use of these resources,” the Web site of Canada’s No to Bush Committee said.With security and protocol concerns mounting, the Universite du Quebec a Montreal canceled a speech Tuesday by the American ambassador, Paul Cellucci, citing unspecified worries. Mr. Bush was heckled last year by two opposition senators during an address to Australia’s Parliament. When the lawmakers refused to stop, he said: “I love free speech.”Mr. Martin invited the re-elected Mr. Bush to Ottawa during a congratulatory telephone call after the presidential election. Talks between them will range from security issues concerning the border to the war on terror and the Middle East, according to the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan. The Canadian leader is likely to press Mr. Bush on trade issues stemming from mad-cow disease and softwood lumber imports.

Antics of Canadian Aimed at Bush on Eve of Presidential Visit

Antics of Canadian Aimed at Bush on Eve of Presidential Visit

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