WASHINGTON—Frank McKenna arrives in the U.S. capital Wednesday, the new occupant of a spacious, well-appointed office on a pricey piece of Pennsylvania Ave. real estate, complete with a stunning view of Capitol Hill.
But as he contemplates his new vista, Ottawa's 20th ambassador to Washington must ask himself a pertinent question — is anyone looking back at him?
Close observers of the Canada-U.S. relationship on both sides of the border say Ottawa is slipping further into irrelevancy in Washington, a city with a million competing interests. When one of those interests can't keep up, it is left behind, and McKenna has a lot of catching up to do.
Two years ago, Jean Chrétien's decision to keep Canadians out of U.S. President George W. Bush's Iraq war sparked surprise and anger here.
Last week's decision by Paul Martin to keep Canada out of the U.S. continental ballistic missile shield was seen as a sign that the Prime Minister is letting recalcitrant caucus members run the government and allowing an anti-American strain back into Canadian foreign policy at a time when the Bush administration is focused on rebuilding relations with Europe.
Any anger was replaced by a shrug of the shoulders and a shake of the head — followed by a quick pivot on to more important things.
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