Almost nothing about Canada's and America's economic hopes and dreams align.

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Alec Bruce

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As Stephen Harper dogs the heels of Barack Obama "" providing praise and Monday morning quarterbacking for virtually every policy statement the U.S. president issues to world leaders "" a gorilla the size of Alberta waits to crush the pipeline of conviviality between the continent's two largest trading partners.

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Since February's fly-by, when Obama dropped in to woo and charm Ottawa's most powerful residents, the relationship between Canada and the United States has been warmer than a summer rain. Operating against type, the archly conservative Harper "" who once relished his proximity to George W. Bush "" has offered nothing but fulsome kudos to the smart, savvy, handsome Democrat from Illinois.

Following last week's Summit of the Americas, for example, he had this to say about his new best friend: "I was very worried about the atmosphere of confrontation that exists in our region. But we saw a remarkable change during this summit. And that means the era of confrontation was replaced by the era of dialogue. In the difficult economic times in which we're living, I think this is a tremendously promising development."

Would that were true in the tougher, grittier, more partisan arena proscribed by the North American Free Trade Agreement, where talk is cheap, money changes everything, and friendships melt in the crucible of national interest.

Canada's national economic interest is clearly in its tar sands (or, more precisely, in the volume of dirty oil it can squeeze into barrels for export to the mother of all thirsty markets, the good old stars and stripes). Conversely, America's national economic interest is energy independence. And that means new investments in solar, wind, and nuclear power (all of which are designed to stem the flow of sawbucks overseas, build internal industrial capacity, and generate good, lasting jobs).

In reality, then, almost nothing about Canada's and America's economic hopes and dreams align. We remain a willing exporter of the very products the United States increasingly resents buying.

In fact, according to Bob Page, the chair of Ottawa's National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, "I don't think we have a hope in hell of fighting them [the Americans]. Canadians overemphasize and exaggerate their role in the U.S. Congress, I'm afraid. And the people I have talked to "" some of the key senators and key representatives "" have stated to me categorically that Canada will play no role in terms of the development of a very complex piece of legislation through the U.S. Senate. I think we have to be realistic in terms of the momentum that's building of a protectionist nature which just happens to have the environment as a tool to use."

Still, if "the environment" is their "tool to use" why shouldn't it be ours to wield? Forget carbon taxes and cap and trade protocols. These are timid, boring conventions crafted by number-crunchers and their political masters, who play for time on a planet that's quickly running out of this, and every other, resource. Instead, embrace the improbable, and make in possible.

Why not transform Ontario's auto industry into a global electric and fuel-cell center of excellence? Why not marshal British Columbia's vast expertise in biomass production and turn it into a multi-billion-dollar export industry? Why not harness the winds and tides off Canada's East Coast, and create a renewable and environmentally pristine form of in-situ power for millions of citizens? Why not reconstruct Alberta's big sky country into massive solar farms?

If the technology doesn't exist, let's invent it. If our innovations fail to meet our expectations, let's fill the gaps. If our money runs dry, let's print more. If our courage crumbles, let's pray for its return.

But never, in this global economy, should we follow the tried and tired.

We should only lead.

That's how you crush the gorilla.

Alec Bruce is a Moncton-based writer. He may be reached via www.thebrucereport.com.