Cablegate: Canada: (2/5) 220th Meeting of the U.S.-Canada

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FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
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RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
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SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS NORAD CA
SUBJECT: CANADA: (2/5) 220TH MEETING OF THE U.S.-CANADA
PERMANENT JOINT BOARD ON DEFENSE - VISION AND PRINCIPLES
DOCUMENT

1. (U) U.S. Co-Chairman George Nethercutt and Canadian
Co-Chairman Rick Casson, M.P. convened the 220th meeting of
the Permanent Joint Board on Defense (PJBD) at the Canadian
Maritime Warfare Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia October 9-11,
2007 (septels). This is the second in a series of five
telegrams. It documents the PJBD's deliberations on the
Vision and Principles Document.

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Vision and Principles
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2. (SBU) Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade (DFAIT) Director General (DG) for
International Security Don Sinclair launched the discussion
of the Vision and Principles Document by noting that Prime
Minister Harper supported it and that it should serve to
guide the PJBD and the relevant elements of the two
governments in the future. Canadian Military Policy
representative Major General Chris Davis asserted that the
Document would show that the CANUS defense and security
establishments were adapting and evolving. With the backing
of our national leaders, he said, it would also give us the
power to move our respective domestic policies in the right
direction.

3. (SBU) DG Sinclair noted that Canada would like to launch
the Document at the commemoration of NORAD's 50th anniversary
in May 2008 as a way to re-emphasize the two countries'
common vision for continental security and to draw public
attention to our "deep and enduring" partnership. The next
step for the Canadian side would be to have the foreign,
defense, and public safety ministers clear the Document and
table it in Cabinet. To this end, the Canadians would like a
signal from the U.S. side that it, too, is ready to press
ahead. NORAD Deputy Commander LtGen Charles Bouchard said
NORAD would plan for the Document to be featured at the NORAD
commemoration. U.S. NSC Representative Richard Miles
observed that the next scheduled opportunity for the
President and the Prime Minister to meet could occur as early
as April 2008, during the North American Leaders' Summit at a
venue to be determined in the U.S.

4. (SBU) Co-Chair Nethercutt responded that the U.S. side was
satisfied with the language in the Document and said that he
would ask the secretaries of State, Homeland Security, and
Defense to seek the President's direct involvement, perhaps
to include signing the Document alongside the Canadian Prime
Minister at the NORAD commemoration. State Department
WHA/CAN Office Director Alex Lee said he would staff it with
a view towards having it ready for leaders' signatures in
2008. Sinclair interjected that he would do the same on the
Canadian side, and Co-Chair Casson ended the discussion by
noting there was consensus on the need to complete and tee-up
the Document quickly.

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Vision and Principles Document
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5. (SBU) Following is a text of the Visions and Principles
Document:

Begin text

Canada-United States defence and security cooperation
reflects our shared geography, contiguous borders,
international commitments and interests, and a common
Qinternational commitments and interests, and a common
understanding of the threats and vulnerabilities facing our
two countries. We are committed to protecting our citizens,
while promoting democracy, human rights, prosperity,
opportunity and a better quality of life. We have stood fast
by each other for decades in facing challenges at home and
abroad. Taking a coherent approach to defence and security
requires that we have the capacity to address new challenges.
The bedrock of the Canada-U.S. defence and security
relationship is our ability to act effectively, in a timely
and coordinated fashion, consistent with our national
interests and sovereignty, to detect, deter, disrupt, and

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defeat military and terrorist threats to Canada and the
United States, as far from our borders as possible. We also
cooperate in non-military security matters, such as border
operations, critical infrastructure protection and emergency
management.

Fundamentals of the relationship:
-- North American defence and security is a shared
responsibility
-- Our unique geographic relationship and integrated
economies make the security and prosperity of our countries
inter-dependent
-- An attack against either country is an attack on both
-- As members of the broader international community we have
a common responsibility for promoting global peace and
security
-- We have a mutual commitment to peace, democracy and human
rights and we strive to promote these values in ways that are
shaped by our distinct histories, cultures and roles in the
world
-- We rely upon an integrated defence industrial and
technology base
-- We work in partnership for the protection of shared
critical infrastructure in North America

For the continued success of our defence and security
relations we must:
(1) recognize that we are more secure when we address
continental issues together than when we act alone;
(2) prevent the territories of our countries from being used
by third parties to plan, launch or support attacks on the
other;
(3) share relevant information and intelligence in a timely
and efficient manner, consistent with our domestic laws and
international legal obligations;
(4). prepare, plan, train, exercise and advise on responses
to threats, natural and human-induced disasters, to
facilitate the support by the other offered in time of need;
(5) cooperate on defense and security issues where common
interests and concerns require an effective response to
threats to peace and security before they reach our borders;
(6) support and collaborate on science and technology R&D in
defense and security to equip ourselves with the necessary
tools today and in the future to support our cooperative
defense and security;
(7) facilitate interoperability and joint action, by putting
in place the necessary structures and legal framework; and
(8) enhance existing mechanisms and where necessary create
new ones, to address emerging challenges and improve
consultation across the range of our endeavors.

End Text

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