Cables say former Manitoba premier helped create “terribly strained” relationship
Former Manitoba premier and current Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Gary Doer contributed to a “terribly strained” relationship with American counterparts during a 2005 water dispute, WikiLeaks cables reveal. The diplomatic documents describe Doer’s opposition to the re-routing of water from Devil’s Lake in North Dakota, citing “angry rhetoric” over concerns about invasive foreign species and pollution entering Manitoba’s water system. Doer, then premier, was reportedly insisting that the matter be put before the International Joint Commission, a bilateral body created to settle water disputes between the U.S. and Canada. Doer was named ambassador to Washington by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2009. In an interview, former Canadian foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy told the CBC that the 2005 dispute shouldn’t affect Doer’s work as U.S. ambassador.