Canada/U.S./Mexico summit done

There will be a sequel to this triumvirate of political leaders next year in Canada.

Next year's version will have at least one new player. Mexico will have a new president before the next session. Reportedly, that leader will be more anti-U.S. than Fox. And not to spark anything, but there is a possibility that Harper will not be the one hosting the event. And while a long shot, that person could be more anti-U.S. than Harper.

You could say Harper could be stronger (another election with more seats, perhaps a majority). But at least, from the U.S. standpoint, this was the best opportunity to get something done.

So what about this year's version of the Harper-Fox-Bush show?

Harper got Bush to listen to his concerns about softwood lumber and security at border crossings. And Bush didn't really ask for much on the flip side (troops in Iraq, NORAD, etc.). So that can be seen as "progress." How much so we won't know for some time.

Still, to be fair, discussion is progress since there hasn't been much talk. Given past precedence, the leaders of the three countries normally talk much more often.

Even before the talks, Bush said he was "always optimistic" on a softwood lumber deal. Whether that's true, no one at least considered that he even gave thought to the subject.

The three parties agreed on the establishment of a North American Competitiveness Council. This involves business representatives as well as representatives of the three governments to create a more competitive market. They also want to commit to smarter and safer borders to reduce border slowdowns affecting legitimate trade flow.

They are also going to work toward regulatory cooperation (which I thought NAFTA was supposed to get rid of), and also working toward clean energy technologies.

The fact that another meeting is scheduled for 2007 is optimistic. But the first meeting between these three countries should have happened in 2001, not 2006.

Groundwork does seem to be laid for a number of issues. But like planting a garden in springtime, it's too soon to tell. The people are proverbially starving for something. So hopefully, something will grow.