As my friend Lawrence Martin, author of the seminal volume, The Presidents and the Prime Ministers, observes, Canadians most often feel a greater affinity for Democratic occupants of the U.S. Oval Office, as opposed to Republican Presidents. This despite the fact that Republican administrations often pursue less protectionist policies and other programs of benefit to Canada. Examples include President George H.W. Bush’s signing of the Acid Rain Treaty with Canada, or, Richard Nixon and Pierre Trudeau’s work on the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in the 1970s.

President Dwight Eisenhower, however, was a Republican Chief Executive Canadians loved. He had commanded Canadian troops during the Second World War and was a voice of reason and moderation during those early days of the Cold War. Canadians liked Ike!

You can listen to President Ike’s address at this link. caption id="attachment_1452707" align="alignleft" width="300" President Dwight Eisenhower/caption Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist.  He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy.  A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.