<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Trudeau Washington Press Club speech Trudeau's famous "sleeping with an elephant" quotation </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Trudeau Washington Press Club speech Trudeau's famous "sleeping with an elephant" quotation </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau famously said that being America's neighbour "is like sleeping with an elephant . No matter how friendly and even - tempered the beast, if one can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt ." </Li> <Li> Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, sharply at odds with the U.S. over Cold War policy, warned at a press conference in 1971 that the overwhelming American presence posed "a danger to our national identity from a cultural, economic and perhaps even military point of view ." </Li> <Li> President Richard Nixon, in a speech to Parliament in 1972 was angry at Trudeau, declared that the "special relationship" between Canada and the United States was dead . "It is time for us to recognize," he stated, "that we have very separate identities; that we have significant differences; and that nobody's interests are furthered when these realities are obscured ." </Li> <Li> In late 2001, President George W. Bush did not mention Canada during a speech in which he thanked a list of countries who had assisted in responding to the events of September 11, although Canada had provided military, financial, and other support . Ten years later, David Frum, one of President Bush's speechwriters, stated that it was an unintentional omission . </Li> <Li> Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in a statement congratulating Barack Obama on his inauguration, stated that "The United States remains Canada's most important ally, closest friend and largest trading partner and I look forward to working with President Obama and his administration as we build on this special relationship ." </Li> <Li> President Barack Obama, speaking in Ottawa at his first official international visit in February 19, 2009, said, "I love this country . We could not have a better friend and ally ." </Li> </Ul> <Li> Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau famously said that being America's neighbour "is like sleeping with an elephant . No matter how friendly and even - tempered the beast, if one can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt ." </Li>

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