Link trade issues, new industry minister urges

[CHIMO]

OTTAWA (CP) — Prime Minister Paul Martin's newest economic minister maintains it is time Canada put all its rocks in the sling in get-tough trade negotiations with what he calls the American Goliath.

And if that means stepping on a few of his cabinet colleagues' toes and rattling some bureaucrats, so be it, Industry Minister David Emerson said in an interview today with The Canadian Press.

"I may be a pain in the ass because I speak a little bit outside the boundaries of the narrow confines of Industry Canada," said the former CEO of B.C.-based forestry giant Canfor.
He's an engaging mix of economic nationalist and globalization strategist, as comfortable heralding the critical importance of global supply chains as he is championing a made-in-Canada ``north-by-northwest" economic compass.


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