Prime Minister Stephen Harper greets Australian Prime Minister John Howard in Ottawa on Thursday.

Ties between Canada and Australia 'great': Howard

Updated Fri. May. 19 2006 3:22 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Australian Prime Minister John Howard addressed Canada's Parliament Thursday, and said the ties between the two countries are great but must be made stronger.

He spoke to both the Senate and Commons and was the first foreign leader to visit Ottawa since Stephen Harper became prime minister.

"Perhaps if I could characterize our relationship, I would put it this way: we have much in common, but not as much to do with each other as we should," he said.

Howard said the "ties of history" between Australia and Canada are "very great." Both owe much to the European nations that helped form their governments, and both are countries with rich multicultural communities.

"We are both in a sense children of the Enlightenment: that period of rational inquiry, progress and modernity, which burst out of Europe but found some of it's more fertile acceptance in the nations of the New World," he said.

Both countries have also "shared many sacrifices" in conflicts around the world, most notably in their fight against the tyranny of Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

He also paid tribute "to the enormous contribution of the Canadian nation to efforts in Afghanistan," and said terrorism can only be defeated by a more forceful and aggressive foreign policy.

"Terrorism will not be defeated by rolling ourselves into a small ball and going into a corner and imagining that somehow or other we will escape notice," he said.

And on that note, he added America has made the world safer by confronting terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"The United States has been a remarkable power for good in the world. And the decency and hope that the power and purpose that the United States represent in the world is something we should deeply appreciate,'' Howard told the Commons.

In a moment of levity, Howard said he didn't understand why cricket is popular in Australia but not in Canada. And, although he found Canada's obsession with hockey strange, he took a moment to congratulate the Edmonton Oilers for making it to the Stanley Cup semifinals.

Only one other Australian prime minister has addressed Parliament: John Curtin, in June 1, 1944. Other foreign leaders to address the Commons and Senate include Mexican President Vicente Fox in October 2004, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2001.

Harper welcomes Howard

Harper welcomed Howard -- a fellow conservative prime minister -- with full military honours, and also highlighted the similarities between Canada and Australia.

"Our two nations have much in common and much to be proud of, and I have no doubt that the close relationship between our two countries will continue for many years to come," Harper said in welcoming Howard.

"In the months and years that lie ahead, I look forward to working with Prime Minister Howard on enhancing the special relationship that exists between Canberra and Ottawa."

Howard will spend three days in Canada, and the two prime ministers will dine with their wives Thursday at 24 Sussex Drive.

Political analysts said Harper's election campaign was modeled after the success of Howard's three successive election victories. The Australian prime minister is also the only foreign leader Harper forged close ties with before coming to power.

Unions protest Howard's visit

Meanwhile, some unions were angered by Howard's address to Parliament, saying he has damaged Australia's public service.

The Canadian Auto Workers union and the Public Service Alliance of Canada both called Howard's visit an insult, according to The Canadian Press.

Greenpeace also gave a cool response to Howard. The environmental group has criticized both Howard and Harper for moving towards the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate as an alternative to Kyoto.

Greenpeace has argued that the Asia-Pacific Partnership "is a non-binding fraud designed to help coal-producing countries dodge Kyoto commitments," CP said.

With files from The Canadian Press