Canada Leader Facing Rebuff in Reagan Talks

Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney is facing an American rebuff on the most contentious issue between his country and the United States despite his open and aggressive pro-U.S. foreign policy.

When Mulroney and President Reagan meet over a 26-hour period starting Sunday in Quebec City, four major subjects are on the agenda, with the question of acid rain at the top of the Canadians’ list.

For years, Canada has pressed for American action to ease the increasingly serious problems of environmental pollution caused by emissions from aging industrial plants in the United States. The argument here is that these emissions, called acid rain, are killing forests, poisoning lakes and rivers and even causing buildings to rot.

The Reagan Administration’s counter-argument is that not enough is known to prove that industrial plant emissions are the true cause of the destructive patterns that Canadian governments claim plague their country.

More Time for Research

Rather than budget the $10 billion that some scientists estimate it would take to clean up the alleged causes of acid rain, Reagan has insisted on several more years of research into the problem.

Under former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the Canadian tactic was to confront the American position loudly and directly and to seek allies in the northeast United States where state leaders also were protesting the damage resulting from acid rain.

Mulroney, who took office six months ago, settled immediately on a different tactic--to create an atmosphere of support for American positions on other issues and cooperation on environmental concerns.

He carried this position to the point of telling reporters at a news conference last month that Canada’s own record on controlling pollution was so poor that it could not justifiably criticize the Reagan policy.

His government then introduced legislation in Parliament to spend $1.5 billion to reduce air pollution by toughening the nation’s automobile-emission control regulations to equal current American standards.

Yet, even in the face of all these conciliatory statements and Mulroney’s pro-U.S. attitude, Reagan is not expected to do anything substantial to satisfy Canada’s concerns.

Canadian officials who asked not to be named said this week that “fundamental differences” separate the approaches of the two countries, reinforced by Reagan’s determination not to add to his budget deficit by increased spending on the environment.

‘Take Us Seriously’

“At best,” one External Affairs Ministry official said, “we might get Reagan to take us seriously.” Even that modest expectation was put in doubt when Assistant Secretary of State Richard R. Burt sharply criticized the Canadian stance.

“Our commitment to cleaning up the environment . . . is really second to none, including Canada,” he told reporters in a televised news conference carried here over satellite. This led one Canadian official to tell the Toronto Star that the discussions will “begin from ground zero, and the odds are very much against us.”

Besides acid rain, the two leaders will discuss defense, arms control and trade policies.

Mulroney already has thrown total support behind Reagan’s so-called “Star Wars” space defense policy, at least in the research stage, and has promised to increase Canada’s contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Even in the area of trade, there is little contention, for Mulroney generally agrees with Reagan’s pro-free trade approach.

The schedule for the “Shamrock Summit,” as some have called the meeting because of its St. Patrick’s Day timing and the Irish background of the two leaders, is an indication of the seriousness of the session. Of the total 26 hours set aside for Reagan’s trip, Reagan and Mulroney will hold direct talks for only 2 1/2 hours.