The Prime Minister has arrived in Washington, D.C., for a two-day visit intended to reaffirm ties between Canada and the U.S. But when Paul Martin and President George Bush finally sit down, they might find little in common.

As the prime minister heads to Washington accompanied by three cabinet ministers, he's armed with the concerns of premiers from across the country.

On Monday, Martin held a conference call with premiers and territorial leaders to find out what issues they wanted raised during his meetings with President Bush and other American officials.

Officials in the Prime Minister's Office said the 30-minute call was the first of its kind.

Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert reportedly told the PM that the mad cow crisis tops Saskatchewan's list of priorities. P.E.I. Premier Pat Binns also expressed concern on agricultural issues.

Manitoba Premier Gary Doer echoed Binn's worries about mad cow but also asked Martin to express concern about a North Dakota proposal to send potentially polluted waters north.

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell and Nova Scotia Premier John Hamm talked about energy and softwood lumber.

Clean slate

Although the halls of power in north of the border are abuzz with anticipation of the meeting, sources tell CTV News that the concern is of a different stripe in the White House.

The focus there, some suggest, is not having any negative publicity about the Canadian sponsorship program rub off on Bush as he bears down on a November election.

According to Centre for Strategic and International Studies' analyst Chris Sands, many insiders see this week's meeting as a favour extended by the White House.

"They're convinced their man is pulling ahead and he's not going back," he told CTV News, explaining this is Canada's chance to make up for the strain many have read into its relationship with the U.S. of late.

"The feeling is, 'Get this darn thing out of the way so we can have a clean slate'."

But that doesn't mean pundits expect the two leaders to make progress on some of their key differences.

Few expect Martin to strike a deal to lift the U.S. ban on importing live cattle, for example. Nor is he expected to raise the issue of American missile defence plans.

Republicans in the Capitol also remain ambivalent about Canada's border in terms of security against attack, and drugs.

On Capitol Hill, however, Martin might find traction with Democrats uneasy with their country's ongoing involvement in Iraq.

"I know that every person in our country considers Canada a good neighbor and cooperation on the war on terrorism is greatly appreciated," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said.

She noted that's not the attitude in the administration. "I am sure the President would have a different answer."

New Secretariat

But Martin is expected to do his best to put relations between the two nations on a better footing, beginning with the creation of a new secretariat at the Canadian Embassy.

"This will help others make their representations more effective," a source told The Canadian Press. "It's very pragmatic and it's very much focused."

The prime minister will also outline Canada's view of the world in a speech to scholars at an international think-tank on Thursday.

Mired in his own pseudo-election campaign, the latest poll suggests Martin and his Liberals are still not in a position to form a majority government. A Leger Marketing survey shows decided support for the Liberals at 38 per cent.

That's only about 12 percentage points ahead of the Conservatives. The NDP has 17 per cent support, and the Bloc Quebecois 12. The results were nearly identical to a Leger poll done a month ago.

The 40-point threshold is considered the minimum needed to win a majority in Parliament.

The survey did reveal that Martin was well ahead of his rivals when people were asked which leader they would trust to tackle issues such as public finances, national unity and health care.

The poll of 1,500 Canadians, conducted between April 20 and 24, is considered accurate within 2.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

Regardless of the numbers, it's still unclear whether Martin plans to take his put his mandate to a vote anytime soon.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting Tuesday afternoon, Martin insisted that he had not decided whether to call an election before the summer break.

"No, not at all. Right now, we're far more focused certainly on health care and on how the whole cities file is evolving and, obviously, this week the trip to Washington."

At the moment, June 14 is being eyed as the most likely date for an election. Allowing for a five-week campaign, that means Martin would have to make the call on May 9.

Already, the Liberal Party apparatus is betraying the campaign preparations.

About 280 of the party's 308 candidates have already been chosen, campaign offices re being quietly opened, and the prime minister has posed for publicity photos with his candidates.