WASHINGTON Canadian officials took cold comfort today as the U.S. government finalized the wording of a provocative Buy American initiative with no last-minute surprises that would awaken further trade-war fears.

Diplomatic sources in Washington early today confirmed that the nearly $800-billion stimulus package will proceed toward President Barack Obama's desk to be signed into law with a provision to steer the money toward American-made products but not in any way that would violate international agreements.

The clause to uphold trade agreements gives "some comfort" to Canada, said Trade Minister Stockwell Day. But the bill also serves as a reminder that the threat of protectionism must never be taken lightly, he said.

"It does underline the fact that we have to continue to push back against protectionism" and move ahead with free-trade agreements such as those Canada is pursuing with Peru, Colombia, Jordan, India and countries in Europe, he said.

Scholars of Canada-U.S. relations point out that the "Buy American" theme has echoed through the years, just one manifestation of a cross-border history fraught with trade flaps.

"Protectionism is as American as apple pie," Carleton University's Colin Robertson told a Washington free-trade panel earlier this week, going on to describe the first instance of U.S. sanctions against New Brunswick timber in the George Washington era.

But Robertson and others in the U.S. capital say Obama's repeated warnings against the dangers of turning inward demonstrate that the view south of the border is evolving.

"(The protectionist impulse) is not going to go away. It's going to get worse as unemployment rises. We've experienced this before," said Robertson, a career Canadian diplomat on loan to Carleton to focus on cross-border relations.

"What we are particularly encouraged to see is this is becoming an American debate. It's not Americans versus the world. It's Americans debating Americans. And that, I think, is how it's going to be resolved."