Prime Minister Trudeau and President Obama
– Momentum Public Relations –
In the first official visit for a Canadian Prime Minister in 19 years, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited US President Barack Obama last week as part of an effort to strengthen ties between the two countries. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, Fisheries Minister Hunter Tootoo, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion, and International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, also traveled with Trudeau to meet their Washington counterparts.
When Trudeau arrived in the US, members of the press compared his progressive politics and themes of hope and change to Obama’s 2008 campaign. Obama himself said Trudeau’s time in office would bring “new energy and dynamism not only to Canada but to the relationship between our nations.”
Trudeau showed his appreciation for the First Family with a series of thoughtful gifts. Mr. Obama received an aboriginal statue, Mrs. Obama received a beaded cape, their daughters Sasha and Malia received scarves from an Ottawa designer, and their pet dogs Bo and Sunny received Canadian-made dog boots called “Muttluks.” He also expressed admiration for the President’s accomplishments, stressing that he hoped to learn valuable lessons from Obama’s two terms in office. “He’s somebody with a big heart, but also a big brain. And for me to be able to count on a friend who has lived through many of the things that I’m about to encounter on the political stage, on the international stage, it’s a great comfort to me,” Trudeau said.
Topics discussed during Trudeau’s visit highlighted many of the similarities between the counties.
- Canada is the United States’ largest trading partner and sends over $2 billion of goods and services across the border on a daily basis. As such, both countries have a vested interest in taking steps to liberalize trade and reduce bottlenecks at the border.
- Trudeau and Obama will make it easier to travel between Canada and the United States by setting up customs pre-clearance checkpoints in additional locations. The amount of time it currently takes to go between countries has long been a source of irritation for citizens of both the US and Canada.
- As neighboring Arctic nations, Canada and the United States have agreed to fight climate change by reducing methane emissions reductions by 40-45{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} from 2012 levels by 2025.
- Trudeau and Obama have agreed to fight terrorism and enhance security by sharing more information about each country’s no-fly list, while creating a working group to resolve identity errors on the lists.
Although the talks highlighted many areas of agreement between the two countries, there were some notable differences.
- When discussing the plight of Syrian refugees, Trudeau referred to the 25,000 refugees who had arrived in Canada in the past four months as a “source of strength” for the nation. In comparison, over half of governors in the US are opposed to welcoming refugees into their states.
- The decades old softwood lumber dispute, in which the US believes Canada unfairly subsidized its lumber industry, was promised to be resolved soon — despite both Trudeau and Obama stating that neither side would be likely to get everything they wanted in the final deal.
- The US opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline on environmental grounds has long been a chilly spot in US-Canada relations, although both Obama and Trudeau expressed interested in working towards “environmental harmony” moving forward.
Trudeau’s visit to the US concluded with a formal State Dinner at the White House. The event was attended by about 200 guests, including Canadian stars such as actors Michael J. Fox, Mike Myers, and Ryan Reynolds. The menu for the black tie affair highlighted American culinary traditions but paid tribute to Canada’s most popular cuisine with poutine, Nanaimo bars, and white chocolate snowballs. Entertainment was provided by the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, the Washington Performing Arts Children of the Gospel Choir, and American singer Sara Bareilles.
At the conclusion of his visit, Trudeau told reporters that he’d invited Obama to address Canada’s Parliament later in the year. It’s possible that this visit could coincide with the North American Leaders Summit Canada will host this summer.