Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Washington today for the much anticipated first face to face meeting with President Donald Trump. The two met this morning in the Oval office and continued over a working lunch at the White House.
“Our relationship with Canada is outstanding”
Professor Nelson Wiseman is Director of the Canadian Studies Program in the department of Political Science at the University of Toronto.
He says while all meetings of Canadian Prime Ministers with U.S. Presidents are highly anticipated, this one had the extra weight of concern over much of what Trump had said during last year’s U.S. election campaign, particularly his repeated vow to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The United States is Canada’s number one trade partner with 76 per cent of Canadian exports going south across the border. And for three-quarters of American states, Canada is the number one trade partner.
Professor Wiseman, however, did not foresee any problems. “They don’t want to ruffle feathers because if they can’t get along with Canada, it begs the question, who can they get along with?” he says.
Indeed much is being made of President Trump’s comment during their joint news conference, that as far as the trade agreement between Canada and the United States was concerned, only “tweaks” were necessary.
Pre-clearance of cargo has been a very recent and much-lauded development between the two countries.
ListenProfessor Wiseman says, as many have noted, that Trudeau must return with a “positive personal relationship with Trump”. That seems to have been achieved.
At a round table gathering with women executives from both sides of the border, President Trump began the meeting commenting on the gift Justin Trudeau had given him.
A black and white photo of a young Donald Trump at a podium in the Waldorf Astoria hotel in 1981 with then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau seated beside him, was what Justin Trudeau offered. Trump said that he greatly admired Pierre Trudeau and would put the photo in a special place.
Patrick Gossage, a former Press Secretary to Pierre Trudeau, said it was a great moment, striking just the right tone. He said it is hard to imagine how much effort goes in to choosing a gift for such an occasion. He commended whoever thought of the gift.
‘Canada-United States Council for the Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs’
The round table meeting with women executives, which was suggested by Katie Telford, Trudeau’s Chief of Staff, was organized on the American side by the President’s daughter, Ivanka Trump.
Along with introductions, the meeting served as the occasion for the announcement of the ‘Canada-United States Council for the Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs’.
Professor Wiseman says “from the American side, I think it’s an attempt here to soften Trump’s image”. He says Trump only won 42 per cent of the female vote, although a majority of white women’s votes. “There’s a perception in the White House that he needs to beef up his support with women, and so this contributes to that.”
“I pledge to work with you in pursuit of our many shared interests”, Trump said during the joint news conference. Now Professor Wiseman is watching to see if Prime Minister Trudeau will invite President Trump to visit Canada.
There’s no word on a reciprocal visit yet, as the Canadian media, and the larger population digests what happened at this first meeting.
Prime Minister Trudeau was joined five cabinet ministers on this trip to Washington; Foreign Minster Chrystia Freeland, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, Transportation Minister Marc Garneau and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.
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