Trump And Trudeau Meet Face To Face For The First Time
The first face to face meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Trump could be the most important meeting for Canada in decades between leaders of the two neighbors. Trudeau will be at the White House on Monday at a time many Canadians fear Trump will enact protectionist measures that could hurt their economy and worry the new president could be as combative as he was with the leaders of Mexico and Australia.
Trudeau, 45, and Trump, 70, have vastly different outlooks on the world. Trudeau is a liberal who champions global trade and has welcomed 40,000 Syrian refugees. Trump is a protectionist and his moves to restrict entry of refugees and immigrants are expected to come up Monday. But Trudeau is expected to emphasize common economic interests.
"We're going to talk about all sorts of things we align on, like jobs and economic growth, opportunities for the middle class - the fact that millions of good jobs on both sides of our border depend on the smooth flow of goods and services across that border," Trudeau said.
The atmosphere at the White House appeared cordial as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flashed a charming smile that appeared to coax President Trump out of his usual scowl. Their official joint statement was devoid of virtually any negative comments and, notably, made no mention of tearing up nor even renegotiating NAFTA.
Interestingly, in a Fox op-ed yesterday, former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) an early supporter of the president's wrote that "A United States-Canada trade agreement may be a profitable parallel to a U.S.–Great Britain trade deal." Gingrich's thoughts seem to portend some significant change in NAFTA. But let's return to the official joint statement, which offered much good news for a variety of sectors.
It noted that "Canada is the most important foreign market for thirty-five U.S. States, and more than $2 billion in two-way trade flows across our shared border every day," which creates and sustains millions of good-paying jobs for middle-class Americans and Canadians.
Energy and the environment were highlighted next; as the statement noted, the "world's largest energy-trading relationship" works to our mutual benefit, and the Keystone XL pipeline is a top priority for both leaders.
A clear focus was properly placed on border security, with no mention of the 9/11 myth that the terrorists came through Canada rather, the statement focused on NORAD, pre-clearance and the "building [of] a 21st-century border" with information-sharing beneficial to both countries. The release expressed a clear understanding of the need for infrastructure spending and the adoption of strategies like co-locating border officers.
And in a pleasant surprise, the inclusion of the section on "Empowering Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders" was most welcome. The statement concluded with a commitment to strengthening our common bond for "mutual prosperity and security."
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