Canada's New, Liberal, Foreign Policy

[Kirkhill]

Sounds more like a plussed-up Combat Team?  ???

Bde HQ and Sigs Sqn with a D&E Coy?

 

[Good2Golf]

Bde HQ, ASIC and Sigs Regt (-) Sqn with a D&E Coy?

FTFY.  ;D

 

[Kirkhill]

Sorry, lost count of the requisite numbers of pips and crowns to be deployed.

 

[sandyson]

The proposed deployment to Latvia is strikingly similar to sending two battalions to reinforce Hong Kong before World War II.  Fewer people but this time the equipment would be lost as well.  (The battalions' equipment was sent separately and late. It was redirected away from the battle.)

 

[Rifleman62]

The equipment went to the Philippine and lost anyway.

 

[Journeyman]

.....and Canada’s new defence policy review emerges as a serious, cohesive policy that Canadians are ready to support financially.

      :rofl:

 

[The Bread Guy]

And, via the PM's Info-machine, the newest player in Canada's foreign affairs mix ...

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced the appointment of Andrew Leslie, Member of Parliament for Orléans, to the position of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In this new position, Mr. Leslie will assume special responsibilities for the Canada-U.S. relationship and play a critical role in building ties with the new U.S. administration.

Mr. Leslie was first elected in the Orléans riding in 2015. As a retired Lieutenant-General, he has a strong background in public service. His dedicated service has been recognized both domestically and internationally on numerous occasions during his 35-year career with the Canadian Armed Forces.

Mr. Leslie, currently the Chief Government Whip, will take up his responsibilities as Parliamentary Secretary on January 30, 2017. His successor as Chief Government Whip will be announced in the coming days.

Quote

“I thank Andy for his outstanding service as Chief Government Whip, and I am delighted he has agreed to take on the role of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs with special responsibilities for the Canada-U.S. relationship. As a retired Lieutenant-General with years of experience working with the U.S., I know he has the necessary relationships and experience to help establish a constructive dialogue with the new U.S. administration.”
- Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Statement and bio also attached in case link doesn't work.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Interesting post (also attached in case link doesn't work) to a blog maintained by an Aussie who someone claims to be a KGB recruit now living in Moscow and who claims Holland and Australian troops were going to attack Russia over the MH17 shootdown on Canada's newest foreign minister ...

Chrystia Freeland (lead image), appointed last week to be the new Canadian Foreign Minister, claims that her maternal family were the Ukrainian victims of Russian persecution, who fled their home in 1939, after Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin agreed on a non-aggression pact and the division of Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union. She claims her mother was born in a camp for refugees  before finding safe haven in Alberta, Canada. Freeland is lying.   

The records now being opened by the Polish government in Warsaw reveal that Freeland’s maternal grandfather Michael (Mikhailo)  Chomiak was a Nazi collaborator from the beginning to the end of the war. He was given a powerful post, money, home and car by the German Army in Cracow, then the capital of the German administration of the Galician region. His principal job was editor in chief and publisher of a newspaper the Nazis created. His printing plant and other assets had been stolen from a Jewish newspaper publisher, who was then sent to die in the Belzec concentration camp.  During the German Army’s winning phase of the war, Chomiak celebrated in print the Wehrmacht’s “success” at killing thousands of US Army troops. As the German Army was forced into retreat by the Soviet counter-offensive, Chomiak was taken by the Germans to Vienna, where he continued to publish his Nazi propaganda, at the same time informing for the Germans on other Ukrainians. They included fellow Galician Stepan Bandera, whose racism against Russians Freeland has celebrated in print, and whom the current regime in Kiev has turned into a national hero ...

And if the author of this post is such a chaser of oligarchs in Russia - why is he still alive and posting generally pro-Russian stuff?

So far, only been picked up by one pro-RUS outlet -- with plenty of anti-Trudeau comments.

#HistoryOrDezinformatsia?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Trudeau's foreign policy is quite easy to understand.

Whenever another country mentions Canada, Trudeau gives them millions of Canadian taxpayer dollars. That's about it, nothing else to see there.

 

[Rifleman62]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/trump-trudeau-meeting-expected-soon-as-ministers-reach-out-to-cabinet-secretaries/article33896998/

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, who commanded troops in Afghanistan, will drop by the Pentagon on Monday to meet his U.S. counterpart, retired four-star Marine Corps general James Mattis. The two former military commanders are expected to discuss the fight against the Islamic State and what additional responsibilities the Americans might expect of Canada within NATO and the North American Aerospace Defence Command [NORAD].

Not taking a shot at our Defence Minister, but is the underlined a bit of a reach?

Mr. Sajjan can be expected to seek guidance on whether the U.S. will continue to stand with Ukraine, given Mr. Trump’s comments about mending relations with Russia. Since Mr. Trump moved into the White House, there has been a surge in violence in Ukraine that is threatening to overturn a ceasefire in the three-year-old conflict.

Canada first deployed about 200 troops to Ukraine in the summer of 2015 to help train government forces after Russia annexed Crimea and began aiding separatist forces in Ukraine’s Donbass region. The mission is set to expire at the end of March, and Ottawa has been non-committal on an extension despite public appeals from the Ukrainian government.

Mr. Saijan will also ask Mr. Mattis what the U.S. thinks of Canada sending up to 600 Canadian peacekeepers to Mali, a deployment now on hold until Ottawa has secured American support. Command of the 13,500-troop UN mission in Mali is now vacant, and the UN has been waiting since December for confirmation that Canada will nominate a general for the post.

 

[FSTO]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/trump-trudeau-meeting-expected-soon-as-ministers-reach-out-to-cabinet-secretaries/article33896998/

Not taking a shot at our Defence Minister, but is the underlined a bit of a reach?

More than a bit I would say.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Not taking a shot at our Defence Minister, but is the underlined a bit of a reach?

Well, if he had more than one person reporting to him, it would be technically correct.  In terms of general understanding of what being a "commander" is about, though, if he was a liaison officer (not to take away from the value of such work), yeah, it is a bit of a stretch.

In other news, I know this'll vastly reassure & cheer up a lot of people around here ...  >  ;D

Global Affairs Canada has established a dedicated team to work on the government’s goal of winning a two-year seat on the United Nations Security Council beginning in 2021.

Eight people are working on Canada’s bid for the Security Council, with six at headquarters in Ottawa and two at Canada’s permanent mission to the UN in New York City, according to the foreign ministry.

Jocelyn Sweet, a spokesperson for Global Affairs, wrote in an email that the team is “tasked with co-ordinating at headquarters, at the UN in New York, and across our diplomatic network to support the international engagement of the prime minister, ministers, and diplomatic representatives.”

She said the team, which has been put together using existing resources, “provides senior officials advice on how Canada can most effectively strengthen its international engagement, particularly with respect to this important multilateral forum.” She added that “staffing requirements to support Canada’s engagement at the UN and resource allocations will evolve over time.” ...

 

[Rifleman62]

Why 2021? Next fixed election is Oct 2019. Are the Liberals, if they gain a seat, going to attempt to have another election timed so that Canada is slotted for the Presidency so they than brag Trudeau not only gained a  seat for Canada but the Presidency? Most Canadians are too dumb to know anything about the UN.

The presidency of the Council is held by each of the members in turn for one month, following the English alphabetical order of the Member States names.

Canada — non-permanent member of the Security Council during the following years:

    1948 – 1949

    1958 – 1959

    1967 – 1968

    1977 – 1978

    1989 – 1990

    1999 – 2000

 

[Underway]

Well, if he had more than one person reporting to him, it would be technically correct.  In terms of general understanding of what being a "commander" is about, though, if he was a liaison officer (not to take away from the value of such work), yeah, it is a bit of a stretch.

In other news, I know this'll vastly reassure & cheer up a lot of people around here ...  >  ;D

In general terms I was technically a commander in Afghanistan as well.  *in commanding voice*  "Hey Cpl, while you're getting a coffee get me one too!  One sugar!".  Odds are though he ran an Int cell and had a number of IntO's and/or IntOps working for him.

It's good at least that he has some deployments to point too.  Helps get traction with the opposite number in the US, who would probably not respect a non-military minister as much.  We will have to apply asymmetric politics(copyrighted by Underway) with this particular administration in order to get stuff done in our best interest.

 

[The Bread Guy]

- edited to add link now available -

PM's statement from the CAN-USA meeting in D.C. (email version attached) - highlights mine:

Joint Statement from President Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

February 13, 2017
Washington, D.C. (États-Unis d’Amérique)

President Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held their first official meeting today in Washington, D.C. and affirmed their longstanding commitment to close cooperation in addressing both the challenges facing our two countries and problems around the world.

No two countries share deeper or broader relations than Canada and the United States. We are bound together by our history, our values, our economy, our environment, and our resolve to improve the lives of our citizens. Our close relationship and ongoing collaboration allow us to successfully meet any challenges we may face over the coming years, and to build a prosperous future for the people of both countries.

Neighbours in Growing our Economies

We recognize our profound shared economic interests, and will work tirelessly to provide growth and jobs for both countries. 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. Millions of American and Canadian middle-class jobs, including in the manufacturing sector, depend on our partnership. We affirm the importance of building on this existing strong foundation for trade and investment and further deepening our relationship, with the common goal of strengthening the middle class.

The United States and Canada also recognize the importance of cooperation to promote economic growth, provide benefits to our consumers and businesses, and advance free and fair trade. We will continue our dialogue on regulatory issues and pursue shared regulatory outcomes that are business-friendly, reduce costs, and increase economic efficiency without compromising health, safety, and environmental standards. We will work together regarding labour mobility in various economic sectors.

Given our shared focus on infrastructure investments, we will encourage opportunities for companies in both countries to create jobs through those investments. In particular, we look forward to the expeditious completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will serve as a vital economic link between our two countries.

Energy Security and Environment

U.S.-Canada energy and environmental cooperation are inextricably linked, and we commit to further improving our ties in those areas. We have built the world’s largest energy trading relationship. We share the goals of energy security, a robust and secure energy grid, and a strong and resilient energy infrastructure that contributes to energy efficiency in both countries. We collaborate closely on energy innovation, particularly in the clean energy sphere. As the process continues for the Keystone XL pipeline, we remain committed to moving forward on energy infrastructure projects that will create jobs while respecting the environment.

We also look forward to building on our many areas of environmental cooperation, particularly along our border and at the Great Lakes, and we will continue to work together to enhance the quality of our air and water.

Partners in Keeping our Border Secure

We recognize the security of our borders as a top priority. Together, we address security at our shared border and throughout our two countries, while expediting legitimate and vital cross-border trade and travel. We demonstrate daily that security and efficiency go hand-in-hand, and we are building a 21st century border through initiatives such as pre-clearance of people and integrated cross-border law enforcement operations. In addition, our two countries are committed to a coordinated entry-exit information system so that records of land and air entries into one country establish exit records for the other.

Recognizing the success of pre-clearance operations for travellers, we commit to establishing pre-clearance operations for cargo. We intend to accelerate the completion of pre-clearance for additional cities and continue to expand this program. Not only will these efforts enhance efficiency at our shared border, they will also strengthen our shared security. In the spirit of a more efficient and secure border, we will also examine ways to further integrate our border operations, including analysis of the feasibility of co-locating border officials in common processing facilities.

Because we share a strong concern about the increase in opioid-related deaths, our countries will work together on common solutions to protect our people from opioid trafficking.

Given the integrated nature of the infrastructure that supports our intertwined economies, cyber threats to either country can affect the other. We therefore commit to further cooperation to enhance critical infrastructure security, cyber incident management, public awareness, private sector engagement, and capacity building initiatives.

Allies in the World

We are indispensable allies in the defence of North America and other parts of the world, through NATO and other multilateral efforts. Our troops have time and again fought together and sacrificed their lives for our shared values. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) illustrates the strength of our mutual commitment. United States and Canadian forces jointly conduct aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning in defence of North America. We will work to modernize and broaden our NORAD partnership in these key domains, as well as in cyber and space.

The United States welcomes Canada’s recently announced decision to launch an open and transparent competition to replace its legacy fleet of CF-18 fighter aircraft. The United States also welcomes Canada’s decision to explore the immediate acquisition of 18 new Super Hornet aircraft as an interim capability to supplement the CF-18s until the permanent replacement is ready. Canada appreciates the cooperation of the United States to facilitate these processes.

The United States values Canada’s military contributions, including in the Global Coalition Against Daesh, and in Latvia. Together, we are harnessing all elements of national power to achieve the goal of degrading and destroying Daesh through our military operations to deny it safe havens and to build the capacity of local partners, stop the flow of foreign terrorist fighters into the Middle East region, cut off access to financing and funding, counter the Daesh narrative, and support the stabilization of communities liberated from Daesh.

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders

It is a priority of both countries to ensure equal opportunities for women in the workforce. We are committed to removing barriers to women’s participation in the business community and supporting women as they advance through it. As part of this effort, we are creating a Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. We expect this initiative to promote the growth of women-owned enterprises and to further contribute to our overall economic growth and competitiveness, as well as the enhanced integration of our economies.

The Way Forward

We share a commitment to continue to strengthen our ties for the benefit of our mutual prosperity and security. We look forward to our cabinets following up on today’s meeting with further discussions in their respective areas of responsibility. Our countries deserve our full commitment to increased economic growth, which we will deliver. The partnership between the United States and Canada will continue to be unique and a model for the world.

PMO Media Relations:
613-957-5555

 

[The Bread Guy]

And from the Whitehouse info-machine - highlights mine ...

Readout of the Vice President's Meeting with Canadian Ministers

Vice President's Meeting with Canadian Ministers

The Vice President met this afternoon with a team of Canadian ministers and their U.S. counterparts in conjunction with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to Washington. The participants in the meeting from Canada included Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale, Minister of Finance William Morneau, Minister of Transport Marc Garneau, and Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan. The Vice President was joined by Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, Acting Deputy Secretary of State Tom Shannon, and members of the Vice President's staff. The Vice President emphasized the importance of the U.S. bilateral relationship with Canada and underscored the need to deepen our cooperation on issues related to trade and investment, border security, and the fight against global terrorism, including the counter-ISIS campaign. The Vice President also discussed the U.S. government's continuing commitment to NATO, and he and the Canadian ministers discussed their expectations for the Munich Security Conference later this week, where he will be traveling to engage with a wide range of NATO allies on issues related to European security. Following their private discussion, the Vice President and the Canadian ministers joined the President and other members of the U.S. and Canadian delegations for a working lunch hosted by the President in the State Dining Room at the White House.

Remarks by President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada in Roundtable with Women Entrepreneurs

Cabinet Room

12:13 P.M. EST

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I'm honored to be here with Prime Minister Trudeau, whose father I knew and respected greatly.  And he gave me a picture of myself and your father, and what a great picture.  I will keep that in very special place -- at the Waldorf Astoria, together. 

We're going to launch the Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs.  We have some of the great ones in this room -- and business leaders.  We have so many great women leaders around the table today, and we're going to go through your names exactly, because many of you I know, some of you I don’t, so I want to find out all about you. 

Women, as you know, I can say that from my past life, I had so many women executives who were phenomenal -- phenomenal -- and really helped me a great deal in business.  So it was really fantastic.  They play a tremendously important role, women in our economy.  Women are the primary source of income in 40 percent of American households and households with children under the age of 18.  In order to create economic growth and lots of very good, well-paying jobs, we must ensure that our economy is a place where women can work and thrive.  And I think that's happening in the United States much more so, and Ivanka is very much involved in this.  And I appreciate you being involved in it. 

And I know, Justin, in Canada it's happening big league, and it's very important.  We need policies that help to keep women in the workforce and to address the unique barriers faced by female entrepreneurs -- and they are unique.  We need to make it easier for women to manage the demands of having both a job and a family, and we also need to make it easier for women entrepreneurs to get access to capital.  And I guess pretty much all entrepreneurs, we have to help them out, because the system is not working so well for entrepreneurs getting capital.  But it's in particular difficult for women, so we're going to get access to markets and access to networks. 

And I look forward to hearing your advice.  We're going to go around the table, and I want to really learn something today.  And again, it's a great honor to be with you.  And, Justin, I can say on behalf of our country, it's an honor to be with you.

PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU:  Thank you, Donald, for welcoming us.  And I’m really excited about launching this, sitting around the table here with a number of successful executives who just happen to be women.  One of the things that I’ve been lucky enough to do over the past year in New York and Beijing and across Canada is sit down with women CEOs, women executives to talk about both their successes and the challenges they’re facing that are particular, but also how, of course, we create more paths to success for women across our community and across our society.

Whenever I sit down with a woman executive, I know that she has had to overcome significant barriers that exist, and therefore is likely to have greater insight into how to help reduce those barriers for others, but also be a formidable contributor to the success of business and her economy.

So I think for me, it’s not just about doing the right thing, it’s about understanding that women in leadership positions is a very powerful leverage for success, for business, for communities, and for our entire economy. 

(Speaks in French.)

It’s a great pleasure to sit with you now and to hear from your extraordinary leadership. 

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.  So how about we start with Ivanka, we go around the room.  Ivanka, you might just want to say a couple of words.

MS. TRUMP:  Welcome.  I’m honored to be here, and really looking forward to hearing from each of you who serve as tremendous role models for me and so many other business leaders.  (Inaudible) our countries can lend some tremendously valuable perspective as we think about the unique challenges that entrepreneurs, women in the workforce, female small-business owners are confronted with each and every day.  And as we think about how we level the playing field for this generation and for the next.

So thank you for being here.  And I look forward to hearing from you today.

MR. FARRELL:  Thank you.  I’m Dawn Farrell and I’m from a company called TransAlta, which is located in Alberta, where you're going to build the Keystone Pipeline.

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  A big chunk of it, that’s right.

MS. FARRELL:  So thanks for the opportunity to contribute to this important dialogue, and a dialogue that we’ve had for 100 -- over hundreds of years.  My company is in the business of making electricity.  We generate electricity from coal, natural gas, and also from renewable sources -- wind, hydro and solar.  We have operations in Canada, the United States and in Australia. 

And, really, for us to excel, we have to be excellent at operations, engineering, finance and trading, and we have to excel in the public policy dialogue that happens around energy.  And I’ll talk about that as part of today, because we’ve done some excellent work with the Trudeau government.

Now, future jobs in our space absolutely depend on growth.  There’s no question of that.  And I truly believe for there to be future opportunities for women, we have to have growth, because the more jobs there are, the more opportunities.  And collaborations like this where we break down barriers and simplify, and build trust and build confidence -- because I think businesses invest when there’s confidence.  And my hope is that’s what comes out of here. 

Now, for us, having operations in Canada and the United States makes us absolutely more competitive.  Our Centralia operation, which is in Washington State, is one of the most competitive plants.  They have twice won our most coveted award for plant of the year.  But the reality is, teams of people from the United States and teams of people from Canada cross the border often to work with each other to share and to -- so that we can excel as a company overall.  So it's huge --

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  That's good.  Well, we're going to go around.  Thank you.  Good job.  Boy, she did a hell of a job.  (Laughter.)  Wow, no wonder she's successful.  (Laughter.) 

Monique, thank you.

MS. LEROUX:  Monique Leroux.  I am the chair of the Board of the Quebec Investment Fund and the chair of the Economy Council of the province.  I'm also a board member of large, global corporations like S&P Global, Michelin, and Couche-Tard, which is a very interesting Canadian company.  Each of those organizations, of course, have significant businesses in the U.S. and also employs a lot of people in this country.

I feel really honored and privileged to be part of the council.  I would like to thank you for this great opportunity.

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Thank you.

MS. LEROUX:  We have long history of cooperation, and I think that for the woman agenda it will contribute a lot for our great countries. 

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Thank you, Monique.  Appreciate it.

MS. LEE:  My name is Tina Lee.  I'm CEO of T&T Supermarket.  We're Canada's largest Asian supermarket chain.  I employ 5,000 staff and serve 500,000 people across the country every week.

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Wow.  Fantastic.

MS. LEE:  Thank you.

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Thank you.

MS. STEPHENSON:  I'm Carol Stephenson.  I'm on the board of directors at General Motors, and I don't think that General Motors needs any introduction.  (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  No, we had -- Mary Barra was here last week, and she's terrific.

MS. STEPHENSON:  She is.

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Thank you.  Thank you very much.

MS. LUNDGREN:  I'm Tamara Lundgren.  I'm the president and CEO of Schnitzer Steel Industries, which is one of the world's largest recyclers of metal products, sold to steel mills around the world.  I also sit on the board of Parsons Corporation, which has been a big participant in the public-private partnerships in Canada.  And I sit on the board of Ryder, which goes back and forth between the U.S. and Canada over 400 times every day.  And lastly, I'm the chair of the board of the Portland branch of the 12th District Federal Reserve Board.

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Very good.  Thank you very much.

MS. ALLAN:  Hello, Elyse Allan.  I'm vice president of GE, as well as GE's operations in Canada.  And we're a digital industrial company.  We have business in 190 countries in the world.

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Right.  That's good.  Good, thank you.

MS. VERSCHUREN:  I'm Annette Verschuren.  I'm the CEO of NRStor, which is an energy storage development company.  Half of my career I've worked with U.S. based companies -- Home Depot, (inaudible) and Michaels -- craft store.  I think that our countries are so absolutely bound together by our people, our resources, our trade.  Linda Hasenfratz and I worked for many years on North American competitiveness and found ways in which we could get products and services and people through the border efficiently because, as you know, we're the biggest trading partners in the world.

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, we're going to be working on that very closely over the next very short period of time.  There are some new things happening that can be very good.  Thank you very much.

MS. SWEET:  Hello, I'm Julie Sweet.  I'm CEO of North America for Accenture, responsible for both the U.S. and Canadian businesses. 

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Thank you.

MS. HASENFRATZ:  Hi, I'm Linda Hasenfratz.  I'm CEO of Linamar Corporation.  We're a diversified manufacturing company.  We have 57 plants and 25,000 employees around the world, including right here in the U.S. and, of course, also heavily invested in Canada.  We've doubled our workforce in the U.S. over the last five years.  We've also doubled our workforce in Canada over the last five years and have a lot of exciting opportunities for growth.  We're mainly in the auto parts and access equipment sectors.

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Thank you very much.  Thank you, everybody.

END
12:24 P.M. EST

Whitehouse version of joint statement also attached -- in case you don't believe the PM's version 

 

[The Bread Guy]

And the World Socialists' take on the Trump-Trudeau meet ...

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelled to Washington yesterday for his first face-to-face discussions with US President Donald Trump. At their conclusion, Trudeau and Trump vowed to enhance the longstanding military-security and economic partnership between the Canadian and US ruling elites, by intensifying their joint war preparations and by integrating Canada into an aggressive US-led North American trade bloc.

The joint statement that Trudeau and Trump issued at the end of three hours of meetings and a working lunch declared, “no two countries share deeper or broader relations.” It then went on to outline plans for closer collaboration, including in “growing our economies,” “energy security” and “border security.” In its most significant section, the statement stressed the joint military operations of Canada and the US. It declared the two countries “indispensable allies in the defense of North America and other parts of the world, through NATO” and—in a reference to Canada’s role in the US war in the Middle East and support for the US military build-up against China in the Asia Pacific—“other multilateral efforts.”

The statement pledged that Ottawa and Washington “will work to modernize and broaden our NORAD [North American Aerospace Defense Command] Partnership.” It also praised Canada’s plans to buy new fighter jets and its leading role in the US-led campaign of NATO aggression against Russia. Canada is leading one of four “forward deployed” NATO battalions on Russia’s borders in the Baltic States and Poland.

At their joint press conference, both Trump and Trudeau emphasized that the Canada-US partnership was forged in war, with Trudeau making specific reference to the two imperialist world wars of the last century, the Korean War and the Afghan War.

“American and Canadian troops,” declared Trump, “have gone to battle together, fought wars together and forged the special bonds that come when two nations have shed their blood together.”

The militarist tone reached a highpoint, when Trump, after sharply denouncing North Korea for its missile launch over the weekend, declared, “We have problems just about everywhere around the globe.”

Trudeau, who with the support of the trade unions won election little more than a year ago by appealing to popular anger with Stephen Harper’s hard-right Conservative government, was at pains to praise Trump and demonstrate his government’s eagerness to work in close collaboration with the most right-wing administration in American history—an administration that in the name of “America First” intends to wage trade war and massively expand US imperialist violence ...

 

[The Bread Guy]

And finally, the President's and PM's remarks, in case nobody's found anything to pick on from the previous posts  ;D ... (1/2)

Remarks by President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada in Joint Press Conference

East Room

2:16 P.M. EST

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Prime Minister Trudeau, on behalf of all Americans, I thank you for being with us today.  It is my honor to host such a great friend, neighbor, and ally at the White House, a very special place.  This year, Canada celebrates the 150th year of Confederation.  For Americans, this is one of the many milestones in our friendship, and we look forward -- very much forward, I must say -- to many more to come.

Our two nations share much more than a border.  We share the same values.  We share the love, and a truly great love, of freedom.  And we share a collective defense.  American and Canadian troops have gone to battle together, fought wars together, and forged the special bonds that come when two nations have shed their blood together -- which we have.

In these dangerous times, it is more important than ever that we continue to strengthen our vital alliance.  The United States is deeply grateful for Canada’s contribution to the counter-ISIS effort.  Thank you.  And we continue to work in common, and in common cause, against terrorism, and work in common cooperation toward reciprocal trade and shared growth.

We understand that both of our countries are stronger when we join forces in matters of international commerce.  Having more jobs and trade right here in North America is better for both the United States and is also much better for Canada.  We should coordinate closely -- and we will coordinate closely -- to protect jobs in our hemisphere and keep wealth on our continent, and to keep everyone safe.

Prime Minister, I pledge to work with you in pursuit of our many shared interests.  This includes a stronger trading relationship between the United States and Canada.  It includes safe, efficient, and responsible cross-border travel and migration.  And it includes close partnership on domestic and international security.

America is deeply fortunate to have a neighbor like Canada.  We have before us the opportunity to build even more bridges, and bridges of cooperation and bridges of commerce.  Both of us are committed to bringing greater prosperity and opportunity to our people.

We just had a very productive meeting with women business leaders from the United States and Canada, where we discussed how to secure everything that we know the full power of women can do better than anybody else.  We know that.  I just want to say, Mr. Prime Minister, that I'm focused and you're focused on the important role women play in our economies.  We must work to address the barriers faced by women and women entrepreneurs, including access to capital, access to markets, and, very importantly, access to networks.

In our discussion today we will focus on improving the ways our government and our governments together can benefit citizens of both the United States and Canada, and, in so doing, advance the greater peace and stability of the world.

Mr. Prime Minister, I look forward to working closely with you to build upon our very historic friendship.  There are incredible possibilities for us to pursue, Canada and the United States together. 

Again, thank you for joining us, and I know our discussions will be very, very productive for the future of both countries.

Mr. Prime Minister.

PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU:  Thank you, Mr. President.  Good afternoon, everyone.  Thank you very much for joining us. 

I'd first like to start by extending my sincere thanks to President Trump for inviting me down to Washington.  Any day I get to visit our southern neighbors is a good day in my book, particularly when it's so nice and warm compared to what it is back home.  We are suffering under a significant winter storm that's hitting our Atlantic provinces particularly harsh, so I just want to send everyone back at home my thoughts as they shovel out, and impress on everyone to stay safe.

(As interpreted from French.)  The President and myself have had a very productive first meeting today.  We had the opportunity to get to know one another better, and, more importantly, we had the opportunity to talk about the unique relationship between Canada and the United States.

(In English.)  Ends on both sides of the 49th parallel have understood that the bond between our nations is a special one.  No other neighbors in the entire world are as fundamentally linked as we are.  We've fought in conflict zones together, negotiated environmental treaties together, including 1991's historic Air Quality Agreement.  And we've entered into groundbreaking economic partnerships that have created good jobs for both of our peoples.

Canadians and Americans alike share a common history as well as people-to-people ties that make us completely and totally integrated.  Our workers are connected by trade, transportation and cross-border commerce.  Our communities rely on each other for security, stability and economic prosperity.  Our families have long lived together and worked together.  We know that, more often than not, our victories are shared.  And just as we celebrate together, so too do we suffer loss and heartbreak together.

Through it all, the foundational pillar upon which our relationship is built is one of mutual respect.  And that's a good thing, because as we know, relationships between neighbors are pretty complex and we won't always agree on everything.  But because of our deep, abiding respect for one another, we're able to successfully navigate those complexities and still remain the closest of allies and friends.  Make no mistake -- at the end of the day, Canada and the U.S. will always remain each other's most essential partner.

And today's conversations have served to reinforce how important that is for both Canadians and Americans.  As we know, 35 U.S. states list Canada as their largest export market, and our economies benefit from the over $2 billion in two-way trade that takes place every single day.  Millions of good, middle-class jobs on both sides of the border depend on this crucial partnership.  Maintaining strong economic ties is vital to our mutual success, and we're going to continue to work closely together over the coming years so that Canadian and American families can get ahead.

(As interpreted from French.)  As we know, 35 U.S. states list Canada as their largest export market and our economies benefit from the over $2 billion in two-way trade that takes place every single day.  Millions of good, middle-class jobs on both sides of the border depend on this crucial partnership.  Maintaining strong economic ties is vital to our mutual success, and we’re going to continue to work closely together over the coming years so that Canadian and American families can get ahead.

(In English.)  I'd like to highlight just a few of the specifics that President Trump and I discussed today.  At the end of the day, the President and I share a common goal.  We both want to make sure that hardworking folks can go to work at a good job, put food on the table for their families, and save up to take a vacation every once in a while.  That’s what we’re trying to do here.

Today, we reiterated that our nations are committed to collaborating on energy infrastructure projects that will create jobs while respecting the environment.  And, as we know, investing in infrastructure is a great way to create the kind of economic growth that our countries so desperately need. 

In that same vein, we know that ensuring equal opportunities for women in the workforce is essential for growing the economy and maintaining American and Canadian competitiveness on the world stage.  As such, the President and I have agreed to the creation of the Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders.  This initiative is more than just about dollars and cents.  This is about ensuring that women have access to the same opportunities as men, and prioritizing the support and empowerment of women who are senior business leaders and entrepreneurs.  In doing so, we’ll grow the Canadian and American economies, and help our businesses prosper.

(As interpreted from French.)  Finally, President Trump and myself have agreed to work together to fight against the traffic of opioids across our border.  The rise of illegal use of opioids in our society is nothing less than a tragedy.  We will do everything we can to ensure the safety of Canadians and Americans. 

Ladies and gentlemen, President Trump:  I know that if our countries continue to work together, our people will greatly benefit from this cooperation. 

(In English.)  History has demonstrated time and again that in order to tackle our most pressing issues, both foreign and domestic, we must work with our closest allies, learn from each other, and stand in solidarity as a united voice.

With a level of economic and social integration that is unmatched on the world stage, Canada and the United States will forever be a model example of how to be good neighbors.  Winston Churchill once said, “That long Canadian frontier from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans, guarded only by neighborly respect and honorable obligations, is an example to every country, and a pattern for the future of the world.”  That, my friends, is the very essence of the Canada-U.S. relationship.

I look forward to working with President Trump over the coming years to nurture and build upon this historic partnership.  Once again, it’s a tremendous pleasure to be here in Washington.  Merci beaucoup. 

(...)

 

[The Bread Guy]

2/2

... PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Okay, we’ll take a couple of questions.  Scott Thuman.  Scott. 

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  You just spoke about the desire to build bridges, although there are some notable and philosophical differences between yourself and Prime Minister Trudeau.  I’m curious, as you move forward on issues from trade to terrorism, how do you see this relationship playing out?  And are there any specific areas with which during your conversations today you each decided to perhaps alter or amend your stances already on those sensitive issues like terrorism and immigration?

And, Prime Minister Trudeau, while only in its infancy so far, how do you see this relationship compared to that under the Obama administration?

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, we just began discussions.  We are going to have a great relationship with Canada, maybe as good or better, hopefully, than ever before.  We have some wonderful ideas on immigration.  We have some, I think, very strong, very tough ideas on the tremendous problem that we have with terrorism.  And I think when we put them all together, which will be very, very quickly -- we have a group of very talented people -- we will see some very, very obvious results.  We're also doing some cross-border things that will make it a lot easier for trade and a lot better and a lot faster for trade.

We have -- through technology, we have some really great ideas, and they’ll be implemented fairly quickly.

PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU:  One of the things we spoke about was the fact that security and immigration need to work very well together.  And certainly Canada has emphasized security as we look towards improving our immigration system and remaining true to the values that we have.  And we had a very strong and fruitful discussion on exactly that.

There’s plenty that we can draw on each other from in terms of how we move forward with a very similar goal, which is to create free, open societies that keep our citizens safe.  And that's certainly something that we're very much in agreement on.

Tonda MacCharles.

Q    Good afternoon, Mr. President and Mr. Prime Minister.  And, Mr. Prime Minister, could you answer in English and French for us, please?

A little bit of a follow-on on my American colleague’s question.  President Trump, you seem to suggest that Syrian refugees are a Trojan horse for potential terrorism, while the Prime Minister hugs refugees and welcomes them with open arms.  So I’d like to know, are you confident the northern border is secure?

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  You can never be totally confident.  But through the incredible efforts -- already I see it happening -- of formerly General Kelly, now Secretary Kelly, we have really done a great job.  We're actually taking people that are criminals -- very, very hardened criminals in some cases, with a tremendous track record of abuse and problems -- and we're getting them out.  And that's what I said I would do.  I’m just doing what I said I would do when we won by a very, very large Electoral College vote.

And I knew that was going to happen.  I knew this is what people were wanting.  And that wasn’t the only reason, that wasn’t my only thing that we did so well on.  But that was something was very important.  And I said we will get the criminals out, the drug lords, the gang members.  We're getting them out.

General Kelly, who is sitting right here, is doing a fantastic job.  And I said at the beginning we are going to get the bad ones -- the really bad ones, we're getting them out.  And that's exactly what we're doing.

I think that in the end everyone is going to be extremely happy.  And I will tell you right now, a lot of people are very, very happy right now.

PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU:  Canada has always understood that keeping Canadians safe is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any government.  And that's certainly something that we're very much focused on. 

At the same time, we continue to pursue our policies of openness towards immigration, refugees, without compromising security.  And part of the reason we have been successful in doing that over the past year -- welcoming close to 40,000 Syrian refugees -- is because we have been coordinating with our allies, the United States and around the world, to demonstrate that security comes very seriously to us.  And that's something that we continue to deal with.

(As interpreted from French.)  It is clear that if you want to have a healthy and secure society or safe society, you have to make sure that you maintain -- that you focus on security.  And we have welcomed refugees from Syria.  We have been very successful, but we have always taken our responsibility toward security very seriously.  And our allies, including the United States, understand this focus very well.  And they have done so since the very beginning.

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Caitlin Collins (ph), please.

Q    Thank you.  President Trump, now that you've been in office and received intelligence briefings for nearly one month, what do you see as the most important national security matters facing us? 

And, Prime Minister Trudeau, you've made very clear that Canada has an open-door policy for Syrian refugees.  Do you believe that President Trump’s moratorium on immigration has merit on national security grounds?

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Okay.  Thank you.  Many, many problems.  When I was campaigning, I said it’s not a good situation.  Now that I see it -- including with our intelligence briefings -- we have problems that a lot of people have no idea how bad they are, how serious they are, not only internationally, but when you come right here.

Obviously, North Korea is a big, big problem, and we will deal with that very strongly.  We have problems all over the Middle East.  We have problems just about every corner of the globe, no matter where you look.  I had a great meeting this weekend with Prime Minister Abe of Japan and got to know each other very, very well -- extended weekend, really.  We were with each other for long periods of time, and our staffs and representatives. 

But on the home front, we have to create borders.  We have to let people that can love our country in, and I want to do that.  We want to have a big, beautiful, open door, and we want people to come in and come in our country.  But we cannot let the wrong people in, and I will not allow that to happen during this administration.  And people -- citizens of our country want that, and that's their attitude, too. 

I will tell you, we are getting such praise for our stance, and it's a stance of common sense -- maybe a certain toughness, but it's really more than toughness, it's a stance of common sense -- and we are going to pursue it vigorously.  And we don't want to have our country have the kinds of problems that you're witnessing taking place not only here but all over the world.  We won't stand for it.  We won't put up with it.  We're just not going to let it happen.  We're going to give ourselves every bit of chance so that things go well for the United States.  And they will go well.  Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU:  Canada and the United States have been neighbors a long time, and Canadians and Americans have stood together, worked together at home and around the world.  We've fought and died together in battlefields in World War I and World War II, in Korea, in Afghanistan.  But there have been times where we have differed in our approaches, and that's always been done firmly and respectfully.

The last thing Canadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country on how they choose to govern themselves.  My role and our responsibility is to continue to govern in such a way that reflects Canadians' approach and be a positive example in the world.

Richard Latendresse. 

Q    Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.  I'll ask my question in French first and then, for you, I'll -- again in English. 

(As interpreted from French.)  Mr. Prime Minister, if I heard you correctly, you said that Canadian businesses, Canadian workers are concerned for their businesses and for their work and jobs concerning the renegotiation of NAFTA.  So what guarantees did you get from this government that we will keep our jobs and our businesses in the renegotiation of NAFTA?

(In English.)  Mr. President, again, during the last three months, you have denounced NAFTA.  You have talked over and over about the Mexican portion of the agreement, very little about the Canadian one.  My question is in two short part is, is Canada a fair trader?  And when you talk about changes to NAFTA concerning Canada, are you talking about big changes or small changes?  Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU:  (As interpreted.)  First of all, Richard, thank you for your question.  It is a real concern for many Canadians because we know that our economy is very dependent on our bonds, our relationship with the United States.  Goods and services do cross the border each way every single day, and this means a lot of millions of jobs for Canadians, and good jobs for Canadians.  So we are always focusing on these jobs, but there are also good jobs, millions of jobs, in the United States that depend on those relationships between our two countries.

So when we sit down as we did today, and as our teams will be doing in the weeks and months to come, we will be talking about how we can continue to create good jobs for our citizens on both sides of the border.  And during this exercise, we continue to understand that we have to allow this free flow of goods and services, and we have to be aware of the integration of our economies, which is extremely positive for both our countries.  And this is the focus that we will have in the coming weeks and months to come.

(In English.)  Canadians are rightly aware of the fact that much of our economy depends on good working relationships with the United States, a good integration with the American economy.  And the fact is, millions of good jobs on both sides of the border depend on the smooth and easy flow of goods and services and people back and forth across our border. 

And both President Trump and I got elected on commitments to support the middle class, to work hard for people who need a real shot at success.  And we know that by working together, by ensuring the continued effective integration of our two economies, we are going to be creating greater opportunities for middle-class Canadians and Americans now and well into the future.

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I agree with that 100 percent.  We have a very outstanding trade relationship with Canada.  We’ll be tweaking it.  We’ll be doing certain things that are going to benefit both of our countries.  It’s a much less severe situation than what’s taking place on the southern border.  On the southern border, for many, many years, the transaction was not fair to the United States.  It was an extremely unfair transaction.  We’re going to work with Mexico, we’re going to make it a fair deal for both parties.  I think that we’re going to get along very well with Mexico; they understand and we understand.

You probably have noticed that Ford is making billions of dollars of new investments in this country.  You saw Intel the other day announce that because of what I’ve been doing and what I’m doing in terms of regulation -- lowering taxes, et cetera -- they’re coming in with billions and billions of dollars of investment, and thousands of thousands of jobs.  General Motors, likewise, is expanding plants and going to build new plants.  Fiat Chrysler was at a meeting where they’re doing the same.  Jack Ma -- we have so many people that want to come into the United States.  It’s actually very exciting. 

I think it’s going to be a very exciting period of time for the United States and for the workers of the United States, because they have been truly the forgotten man and forgotten women.  It’s not going to be forgotten anymore, believe me.

So our relationship with Canada is outstanding, and we’re going to work together to make it even better.  And as far as the southern border is concerned, we’re going to get that worked out.  We’re going to make it fair, but we are going to make it so that everybody is happy.  It’s very important to me. 

Thank you.  Thank you very much.  Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.) 

END
2:42 P.M. EST

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I am no fan of the Liberals or JT, but I will give them credit for handling the US election and the new administration in a mature and pragmatic manner and making sure ht right people were at the table to show the US what Canada means to them. It's also an important lesson on the value of taking part in international missions, not just UN ones.