They weren’t together in person, but President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought to reinvigorate the “bromance” Trudeau had with former President Barack Obama after escalated tensions during the Trump administration.
Trudeau joined Biden in the White House via video link on Tuesday to announce the new U.S.-Canadian “partnership road map” after their first series of bilateral meetings, this time conducted virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic. The framework includes greater cooperation on climate change, cross-border crime, and national security.
Biden also pledged to help Canada secure the release of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, Canadian citizens detained in China since December 2018, in retaliation for the Canadian detention of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou.
“Human beings are not bartering chips. We’re going to work together until we get their safe return,” Biden said.
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Trudeau used the platform to pressure Biden on his decision to cancel presidential permits needed to build the Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline would have carried oil almost 1,200 miles from Canada to Nebraska. Former President Donald Trump had overturned the Obama administration’s 2015 decision to block the pipeline due to environmental and Native American concerns.
“Canadian energy workers power homes on both sides of the border. It goes to show that we’re all better off for this partnership,” Trudeau said after referencing how winter storms had pummeled Texas and left millions without electricity, heating, or running water.
The pair didn’t take questions during the East Room event, where in pre-pandemic times, the president and the visiting world leader would have customarily faced the press.
Their remarks cap an afternoon of meetings attended by Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. A separate gathering included Senate-confirmed members of Biden’s Cabinet. The public health and economic aspects of the pandemic were on the agenda as well.
When reporters were allowed briefly into the Roosevelt Room at the start of the meeting, Biden accidentally thanked Trudeau for his “enduring commitment” to the U.S.-China relationship before quickly correcting himself.
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Trudeau, who was once overheard disparaging Trump to other foreign leaders, took a swing at Biden’s predecessor’s approach to climate change.
“Thank you, again, for stepping up in such a big way on tackling climate change. U.S. leadership has been sorely missed over the past years,” Trudeau said. He then repeated the comments in French.
