Justin Trudeau was welcomed into the white house for the first official visit by a Canadian leader in almost twenty years. This was initially surprising to me as I would have thought two countries that have as close ties as they do in terms of trading and geographically would speak more often. But, looking back at the past twenty years of Canadian-American history, this is somewhat understandable. Canada has had a conservative leader (Canadian conservative, which is more like a moderate in American politics) for the past ten years, so meeting with Obama has been limited, especially with conflicts with oil pipelines and such.
But Trudeau and Obama have made headlines with their growing friendship. Both leaders are liberals and agree on a lot of different issues, and this meeting has strengthened ties between the countries by a huge amount. Trudeau stated that he has learned a lot from the older more experienced Obama, while Obama was greatly impressed with the younger Trudeau's vision of hope and change along with a positive outlook for the future. Both leaders bashed on each other about their numerous differences however, such as which country is better at hockey or which country has the better beer.
Trudeau stated multiple times that he hopes that this friendship will carry over onto the next President as the election is coming up this year. He refrained from saying any negative comments about figures such as Donald Drumpf and Ted Cruz, just on the possibility of them becoming our next Commander in Chief.
How does this new bond between the two leaders benefit both countries? Do you think that this friendship can carry over onto the next president? What do you think about Trudeau as a young new hopeful as the Canadian Prime Minister?
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35772329
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/11/world/americas/obama-trudeau-canada-climate-change.html?_r=0
10 comments:
I believe the new-found love between Canada and the United States is a terrific prospect. I think Trudeau has quite significantly changed the American perspective of Canada since his election as Prime Minister. His youth, lineage and liberal outlook have definitely strengthened support for the great white north by young Americans. In addition to this, the fact that he and Obama are both relatively young, being 44 and 54, respectively, has allowed the leaders to more effectively communicate with each other, as well channel more energy to the public. No matter what, I believe that a strong relationship between the United States and Canada is vital to both of the countries; seeing that they are important economic partners and neighbors. If the next President were to throw this relationship to waste, an abundance of opportunity would be put to waste. The Canadians and Americans agree on many stances, such as climate change, gender equality and the basic freedoms of man. Throughout the entire modern era, the U.S. and Canada have essentially supported and executed the same goals and objectives. There is no reason for the U.S.-Canadian relationship to be anything but the most powerful, and close, relationship on the planet.
I'd like to think that Trudeau is a genuine leader capable of continuing to develop Canada itself, as well as its relations with America. Being as young as he is, he seems to have the drive and energy in order to get down to work.
Love thy neighbor.
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/it-s-about-time-eh-obama-welcomes-canadian-pm-justin-n535946
I'm personally a big Trudeau fan for a lot of different reasons, so I think that he would be difficult for Obama not to like. That said, I'm not sure a strong friendship would continue with another candidate--particularly a Republican one. Trudeau made it abundantly clear that refugees are welcomed in Canada (I think he released a photo of him greeting the first refugees with the caption "You are home, now"). Obviously, this is a wildly different stance on the migrant crisis than every single running Republican, especially Trump.
A bond between country leaders can only mean good things for both parties, but I fear it may be short-lived. I hope that Trudeau is able to live up to his father, former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau. He is an example of using family legacy to one's advantage, unlike Jeb!'s unfortunate flop of a bid. Trudeau received criticism early on that he was merely riding on the coattails of his name recognition, but during the election season he was able to sweep Parliament and lead his Liberal Party to victory.
Seeing as Trudeau is so liberal and the country he leads is so welcomingly diverse (the second-most in the world), he provides a refreshing antithesis to everything that pop culture in the US at the moment. In fact, he has even been called "anti-Trump". That said, he is also a contrast to the leading American Democrats--Clinton and Sanders--because he is so young and hopeful. CNN describes him as full of "youth, idealism, warmth and hope'. He has an intentionally half female Cabinet, and while I am not a huge fan of the "It's !" argument that he provided, I understand and support his sentiment. I hope he will continue to lead his country in their fight against climate change, bigotry, and other pillars of Trudeau's campaign.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/10/opinions/justin-trudeau-canada-cohen/index.html
It is always good to see our country tightening connections with other countries. Unfortunately, this friendship between the US and Canada may have come too late, and therefore could be short lived. As a liberal, may be difficult for some of our presidential candidates to get along with Trudeau, especially Trump or Cruz, who sit on the other side of the liberal-conservative spectrum. It would be great to have this friendship continue between the two nations so that the next President can share his or her opinion on who has the better beer, but if Obama has to pass the torch onto Trump or Cruz we might as well kiss the closeness of the US-Canadian relationship goodbye. Let's keep our fingers crossed in hopes that this doesn't happen, but we should be prepared for it.
This newfound cooperation between Canada and the United States will be greatly beneficial for them. They can accomplish so much more when they work together, than when they try to initiate movements alone, such as their cooperation on climate change. By teaming together, they can receive more attention for their work and therefore, encourage other countries to follow their example. The White House said it would take its first steps toward regulating methane emissions from oil and natural-gas wells across the U.S while Mr. Trudeau also has met twice in four months with the leaders of the country’s provinces on environmental policy. The goal is to reveal that strategy in the fall. Though Obama’s announcement, like his other climate-change actions, is likely to face challenges from opponents, their joint efforts have higher chances of gaining support amongst other nations. In addition, the announcement to streamline trade across their border is greatly beneficial to both countries’ economies. I think Trudeau brings a new energy and perspective not only to Canada but to the United States; with his motivation and widespread appeal, he can accomplish a lot. I truly hope that the friendship can continue onto the next president—Trudeau has definitely shown interest in keeping relations and is thankful to have a mentor like Obama as he enters his first years in office. Hopefully, he will return the favor if our country is in need of some advice down the road.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-refreshes-ties-with-canada-with-trudeau-visit-1457622695
Right now, Trudeau and Obama are getting along because they are both a part of very liberal administrations and they have very similar policy agendas including climate change. Both Trudeau and Obama find the issue of climate change very important. However, if the new president happens to be a Republican/more conservative in his views, this relationship will not continue to be as strong, because there interests will not align. I think it is very important to stay friendly with Canada in the interest of trade agreements, which is one of the only bases of our relationship with Canada. I do not think that we will ever have a bad relationship with Canada, even with a conservative in the White House; Trudeau said multiple times that he hopes that his friendship will carry over to the next president.
What is there even to benefit? The diplomatic relationship between the United States and Canada is infallible. Trading resources between borders is easier, and America and Canada are interdependent on each other's natural and technological resources, and they are our number 1 trade partner. Maintaining good diplomatic relations with Canada should be a top priority. So, because of that, it's in every president's best interest to remain friends with Canada. And Trudeau? He has got a long way to go before he can be considered a "good" or "bad" prime minister of Canada.
This new relationship between Canada and America is very beneficial for both nations. As 2CHAINZ said, it is very important that we keep up good relations with them because they are our number one trade partner and our closest neighbor. Justin Trudeau has done an amazing job for Canada in the eyes of many, which also sets the relationship in a positive light. The fact that Obama and Trudeau are both pretty liberal does facilitate this friendship greatly, which leads me to believe that it would not continue should the next president be more conservative. In this case, the new president would probably end the friendship with Trudeau and generally withdraw from any diplomatic relations with Canada.
I too am surprised that it has been over 20 years since a Canadian prime minister has been invited to the White House! I am very excited by the potential of this "fresh new bromance" between Trudeau and Obama. As Gursimar mentioned, the announcement to join efforts in curbing emissions of planet-warming gases. This is especially important considering both countries contribute greatly to environmental degradation. The fact that Canada is leading on climate change could really help the U.S. create legislation to cut emissions, research clean energy, and slow climate change. In this meetingm Obama and Trudeau also pledged to cooperate in preserving the Arctic, and to to focus on implementation of agreements made in climate talks in Paris. Having Trudeau as a close ally will greatly help Obama in his confrontation of climate change, irresponsible industry, and ignorant conservatives.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/11/world/americas/obama-trudeau-canada-climate-change.html?_r=0
I have to disagree with 2CHAINZ on their comment. I think that despite the good relations between our two countries, adding more good merit wouldn't be worthless. Canada is one of our most important friendly countries, and working together will help even more with our country. I'm not sure how well the next president will mix with Trudeau, but it doesn't help to try while we still can. It seems cool when world leaders are able to get along together well, and that they are causally talking about it with the media. Hopefully Trudeau turns out to be a good leader who helps the US benefit in the best way they can,
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/271887-obama-hosts-canadas-trudeau-next-week
I will have to agree to most of 2CHAINZ comments in the sense that America and Canada are very much dependent on each other to get the resources that are vital to each country's survival and prosperity. This new revitalized relationship between the two countries only goes to show that both countries believe in helping each other. For now, I believe that Trudeau and the current administration in the U.S. (Obama) will get along nicely since both of the leaders believe in the same liberal ideology. Yet, this relationship is numbered since the Obama administration is coming to an end and a new president is coming in. If the next president is a Republican I believe that the relationship will be somewhat strained because the ideologies of a Republican could be conflicting with Trudeau's. Lastly, I believe that it is still too early to determine whether or not Trudeau is a good/bad prime minister, but if he keeps up with the good work he is doing, there is no doubt he will be perceived as a great individual.
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