Will US-Canada relations 'warm up' under Joe Biden?

Good start

Looking back at the US presidential election last November, Canadian Prime Minister Justine Trudeau was the first world leader to send congratulations.Biden's victory. Until last January, the Canadian leader was probably also very proud to receive the first call from the new US President Joe Biden. In the latest announcement, the White House said that the two leaders will have their first bilateral meeting tomorrow - Tuesday (February 23). However, the meeting will be held online to avoid risks caused by the Covid-19 epidemic. The US side hopes that the meeting will not only have diplomatic significance but also aim to strengthen cooperation on common interests. White House press secretary Jen Psaki emphasized that this will be "an opportunity for the two leaders to review joint efforts in areas of mutual interest, such as responding to Covid-19, climate change and binding economic relations...".

Joe Biden, then US Vice President, shook hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justine Trudeau in 2016. Photo: Reuters

So it is not difficult to understand whenPrime Minister TrudeauOn this occasion, he praised the US-Canada relationship as “one of the strongest and deepest friendships”, and that “this relationship is built on shared values…”. It is also worth mentioning that the storm in the US-Canada relationship under former President Donald Trump arose right at the G7 meeting held in Canada in 2018. Despite the opposition of his allies, Mr. Trump decided to impose tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum on national security grounds and at the same time attacked Prime Minister Trudeau as “dishonest and weak”. Therefore, with a common language, history, geography with many similarities, the longest international border in the world, an average trade turnover of 700 billion USD per year and especially a new administration, Prime Minister Trudeau hopes to have a new chapter in the relationship between the two steps, reversing the somewhat “gloomy” atmosphere under Mr. Donald Trump.

Keystone XL Trouble

Right before the congratulatory call to Mr. Biden, Prime Minister Trudeau and Canadians understood better than anyone that a giant and wealthy southern neighbor cannot always maintain good relations. In his latest statement last weekend, Mr. Trudeau himself admitted that, "there is not always perfect connection and cooperation with the US ally, no matter which President it is." This statement is understood to be aimed at somewhat reassuring Canadians about Mr. Biden's recent decision on the Keystone XL project. It should be recalled that on his first day in office, US President Biden revoked the license for the Keystone XL pipeline, which is expected to transport about 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Alberta (Canada) to Nebraska (USA), as part of a commitment to limit the impact of climate change. In fact, this project had faced opposition since the administration of former President Barack Obama, when Mr. Biden was Vice President. It was only under Donald Trump that the project was revived.

US President Joe Biden angered Canadians by revoking the permit for the Canadian-backed Keystone XL oil pipeline on his first day in office. Photo: AP/CBC

Although Trudeau plans to discuss the impact of the decision on Canadian jobs with the US leader, the issue has immediately drawn criticism from the Canadian public, especially from local officials who rely heavily on oil production. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney recently expressed anger and called the decisiondisrespect friends and alliesThe US administration has even called on Prime Minister Trudeau to impose economic and trade sanctions against Washington if diplomatic efforts to revive the Keystone XL project fail. These developments are creating a political challenge for Prime Minister Trudeau, who is trying to balance climate policies with oil production and exports.

Conflict of interest

Another policy of US President Joe Biden is also making Canadian public opinion angry, although up to now, Canadians tend to feel more comfortable with US Presidents of the Democratic Party and their somewhat more liberal policies. Before celebrating the end of former President Donald Trump's "America First" policy, Canadian public opinion is extremely disappointed with the Biden administration's "Buy American" statement to ensure the future of American workers. Obviously, this decision is threatening Canadian businesses that are heavily involved in cross-border supply chains linking the two economies. Or even with the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in 2018 at the request of the US, Canadian public opinion was not very sympathetic. Because the arrest angered China at the same time.arrested two Canadian citizens.

Will US-Canada relations improve under President Joe Biden? Photo: Canada Press

Faced with a wave of domestic protests over a series of issues in relations with the US, Prime Minister Trudeau is probably having a headache in both calming public opinion and reacting moderately to maintain an atmosphere of cooperation with the new Washington administration. Most recently, some sources said that the two leaders agreed to negotiate and discuss further the “Buy American” policy so that the interests of Canadian businesses will be considered and not be overly affected. Or the US may be willing to share Covid-19 vaccine sources in the context of Canada having less access.

In another notable move, Mr. Trudeau said he would not be tense with Mr. Biden, but only noted that Canadians and the new administration in the US have “more harmony in many values ​​than the previous period.” It is also understandable that Prime Minister Trudeau is waiting for a more open attitude from the Biden administration, accompanied by more positive agreements to minimize damage. However, whether Canadian public opinion is satisfied with this “concession” or not will be a big challenge for Prime Minister Trudeau? More importantly, although the administration of President Joe Biden wants to clearly draw the line and the difference in foreign policy compared to his predecessor, the extent to which he accompanies and cooperates with allies probably still depends on the interests of the United States! And so, perhaps the first bilateral meeting between the two US-Canada leaders is just a probing step for both sides!