“I’m confident that he’s going to be able to provide a great boost of energy and transform the Canadian political landscape”, Obama said, inviting Trudeau to visit Washington.
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Canada’s new prime minister departed Thursday from the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in Manila, closing his first act on the worldwide stage – trailed by a squealing mob of young Filipino journalists and volunteers and questions about whether any of it might be good for his broader foreign policy goals. He said he planned on hosting Trudeau at the White House in early 2016.
“At the same time, I know this is exposing a problem that needs fixing within our own legislation, and we are going to lean into this as our action”, Trudeau said.
Earlier in the day, that won him plaudits from U.S. President Barack Obama.
“I just wanted to point out that I had no gray hair when I was in your position seven years ago”, Obama said to Trudeau.
“I don’t dwell on the gray hair, because there’s nothing I can do about that”, the Canadian leader replied.
“The fact that we now have a very strong partner in Canada to help set up a few global rules around how we approach this I think will be extraordinarily helpful”. He has embraced policies which curb carbon emissions which is the exact opposite of what Stephen Harper, his predecessor, did. Trudeau said at the time he was disappointed with the decision, but that economic relationship between the two countries was “much bigger than any one project”.
“Canada hasn’t been doing enough on the environmental front”, said Trudeau.
Trudeau and Obama were also expected to formally discuss a host of other issues at their meeting, including the refugee crisis, transpacific trade and climate change.
Obama added that both countries will need to “rethink how we do energy”.
Obama also plans to work with Canada to achieve final ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, which was negotiated under Harper.
Obama said that they didn’t have any closer friends than the Canadians.
Yet his platform has also produced a few sticking points with the US – particularly Canada’s pledge to soon pull its modest contingent of six CF-18 fighter jets from the battle against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
As the United States and a host of other nations are looking to intensify the airstrikes against this militant group which has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks in Paris as well as shooting down a Russian jet, Canada is planning to shift its focus.
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Declaring he intends to reclaim Canada’s “compassionate and constructive voice”, Trudeau said before he was elected that he meant to be “pushing back against the bully that is Vladimir Putin”.
