When the news came out that Barack Obama was going to speak before the Canadian Parliament, the world seemed a bit more naive. There was a tiny chance Donald Trump would not be the Republican Party nominee. Brexit was more of an inconvenience than a dynamic reality.
We saw Justin Trudeau imagined as a superhero last week. Well, Obama's speech wasn't just for a body of government or even the Canadian people. The U.S. president had to underscore the need for trade, friendship, and inclusion. Obama and Trudeau against the world.
Trudeau played up the bromance element, or his personal preference, dude-mocracy, in his introduction of Obama. The spirit of playfulness between the two leaders that we saw at the White House State Dinner in March continued on the floor of the House of Commons. Behind all that fun were serious messages.
"We could not ask for a better friend or ally than Canada. We could not. It is true. And we do not take it for granted. That does not mean we don’t have our differences."
We have forgotten in the Brexit debate that the United Kingdom and the European Union have been friends, benefiting mutually even if that relationship hasn't been the smoothest. We heard in the news conference that the two countries, along with Mexico, had generally worked together well even in times where the leaders didn't have as smooth a relationship as Obama and Trudeau.
But strong leadership does make a difference. Obama and Trudeau are strong, focused leaders who see the big picture. David Cameron was a weak leader in charge by default who focused on a small tear in his party. If the Labour Party had any sort of leadership, Cameron would have been toppled from the other side of their House of Commons.
"But in a world where too many borders are a source of conflict, our two countries are joined by the longest border of peace on Earth. And what makes our relationship so unique is not just proximity. It’s our enduring commitment to a set of values, a spirit alluded to by Justin that says no matter who we are, where we come from, what our last names are, what faith we practice, here, we can make of our lives what we will. … And fortunately, the partnership between the United States and Canada shows the path we need to travel. For our history and our work together speak to a common set of values to build on, proven values, values that your prime minister spoke of in his introduction, values of pluralism and tolerance, rule of law, openness, global engagement, and commerce, and co-operation, coupled with equal opportunity and an investment in our people at home."
"As Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once said, a country, after all, is not something you build as the pharaohs built the pyramids and then leave standing there to defy eternity. A country is something that is built every day out of certain basic shared values."
Bill Clinton was the last U.S. president to speak before the Canadian Parliament in 1995. NAFTA was about a year old; the two countries had been in free-trade agreements since 1988.
Trade has moved well between the two countries. Well, not softwood lumber, which did not get solved in the Three Amigos Summit. Well, not auto parts and cars, especially after 9/11. High-fructose corn syrup has flowed north to Canada and south to Mexico. And U.S. and Canada manufacturers have run to Mexico or certainly use that as a threat to gain further concessions.
Our countries have these shared values but we don't see visible signs of this togetherness after 28 years of trade agreements. We saw with the United Kingdom and European Union that some in the UK didn't see or appreciate the significance of the relationship. The benefits of free trade in North America are far more invisible and much less reaching.
"The United States and Canada have the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world and we are stronger for it. It means a company in Quebec can create jobs in North Carolina and the start-up in Toronto can attract investment from Texas."
There are plenty of Canadian supporters who cheer loudly for Obama and U.S. fans who want Trudeau to be their president. But a lot of those people who know Obama and Trudeau are great leaders are people who have suffered under these free trade policies. Movement of people between the two countries is rather difficult, but made more difficult. Cape Breton begged for Americans to come live there, but that was easier said than done. And some Canadians would love to run for the southern border, even if Trump wins in November.
The European Union gets that right. Worker mobility allows people to put themselves in the best position to contribute to the whole of Europe.
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The Three Amigos summit is usually lame symbolism behind hard-working people trying to get movement but often fall short. We saw progress in a number of ways, and they may still yet figure out softwood lumber.
But if Obama and Trudeau are going to lead the way, they have to take the best of the EU and apply that to North America. The United States and Canada are in a position to take truly big steps in helping the economies of their two countries work well together.
Regardless of which person becomes the next U.S. president, that person should task Obama with helping to guide and shape steps up from the current U.S.-Canada relationship. After all, the consensus inside the Canadian Parliament was clear: "Four more years." NAFTA is not enough for so many reasons from loss of good-paying jobs in Canada and the United States to lack of worker mobility. A new agreement needs to take all of this into account. Finding the leadership to pull this off has been highly rare. In Obama and Trudeau, we have that leadership. Now we need the focus and political and economic will to improve the lives of those in both countries.
As Obama said in his speech, borrowing from Bono, “The world needs more Canada." So does the United States.
CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage
For a complete transcript of the speech, click here.
photos credit: C-SPAN via CPAC
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