“My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, some time in the future with energy that is as green and sustainable as we can get it, powering growth and opportunity for every person in the hemisphere.”
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said this quote. We found out about this thanks to Wikileaks. Canada isn't mentioned but would be a major part of that dream for the United States.
The CanadianCrossing.com position is that Americans and Canadians should be free to work in each other's country, similar to the European Union. Our dream would be for everyone around the world to have that ability.
The fact that we have to rely on a leaked e-mail to find substance about Canada in the 2016 presidential campaign is rather depressing. In this election cycle, though, maybe Canada's role in the shadows wasn't such a bad idea. The U.S. news coverage of the campaign had much less than normal on the actual issues, especially with the TV news.
Barack Obama is required to leave the White House on January 20, 2017. That might have played a role in not getting an agreement on softwood lumber. The 1-year extension deadline expired on October 12. A lame duck session won't likely be a saving grace on softwood lumber. The next president will have to deal with that soon after taking office.
The next president and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will also deal with border security issues, free trade agreements with the European Union, and the likelihood of legal marijuana in Canada in 2017.
Hillary Clinton
"Many Americans may take our relationship with Canada for granted, but I don't," Hillary Clinton said in 2014 in Toronto. "We need more partners and fewer adversaries and we can never take a trusted friend for granted."
Clinton said this during a book tour of her memoir, Hard Choices, before she was a declared candidate for president.
Toronto gives a warm reception to Hillary Clinton
If Hillary Clinton wins on Tuesday, the Keystone XL pipeline discussion will stay quiet. Both her and the president played a bit of kick the can down the road on the pipeline. As Clinton noted in Toronto in 2014, she didn't see the pipeline as being a "proxy for the relationship … It is, after all, one pipeline. We already have a lot of pipelines that cross our border."
Barack Obama made a dramatic point to relaunch the tradition of having Canada be the first place to visit after taking office. We will look closely to see if Clinton keeps that tradition going if she wins on Tuesday.
Hillary Clinton drinks a Canadian whisky
Hillary's campaign song a nod to a Canadian
Your humble narrator covered the 2008 presidential campaign. We noted that Clinton drank a Canadian whisky at a campaign stop in a bar in Crown Point, Indiana. Also, the Celine Dion song "You and I" was selected as Hillary Clinton's campaign song in 2008.
Donald Trump
"She wants to go to a single-payer plan, which would be a disaster, somewhat similar to Canada. And if you haven't noticed the Canadians, when they need a big operation, when something happens, they come into the United States in many cases because their system is so slow. It's catastrophic in certain ways."
Donald Trump did invoke Canada in the context of health care in the second debate. The GOP presidential nominee has said consistently that he wants to revoke Obamacare and replace the system, though he offers no specifics on solutions.
Single payer would help the vast majority of Americans for basic needs. Canada's issues over the pace of MRIs and other procedures is a legitimate criticism, though Trump's "catastrophic" characterization is singularly his.
Canada's system is well behind those in major European countries such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. But the system works well by North American standards and overall better than the United States even with Obamacare.
Donald Trump has said he would approve the Keystone XL pipeline if he is elected. Trump has called NAFTA the worst of trade deals but that focus has been about Mexico, not Canada. We doubt Trump knows about softwood lumber.
Cape Breton Island invokes Donald Trump to draw Americans to move there
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia got some nice publicity with an online campaign to draw Americans to move there if Trump won the election. There is still the technicality of needing to get a job or qualify in some other way. Maple Match might be an easier path if that ever gets going.
Former Canadian Ted Cruz suspends U.S. presidential run
Ted Cruz is no longer a Canadian citizen
Ted Cruz came in second place in the GOP primary race even though he was born in Canada. Cruz spent the first 43 years of his life as a Canadian citizen. Though a Canadian running for U.S. president would normally be a fun idea, Cruz was not that Canadian. We also don't believe Cruz was eligible to run for president.
Mitt Romney does know a lot about Canada, which should be necessary when running for president
John McCain in Ottawa: full text of the speech
The recent GOP candidates for president had either ties to Canada or made an appearance in the country during the campaign.
Bernie Sanders reminds Canadians of the late Jack Layton
Bernie Sanders was the most-Canada friendly presidential candidate in recent memory. Sanders represents Vermont in the U.S. Senate. He is fighting for universal health care, something Canada already has. In 1999, then Rep. Sanders was the first one in Congress to lead seniors to Canada to buy cheaper prescription drugs.
If the Democratic Party gains back control of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Sanders will become the next Senate Budget Committee Chairperson. That isn't as good as the White House but that would be a strong position of power in the Senate.
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CBC will have an election special America Votes on Tuesday at 8 pm Eastern on CBC News Network and 9 pm on CBC.
Canadians have some intriguing options to follow on Election Night. They can access the OTA U.S. national feeds. Those stations will also have local coverage for downballot races.
CTV, Global, CBC News Network, and CTV News Channel will also be options to follow what is happening south of the 49th parallel.
photo credit: CBC News
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