A new U.S. president has traditionally made the first trip outside the United States into nearby Canada. True the current regime and George W. Bush, both elected under dubious circumstances went against that tradition.
President-elect Joe Biden is highly aware of this tradition and would be eager to make a good impression with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. One of Biden's last acts as vice president under President Barack Obama was to make a trip to Canada.
There is one significant difference. Right now, the border is closed between the United States and Canada. An exception can be made for an incoming U.S. president and the staff; that exception might not look good on one level but desperately needed on another level. The U.S. COVID-19 numbers have been off the charts though the opening of the closed border would be a good point of conversation in an official visit to Canada.
Diplomacy is a necessary ingredient to make the visit work for both countries. The Canada-U.S. relationship could use that boost.
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Border security, trade, tariffs: so many issues need to be resolved. The last 4 years have been about tantrums and cluelessness on how business between the countries actually works. A single meeting is only the start. Symbolic but that symbolism has been missing as well.
There has been concern over Biden's desire to stop the Keystone XL pipeline. Even if you are pro-pipeline, the Keystone XL pipeline is not a good solution.
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Millennials might not remember Barack Obama's first international trip as president. Obama was only in Ottawa for 7 hours in February 2009. Some of that time was spent in Byward Market. There were Canadians lined up in the snow along the highway as Obama made his way into Ottawa.
Stephen Harper was prime minister in 2009; Obama and Harper was on opposite sides of the political landscape. The leaders agreed on the generalities of auto-industry bailouts.
The Obama trip was seen as a positive step after the awkwardness of the previous administration with Canada. A 2021 Biden trip would have similar healing powers.
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President-elect Biden should also look into a permanent U.S. Ambassador to Canada that hopefully can start as soon as January 20, 2021. The United States has not had a permanent ambassador to Canada since August 23, 2019. Kelly Knight Craft will go down as the worst ambassador to Canada in the history of the countries in terms of what she did and a lack of interest in the position.
Despite the relatively successful reigns of Bruce A. Heyman and David Jacobson, Biden might be better off with someone with experience with Canada at the start. Jacobson didn't get started until October 2, 2009 under Obama. That timeline is unacceptable in 2021.
Richard M. Mills Jr. has done an excellent job serving as the interim U.S. Ambassador to Canada for such a long time. A permanent ambassador is needed badly. Based on media appearances, you might think Heyman was still the ambassador. Not a critique — someone has to fill the void — but that should come from an official ambassador.
Your humble narrator offers up his service to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Canada. If Biden and his team do not accept my offer, former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm would make an excellent ambassador if she is interested. Granholm actually spent the first few years of her life in Canada but her expertise would be as Michigan's governor as opposed to being born in Canada.
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The Canada-U.S. relationship is at an all-time low. Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris can do a lot to get that relationship in much better shape.
photo credit: Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press via AP
They can do their meeting by zoom. Just like the rest of us have to. No exceptions.
Posted by: veronica | November 09, 2020 at 08:19 AM