OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau twice declined Tuesday to say or to guess what U.S. President Donald Trump means by “tweaking” the North American free trade deal as a senior Canadian official suggested the American administration hasn’t got a plan yet.
Trudeau’s entourage returned from what they said was a successful trip to Washington with Trump’s statement that his real concerns on trade and border security lie with Mexico raising new questions about his intentions.
A Canadian official, briefing reporters on a background basis, said during meetings with Trump and his senior aides, there was no clear indication of how the U.S. would distinguish between Mexico and Canada in order to make trade “fairer” as Trump pledged.
The U.S. administration appears to still be trying to figure out how it can deal with what it perceives as problems with Mexico without harming or introducing problems to the northern cross-border relationship, said the official.
Nevertheless, several officials said after the meetings with Trump in Washington that he and his advisors understood the integration of supply chains and economic ties between states and provinces along the northern border.
As for any talk of import duties, or border “adjustment” taxes that might come through a comprehensive tax reform plan, the official who briefed reporters said it wasn’t raised once by Trump or any of his officials. That was taken as an indication Trump is not as enthusiastic about it as fellow Republicans in Congress, like House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan. Ryan did raise it, but the Canadians don’t anticipate any immediate moves.
Asked by reporters, Trudeau twice declined to answer what he thought Trump meant by tweaking.
The prime minister got no kudos for his visit from either the Conservatives or the NDP.
The NDP blasted Trudeau for failing to publicly decry what they called Trump’s anti-immigration policies.
MP Jenny Kwan suggested Trudeau lacked courage to call out “Trump’s racist immigration policies, even though they are having a direct impact on Canadians.”
Trudeau defended himself, saying “I will say the same thing in Ottawa as I say in Washington;” that he would emphasize shared concerns and disagree “respectfully, clearly and honestly” where necessary.
“We were able to make sure that Americans understood fully and completely how many good jobs on both sides of the border depend on the close working relationship we have,” said Trudeau.
Conservative interim leader Rona Ambrose said Trudeau must drop his plan for a carbon levy and reduce taxes for businesses and individuals, to stay competitive with the United States.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said in the short term, the working relationship will improve. He said the two countries agreed on renewed cooperation on a response to dealing with the rise in opioid use and supply, and on cyber-security. He said the North American power grid is an example of where “there are huge interconnections along the border and we will both want to make sure that we make that as, as resilient and, and resistant to attack as we possibly can, and we’re going to explore the ways to, to do that in collaboration with each other.”
As well, Goodale said the two sides agreed to more quickly to implement pre-clearance of cross-border cargo. That has been pledged before but Canadian officials have suggested the delays have been on the American side, largely due to technological upgrades needed.
Canadian officials say the result of the meetings in Washington will be a new impetus behind officials to actually implement many of the potential solutions.
Trump gave the Canadians full-throated support, saying he will work with Trudeau on “a stronger trading relationship between the United States and Canada. It includes safe, efficient, and responsible cross-border travel and migration. And it includes close partnership on domestic and international security.” He said trade will be a lot easier, better and faster with new technology. But when asked whether he was confident the northern border is secure, Trump said “You can never be totally confident,” before going off on a tangent.
Trump and Trudeau spent 15-20 minutes alone in the Oval Office at the start of the day, with no note-takers present, before their senior aides and ministers joined them for an extended bilateral meeting.
The Canadian official said the conversations were wide-ranging from immigration (the Americans reportedly expressed the belief that Canada and Australia’s systems were the best in the world at bringing in people their economies need); to border security, and broader international defence issues, including North Korea and China.
There was a brief discussion on the environment, with reference only to the issue of acid rain and the health of the Great Lakes. The official acknowledged there was no in-depth discussion of climate change, although Trudeau did thank Trump in person for his approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Trump did not indicate who he might name as his ambassador to Canada, and Sarah Palin’s name did not come up on either side, the official said. The official said a new ambassador may not be named for several more months, and the Canadian delegation impressed upon Trump and his aides that Trudeau’s ambassador to Washington, David MacNaughton, is not a political fundraiser but a “close collaborator” of Trudeau’s who has his ear, the implicit suggestion being the Americans should also appoint someone with that kind of access to the president. The official downplayed the prospect of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, also rumoured for the job, being named to the post.
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