OTTAWA—The last time Justin Trudeau visited the White House, it was a love-in.
There was pomp and ceremony on the front lawn, gracious toasts at a state dinner and Trudeau and the Canadian delegation basked in the welcome laid on by President Barack Obama last March.
Well, there’s a new guy in town now and the Canadians are working to take his measure, adjust their agenda and come to terms with the political phenomenon known as Donald Trump.
Trudeau and his Liberal team may be wistful for the Washington welcome that greeted them during their last visit but those days are gone.
“That’s another world. That world is not here right now so you have to deal with a different world,” said former diplomat Paul Frazer.
But that doesn’t mean this new reality is necessarily bad for Canada, he said.
Frazer says that no other government has better prepared for the Trump administration than Canada, reaching out even before last November’s U.S. election to forge ties with his advisers in the possibility—though rare as it seemed back then – he might win.
More recently, Trudeau shuffled his cabinet, dispatching foreign affairs minister Stéphane Dion to a diplomatic posting and installing Chrystia Freeland in his place, making retired army general Andrew Leslie a parliamentary secretary with special responsibility for cross-border ties and changing staff behind the scenes, all to put greater emphasis on Canada’s relations with the United States.
Freeland will join Trudeau on his Monday trip to Washington, along with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, Transport Minister Marc Garneau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau.
“He’s done an enormous amount to get ready for this,” said Frazer, a former Canadian diplomat who now serves as a consultant in Washington.
All that has laid the groundwork for Trudeau’s Oval Office tête-à-tête with Trump. In the “bloody chaotic town” that is Washington right now, the Monday meeting offers a respite for the Trump team to latch onto something that “actually works,” Frazer said.
“Weeks into this rock and roll administration, I think the president is probably open to a little calm,” he said.
Frazer’s advice? Don’t walk in with a list of grievances or complaints about Trump’s policies, such as his controversial immigration moves, at least not for the first meeting. Lay out the argument that keeping the border open and avoiding protectionist measures will help the economy and help boost the financial fortunes of the middle class in both countries.
“Lay it out quickly. We don’t need long detailed policy memos here,” Frazer said.
“Here’s what we’ve got and it’s better than anything else in the world and how do we make it better. Let’s not do anything to screw it up,” he said.
“(Trump) responds well to facts, to a businesslike approach, kind of a roll-up-our-sleeves, ‘what is it you want, what is it I want’,” Frazer said.
Trudeau suggested Friday that’s the very angle he’ll be taking when he sits down with Trump.
“Relations between Canada and the United States are much deeper than just what is happening between a president and a prime minister. Obviously we’ll talk about jobs and growth for the middle class and we’ll find a lot of common ground,” the prime minister said during a visit to Yellowknife last week.
Trump and Trudeau will participate in a round table discussion about women in the workforce on Monday, a White House official told The Associated Press.
The event shows the rising policy influence of Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, who has stressed her commitment to issues like child care.
The official said Sunday that the two countries will launch a task force called the United States Canada Council for the Advancement of Women Business Leaders-Female Entrepreneurs.
Trudeau’s office reached out to discuss working on a joint effort, noting that this was seen as an area of shared interest between both leaders, the official said.
Both sides have been working on “deliverables” for the meeting, concrete commitments they can point to as evidence that the two leaders did more than just talk.
But for a first meeting, talk is important, too, especially as Trump’s early days in office have already left some world leaders unsettled, especially by his treatment of allies. The U.S. president drew fire for giving short shrift to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in a telephone call. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto scrapped his own White House visit in the continuing dispute over paying the cost of a wall along their shared border.
But Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe got a warm reception when he met with Trump Friday at the White House. Abe had met once before with Trump, travelling to his New York apartment for a pre-inauguration visit with the incoming president. Trump declared Friday that he has a “good chemistry” with the Japanese leader.
“I shook hands, but I grabbed him and hugged him because that’s the way we feel. We have a very, very good bond,” he said, adding, “I’ll let you know if it changes.”
During his joint news conference with Abe, Trump touched on themes that should encourage Canadians getting ready for their own meeting. He highlighted the importance of working together with Japan on “shared interests, of which we have many.”
“We face numerous challenges and bilateral co-operation is essential. Our country is committed to being an active and fully engaged partner,” Trump said.
“We’re going to have a tremendous relationship, long-term relationship of mutual benefit with Japan,” the president said.
That kind of language bolds well for Trudeau’s visit, who will be looking to tap similar sentiments with Trump and his cabinet team.
And as one of the first leaders in to see the U.S. president, others on the world stage will be looking to Trudeau for his impressions and advice — lessons he will be able to impart later in the week when he travels to Germany and France to meet with European politicians.
“What great timing for the Europeans to see him after he’s had his personal meeting with Trump and quietly give them a personal sense of what’s his takeaway,” Frazer said.
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