Canada is putting on the Ritz today to celebrate the incoming administration of President Donald Trump — and encourage continued Canada-U.S. trade.
Just under two weeks ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that he wouldn’t be attending President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration because he had other commitments, but some prominent members of his cabinet are in Washington today to bolster Canada-U.S. relations.
Fearing that Canada might be outmaneuvered in a renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Trudeau recently shuffled his cabinet and appointed a former commander of the Canadian Army as key foreign affairs negotiator. Retired lieutenant-general Andrew Leslie – now a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) and member of the Canada-U.S. cabinet committee – is in Washington today along Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr.
Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. David MacNaughton put it this way: “When you’ve got an $800-billion economic relationship, there’s lots of good things to talk about,” he told CBC host Rosemary Barton.
The diplomatic quartet will toast the Trump inauguration at an exclusive party at the Canadian embassy in Washington – exclusive to about 1,800 guests with key diplomatic, political and business credentials.
Interim Conservative opposition leader Rona Ambrose is also in town for the week, meeting with Congressional leaders. Her Twitter account retweeted a message from Conservative MP Randy Hoback: “@RonaAmbrose and I are meeting with US Congressional leaders to remind them of the importance of CDA/US free trade.”
Former veterans affairs minister and Conservative MP Erin O’Toole told The Daily Caller: “I would like to congratulate President Trump on his inauguration and look forward to working with his team on growing the critical trade and security relationship between our countries that is the model for the world.”
Canada’s Liberal government has been increasingly upbeat about relations with the U.S. in the last week – with Trudeau even comparing himself to Trump during a town hall tour event this week.
“The United States has no closer friend, partner and ally than Canada, and we look forward to working closely with the new U.S. administration and with the U.S. Congress,” reads a statement from Freeland.
“Our two countries enjoy a historic, time-tested and close friendship, whether on trade or security co-operation. Our integrated economies will continue to provide the basis for shared prosperity, driving middle-class growth on both sides of the border.”
But Calgary Conservative MP Michelle Rempel told The Daily Caller that “it’s fine for the government to seek a strong working relationship with the U.S. but Trudeau’s policies are the polar opposite of Trump’s; no matter who the players are from this government, you can’t ignore domestic policies that are hurting the Canadian economy and price us out of opportunity,” she said.
The leftist New Democratic Party – also an opposition force in the House of Commons – has sent their party president, Marit Stiles to the capitol. The child of parents who fled the U.S. durig the Vietnam War, Stiles won’t be participating in any formal talks. Instead, she will be protesting the Trump presidency in Saturday’s Women’s March on Washington.