18 February 2009
Obama’s First Foreign Visit Is to Canada
Economics, energy and the environment top agenda in Ottawa
Washington — Economics, energy and the environment will top the agenda when President Obama makes his first official trip to northern neighbor Canada.
“There is enormous kinship between the United States and Canada, and the ties that bind our two countries together are things that are very important to us,” Obama said in a February 17 interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). “I think that Canada is one of the most impressive countries in the world.”
Arriving in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, on February 19, Obama will continue a long-standing informal tradition for most U.S. presidents of making their first international visit a trip to Canada. The practice dates back to Warren G. Harding in 1923 and Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933.
The one-day visit will begin with a meeting with Canada’s governor general, Michaëlle Jean, followed by talks with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and top officials on Parliament Hill, as well as opposition leader Michael Ignatieff. Obama will be joined by several top aides, including National Security Adviser James Jones, National Economic Council Chairman Larry Summers, Energy and Climate Coordinator Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security John Brennan, and Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg.
With more than $1.5 billion in goods and more than 300,000 people crossing their shared border daily, the United States and Canada have a significant trade relationship. Finding new ways to further strengthen U.S.-Canadian trade ties will be essential to both nations as they struggle to reverse the global financial crisis, Obama adviser Denis McDonough said in a briefing February 17.
Obama and Harper will discuss the recently signed $787 billion U.S. economic stimulus package and consider ways it could complement similar economic recovery efforts currently under consideration in Canada. Obama will also seek to allay concerns about a controversial “Buy American” measure written into the stimulus plan by Congress that requires federally funded public works projects to use U.S.-produced iron, steel and other manufactured goods. Obama pledged that the United States will continue to honor its obligations to the World Trade Organization and the U.S.-Canada-Mexico North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and resist protectionist policies that would lead only to economic disruption.
“My administration is committed to making sure that even as we take steps to strengthen the U.S. economy that we are doing so in a way that actually over time will enhance the ability of trading partners, like Canada, to work within our boundaries,” Obama said in the interview with CBC.
During the presidential campaign, Obama voiced criticism of NAFTA, which he said should include greater and more enforceable environmental standards and labor protections. Obama is likely to initially raise the issue with Harper for future discussion with both Canadian and Mexican partners. “His view has been that he would like to work with our Canadian and Mexican friends to help them understand why his position makes good sense,” said McDonough.
Canada is a leading oil and gas supplier to the United States, Obama said, as well as an important prospective partner for expanded efforts to develop alternative energy sources and innovative technologies to mitigate the global environmental impact of burning fossil fuels.
Clean energy cooperation could lead to new environmentally friendly ways to unlock energy from oil sands in Canada and coal in the United States, and may offer another opportunity for strengthening partnership among North American neighbors, Obama added, citing Mexico’s significant strides in alternative energy and carbon dioxide emissions reduction under President Felipe Calderón.
“No country in isolation is going to be able to solve this problem,” Obama said. “Canada, the United States, China, India, the European Union — all of us are going to have to work together in an effective way to figure out how do we balance the imperatives of economic growth with very real concerns about the effect we’re having on our planet. And ultimately I think this can be solved by technology.”
A NEW WAY FORWARD IN AFGHANISTAN
Canada is also a key NATO ally and a leading contributor of combat forces to the alliance’s 41-nation International Security Assistance Force, which is working to stabilize Afghanistan and eliminate terrorist safe havens in the region. Obama will express U.S. appreciation for Canada’s efforts and discuss his administration’s commitment to a new way forward — seeking Canada’s advice on building an intensified international effort to help Afghans emerge from decades of war and poverty, McDonough said.
“I am absolutely convinced that you cannot solve the problem of Afghanistan, the Taliban, the spread of extremism in that region solely through military means,” Obama said. “We're going to have to use diplomacy, [and] we're going to have to use development.”
Since 2001, Canada has deployed more than 25,000 soldiers to Afghanistan and provided more than $1.5 billion in foreign aid to the shattered South Asian nation. Ottawa has scheduled a full withdrawal of its 2,800 soldiers in Afghanistan by 2011. Obama recently ordered 17,000 additional U.S. soldiers and Marines to bolster the international effort. (See “Obama Orders First New Troops to Afghanistan.”)
“My hope is that in conversations that I have with Prime Minister Harper, that he and I end up seeing the importance of a comprehensive strategy, and one that ultimately the people of Canada can support,” the president said.
The White House seeks to complete its Afghan policy review before Obama travels to Europe in April to join Harper at the NATO 60th Anniversary Summit, hosted by France and Germany.
A transcript of Obama's interview with CBC is available on America.gov.
A transcript of the McDonough briefing is available on the White House Web site.
What actions should President Obama consider to help bring security and stability to Afghanistan? Comment on America.gov’s blog.
