Recently we learned that President Barack Obama will be hosting Prime Minister Trudeau at the White House in March for a visit and dinner. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
The Liberal Party of Canada has had a long-standing and growing relationship with the Democratic National Committee and the National Democratic Institute in the United States.
As well, strong relations have existed between Prime Minister Trudeau’s key advisors and President Obama’s inner circle, which dates back to David Axelrod helping former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and his team, which included Gerald Butts, get ready for the 2003 election against Ernie Eves.
This close political relationship is a huge benefit to both countries. Bilateral relations have always worked better when there is a little bit of tension but a lot more grease in the form goodwill, shared ambitions and mutual interests.
It is true that a lot happens between Canadian and American officials every hour of every day. But to really drive one of the most dynamic and successful bilateral relationships in the world, you need the political leaders to be interested and engaged.
I saw this first hand during my time as the foreign policy analyst responsible for North America in the Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat of the Privy Council Office.
There were some successes, such as the Beyond the Border and the Regulatory Cooperation Council Action Plans and a new multi-modal preclearance agreement that could speed up the movement of people across the border.
On balance, however, there were more lows than highs courtesy of the Keystone XL pipeline project, the Buy America and Country of Origin Labeling provisions, and disagreements over who should pay for a U.S. customs plaza at the new Gordie Howe bridge located in the busiest trade corridor between the two countries.
With the election of Prime Minister Trudeau, who campaigned on resetting the direction and tone of the Canada-U.S. relationship, and a President who is open to doing the same, the stars have aligned for a new chapter to be written.
Something big can happen. The challenge, however, is that there is no time to be overly creative, as there is a Presidential election in November 2016.
In the short term, this will likely make it difficult for the President to pursue deliverables beyond his executive powers.
Plus, with the passage of time in the New Year, the more difficult it will be for the President to meaningfully engage at all in renewing the bilateral agenda (this also impacts the timing of the next North America Leaders Summit in Canada, which will also need to happen in early Spring).
Therefore, to help my former colleagues at the Privy Council Office and the White House, who have undoubtedly begun thinking about deliverables for a visit, here is my Christmas wish list, in no particular order.
Together, these measures would help reinvigorate the Canada-U.S. relationship and collaboration in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region, a USD$5.8 trillion dollar economy and globally significant bioregion that is shared by 107 million Americans and Canadians.
1) Setup a multi-stakeholder, bi-national advisory council to drive implementation and the ongoing renewal of the Beyond the Border and Regulatory Cooperation Council Action Plans. Implementation has been slow, but important progress is being made. We can’t afford to take our foot off the pedal.
2) Harness the power of big data and single window initiatives to digitize and further simplify the border. This will help expedite the movement of legitimate goods and people across the border while catching counterfeit goods and identifying threats before they arrive in North America. With time, hopefully this could also allow the two countries to share customs resources and facilities.
3) It’s time for a new, long-term energy vision and development strategy as we look to find pragmatic and meaningful ways of shifting to a low-carbon economy. This includes finding new approaches for permitting cross-border energy infrastructure, as well as market integration and regulatory harmonization at the regional level.
4) A Canadian worker and an American worker are virtually identical. Before reaching into foreign markets for talent, both countries should commit to finding a way for workers to work in each other’s country more easily, especially our tradespeople who are in high demand and can fill short-term labour shortages when they arise in border regions like the Great Lakes.
5) Invest significantly more in Great Lakes science, education, monitoring and modeling, perhaps through a new public-private cluster that drives collaboration between, and leverages the intellectual and financial capital held by, government, academic institutions and private sector innovators in the region.
6) Linked to number five, drive academic collaboration by easing up on federal grant criteria that restrict the flow of money to university-based research partners who reside on the other side of the border.
7) Double down on cleaning up existing Areas of Concern and removing legacy pollutants from the environment while committing to restore vital ecosystems, such as wetlands. Similarly, commit to completing a bi-national climate change assessment for the region, which would be the first of its kind. The Council of the Great Lakes Region can help bring the right players to the table – government, academia, industry, and the non-profit sector.
8) Encourage federal departments and agencies involved in international commerce, including tourism, to work together and with other partners, such as the Council, in attracting foreign direct investment to the region, promoting the region, and expanding global trade links to maximize market access opportunities for industries that span the border.
9) Support the creation of a Great Lakes Infrastructure Exchange, under the auspices of the Council, to share procurement and financing best practices, coordinate regional growth planning and infrastructure strategies, prioritize projects and ultimately attract capital. The renewal and construction of assets will help attract new business and expand the capacity and reach of this vital continental gateway and trade corridor.
10) Finally, I’m a big believer in engaging youth. As a result, working with the Council, the two federal governments could commit to jointly co-hosting the first ever Great Lakes Youth Summit that would draw high school, college and university students from around the region together to talk about how we grow the economy sustainably.
We are at a potentially significant inflection point in the Canada-U.S. relationship, but there is a finite amount of time for the two leaders, as well as the two federal governments, to capitalize on the moment. To set the stage, I hope I have offered some practical ideas for reframing the agenda.
Mark Fisher is the President and CEO of the Council of the Great Lakes Region. The Council was established in 2013 to deepen the Canada-U.S. relationship in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region and mobilize government leaders, legislators, business executives, non-profits and academia in finding new ways of accelerating economic growth in the region safely and sustainably. It is hosting the second Great Lakes Economic Forum from April 24-26, 2016, in Toronto (greatlakeseconomicforum.com).
