25 janvier 2021 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

How Canada can leverage Biden's agenda as part of government relations reset

Government can put focus on opportunities in new presidential agenda rather than on old irritants

Colin Robertson · for CBC News Opinion · Posted: Jan 19, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: January 19

This column is an opinion by Colin Robertson, a former Canadian diplomat and now vice-president and fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

Joe Biden's return to the White House, this time as president, gives Canada a chance to reset what has been a tempestuous ride with Donald Trump.

Biden has set himself a formidable to-do list: the pandemic; economic recovery; climate; racial justice; restoring democracy.

For Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's first meeting with Biden after his inauguration, the government needs to look closely at that agenda. Rather than focusing on the perennial irritants, it should identify where Canada can offer help and solutions, because we share many of these challenges.

Biden's immediate priority is vaccinating Americans so the country can recover socially and economically from COVID-19, and Trudeau has the same focus. The multilateral response to the pandemic could have been much more effective and would have benefited all if our two nations had collaborated from the outset. But it's not too late to start.

Some of our best practices will also have application in hard-pressed developing nations, and what better demonstration that "America is back" and "ready to lead the world," as Biden put it, than to work closer with Canada and share what we have jointly learned about dealing with this virus.

On climate, if Biden rejoins the Paris Agreement as promised, Canada and the U.S. will be back in sync in terms of emission-reduction targets. Together, we need to look to November's Glasgow conference and what we want to accomplish there, as it will be both a stock-taking of Paris commitments and a setting of new goals.

With this in mind, Trudeau should offer to lead a North American approach to carbon pricing, including instituting a border tax on imports from those nations that don't meet their climate commitments.

Closer collaboration would also involve identifying best practices and areas for shared research, including initiatives at the state and provincial level. If Mexico were asked to join in, it would go a long way to reviving North American collaboration in other areas as well, like immigration and addressing some of the troubles involving Mexico's Central American neighbours.

On the issue of mutual defence, unlike Trump, Biden has indicated he believes in collective security and that he embraces NATO. Meanwhile, our binational NORAD agreement needs renewal, and an Arctic strategy is the missing piece in Canada's defence policy.

American presidents from Ronald Reagan on have told us that if Canada claims sovereignty over the North, then we must exercise it. If we dither, the U.S. will set the parameters for us. To avoid this, we need to quickly take the lead in proposing a joint strategy. Reinvesting in our Arctic would also spark a northern economic renaissance, as well as secure the critical minerals vital to advanced manufacturing.

Joining Biden's proposed club of democracies also makes sense, especially if it focuses on human rights, development goals, setting digital standards, and strengthening nascent democracies. Likewise, standing up to the authoritarians, especially China, is overdue.

China's a la carte approach to multilateralism means scooping up the benefits of globalization while ignoring the rules and conventions of global institutions. As a result, China will likely dominate the Biden administration's foreign and security policy deliberations. As part of those deliberations, Canada needs President Biden to promise that any deal lifting the U.S. extradition request for Meng Wanzhou will include freeing the two Michaels – Canadians Kovrig and Spavor, detained in China since December 2018.

With Canada having about 300,000 expatriates at risk in Hong Kong, we should also offer to co-lead, with Britain, a G7 approach to sustaining the liberties that China guaranteed to Hong Kong.

And we must carefully strategize confrontations involving the U.S. itself.

In his first conversation with the president-elect on Nov. 9 after the U.S. election, Prime Minister Trudeau pressed him on the Keystone XL pipeline that Biden has repeatedly pledged to rescind.

The arguments supporting Keystone XL are unchanged: as one of 70 pipelines that crisscross our border, it safely supplements American energy independence with a secure and reliable supply of oil. And innovations by oilsands producers have significantly reduced the industry's environmental footprint. Biden already knows all this. But could he really be expected to go back on his promise to environmentalists, a key constituency in his fragile Democratic government?

Leading with your chin is a bad idea, and Canada needs to be pragmatic.

Indeed, reports Sunday indicated that Biden plans to rescind permission for the pipeline in his first day in office. If that turns out to be the case, Keystone XL is an important issue that requires ongoing attention through different levels of government, but we also need to be realistic in our expectations. The Harper government made Keystone XL the litmus test of its relationship with the Obama administration and it was a mistake, frustrating progress on other issues.

Meanwhile, a pipeline we should be vigorously defending is the 65-year-old Line 5 that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer wants closed. This pipeline supplies about 45 per cent of the crude oil used by Ontario and Quebec.

Let's also be realistic about Buy American, which is integral to Biden's trillion-dollar Made in America and Build Back Better initiatives.

It's equally unlikely that he'll back away from these plans, but we should remember how Canada finessed former president Barack Obama's big build economic recovery initiative. With state-level procurement outside of the NAFTA deal, then-prime minister Stephen Harper turned to the Council of the Federation. Led by premiers Brad Wall and Jean Charest, they negotiated a reciprocity agreement with their governor counterparts that gave Canadians a piece of the pie.

Keystone XL and Buy America remind us that our close, deep and profitable U.S. trade relationship requires a calibrated approach involving different levels of government. Several of the provinces have representation in Washington. Quebec has long had offices throughout the U.S., for example, and provincial efforts complement those of our Embassy and consulates; indeed on issues like Keystone they effectively lead. The Canadian tendency to push it all to the top-level leaders is self-defeating.

When presidents meet with prime ministers, they expect top-table discussions befitting G7 and G20 leaders. Effective relations with the new Biden administration will mean dealing with problems at the appropriate level – including cabinet officers, premiers and governors, and our ambassadors. This obliges us to invest in our diplomatic service so that we can bring their intelligence-gathering to the negotiating table.

The new U.S. administration wants to reset relationships with its friends and allies. By seizing this opportunity and being creative in identifying solutions to our shared interests, as well as leveraging opportunities through multiple levels of government, we ultimately advance Canadian interests.

A welcome mat at the White House magnifies Canada's influence with the rest of the world.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/opinion-biden-trudeau-relations-1.5873231

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7 décembre 2018 | Local, Naval

Le gouvernement du Canada investira dans 8 bateaux de recherche et sauvetage pour la Garde côtière canadienne
Le 6 décembre 2018 - Gatineau (Québec) - Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada Le gouvernement du Canada est déterminé à munir les membres de la Garde côtière canadienne de l'équipement dont elle a besoin pour assurer la sécurité des eaux canadiennes et à offrir des possibilités économiques importantes pour les chantiers navals au Canada. Au nom de la Garde côtière canadienne, Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada fait l'acquisition de 8 nouveaux bateaux de recherche et sauvetage à grand rayon d'action de l'entreprise Chantier Naval Forillon, Gaspé, au Québec, et de l'entreprise Hike Metal Products, de Wheatley, en Ontario. Conformément à des contrats attribués en 2015, Chantier Naval Forillon et Hike Metal Products produisaient déjà chacun 6 bateaux de recherche et sauvetage. Selon les contrats modifiés, chaque chantier naval construira 4 bateaux de plus, pour un moment total de 61 757 896$. Ces contrats ont été attribués dans le cadre du volet de construction de petits navires de la Stratégie nationale de construction navale et permettront de maintenir des emplois bien rémunérés pour la classe moyenne aux deux chantiers navals. Gr'ce à leur capacité d'être exploités jusqu'à 100 milles marins de la côte, ces bateaux de recherche et sauvetage à grand rayon d'action améliorent la capacité de recherche et sauvetage de la Garde côtière. Les bateaux de cette classe portent tous le nom de baies canadiennes et sont construits aux termes de l'Initiative visant les infrastructures fédérales, du Plan de renouvellement de la flotte et du Plan de protection des océans. Citations « Gr'ce à la Stratégie nationale de construction navale, notre gouvernement fournit aux femmes et aux hommes de la Garde côtière canadienne l'équipement moderne dont ils ont besoin. Nous créons en même temps de bons emplois pour la classe moyenne et fournissons d'excellentes occasions d'affaire pour le secteur maritime au Canada. » L'honorable Carla Qualtrough Ministre des Services publics et de l'Approvisionnement et de l'Accessibilité « Dans le cadre de Stratégie nationale de construction navale et du Plan de protection des océans, nous fournissons aux membres de la Garde côtière canadienne l'équipement dont ils ont besoin pour assurer la sécurité des eaux canadiennes et de ceux qui s'en servent. La construction de ces nouveaux bateaux permettra aussi de créer plus d'emplois pour la population canadienne et améliorera la capacité de la Garde côtière à titre de chef de file de la sécurité maritime. » L'honorable Jonathan Wilkinson Ministre des Pêches, des Océans et de la Garde côtière canadienne Faits en bref L'entreprise Chantier Naval Forillon a obtenu un contrat de 45,8 millions de dollars en juillet 2015 pour la construction de 6 bateaux. Ce contrat a permis de créer 25 emplois et d'en maintenir environ 35. L'entreprise Hike Metal Products a obtenu un contrat de 43,4 millions de dollars en juillet 2015 pour la construction de 6 bateaux. Ce contrat a permis de créer et de maintenir 45 emplois. À ce jour, 4 nouveaux bateaux de recherche et sauvetage à grand rayon d'action ont été livrés à la Garde côtière canadienne. Les stations de bateaux de recherche et sauvetage sont réparties de manière stratégique sur le territoire canadien et gérées par des professionnels hautement qualifiés de la Garde côtière canadienne, qui ont la capacité d'intervenir en cas d'incident maritime dans les zones littorales. Dans le cadre du Plan de protection des océans de 1,5 milliard de dollars, 7 nouvelles stations de recherche et sauvetage seront construites, contribuant ainsi à assurer une sécurité accrue des eaux et des côtes d'un bout à l'autre du pays. https://www.canada.ca/fr/services-publics-approvisionnement/nouvelles/2018/12/le-gouvernement-du-canada-investira-dans-8-bateaux-de-recherche-et-sauvetage-pour-la-garde-cotiere-canadienne.html
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Canada picks F-35 as CF-18 fighter replacement
Canada has begun negotiations with Lockheed Martin and the US government to finalise the acquisition of 88 F-35As after selecting the fifth-generation type for its long-running fighter competition.
11 novembre 2017 | Local, Aérospatial

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Toutes les nouvelles

How Canada can leverage Biden's agenda as part of government relations reset

Government can put focus on opportunities in new presidential agenda rather than on old irritants

Sur le même sujet

Canada picks F-35 as CF-18 fighter replacement Canada has begun negotiations with Lockheed Martin and the US government to finalise the acquisition of 88 F-35As after selecting the fifth-generation type for its long-running fighter competition.

Canada picks F-35 as CF-18 fighter replacement
Canada has begun negotiations with Lockheed Martin and the US government to finalise the acquisition of 88 F-35As after selecting the fifth-generation type for its long-running fighter competition.