Canadian alliance ‘as strong as ever’
OTTAWA • During what was almost certainly his last visit to Canada as President of the United States, Barack Obama gave a glowingly received speech Wednesday urging North American unity amid growing protectionist sentiment and global uncertainty.
Obama addressed Canadian parliamentarians, dignitaries and celebrity guests in the House of Commons chamber after a day of photo-ops, awkward handshakes and “dude-plomacy,” as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau put it.
He emphasized the urgency of climate change, the importance of inclusiveness and “inalienable rights,” especially for the LGBTQ community, and the “extraordinary alliance” between Canada and the United States — which he called “as strong as it has ever been.”
He also lauded the leadership of Trudeau, calling him “outstanding” and thanking him for having brought “new energy” to the relationship.
“We meet at a pivotal moment for our nations and for the globe,” Obama said. The international order has enormously benefited the world, he said, but order is “increasingly strained.”
The United Kingdom voted last week to leave the European Union, forcing concerns over unity and the viability of regional integration to permeate the president’s one-day visit.
Obama eased Brexit fears saying, “the process can be managed in a prudent, orderly way.” But the sentiments behind the U.K. vote can’t be ignored, he said.
“If the benefits of globalization accrue only to those at the very top, if our democracies seem incapable of ensuring broad-based growth and opportunity for everyone, then people will push back out of anger or out of fear,” said Obama.
“And politicians, some sincere and some entirely cynical, will tap that anger.”
It was an obvious reference to the controversial candidacy of Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee seeking election in November.
On Tuesday, Trump — who has called for a ban on Muslim immigration to the U.S. and promised to build a wall along the Mexican border — slammed the North American Free Trade Agreement, promising either to renegotiate it or scrap it altogether.
But few industries can sever what is now truly a “global supply chain,” Obama responded, offering free trade between Canada and the U.S. as an example.
“The answer is not to try and pull back from our inter-connected role. It is rather to engage with the rest of the world, to shape the rules so they’re good for our world and good for our business.”