No tantrums. No Twitter threats. So far, so good

If a picture is worth a thousand words, body language has to be good for at least a million.

On one side, there was the guest: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, sitting stiffly, legs crossed, perched on the left side of his chair, looking straight ahead and wearing what could only be described as a “fixed” smile.

On the other, there was the host: U.S. President Donald Trump, taking up his entire seat, legs wide apart, leaning forward, hands clasped in front of him, his gaze sweeping the room. There was the handshake — a scant six seconds, compared to the 19 second marathon inflicted on Japanese President Shinzo Abe — but which was preceded by a split second of Trudeau staring warily at Trump’s outstretched palm, like a gazelle eyeing the paw of a lion.

(Or, to use his father’s words, a mouse sizing up an elephant. Ironically, Trudeau’s choice of official gift traded neatly on his father’s reputation: a framed photograph of a young Trump giving a speech to honour Trudeau pere, cleverly playing to both the president’s vast ego and love of dynasty.)

The overall tableau conveyed the power imbalance between not only the two men, but their respective countries. However much we like to remind the Americans that their economy depends on ours — and Trudeau did so in both English and French at Monday’s press conference — the United States is the senior partner in this relationship, and not just in dollars and cents.

Canada depends on America for its security: the U.S. military umbrella — NORAD in particular — plays a huge part in our nation’s defence. But we also depend on our neighbour’s good graces for our existence as an independent nation; apart from the War of 1812, we have never fought against the United States. Considering the disparity in the sizes of our respective military forces, this is a very fortunate thing.

READ MORE: Trudeau’s meeting with Trump in Washington has Ottawa on edge

Indeed, for most of their history Canada and the U.S. have perfected the art of co-operation, punctuated by polite disagreement. The two countries have diverged on any number of policies — engagement with Cuba, trade on softwood lumber, war with Iraq — but have remained the best of neighbours and allies. And though not all president-prime minister relationships have gone smoothly (no love lost between JFK and John Diefenbaker, or Richard Nixon and Pierre Trudeau) some have been remarkably close (Brian Mulroney and Ronald Reagan, Justin Trudeau and Barack Obama).

So how should we describe Trudeau’s relationship with Trump, following their first get-together? The meeting went better than expected. There was no friction — not in public, at any rate. The two leaders agreed on the importance of trade, with Trump pointedly distinguishing his country’s relationship with Canada from that with Mexico.

“America is deeply fortunate to have a neighbour like Canada,” Trump said. “We share the same values, we share the love — a truly great love — of freedom … American and Canadian troops have gone to battle together, fought wars together and forged the special bonds that come when two nations have shed their blood together.”

READ MORE: Donald Trump’s handshakes are likely a show of power, experts say

The two men even found common ground on unlikely terrain: advancing women in the workplace. Trump and Trudeau met with a host of female CEOs and businesswomen from both sides of the border, including Trump’s daughter Ivanka, to discuss ways to make workplaces more female-friendly and encourage women entrepreneurs. They announced a joint Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders — something one might expect from the professed feminist Trudeau, not so much from the less, er, enlightened Trump.

And while the two leaders differ on their approach to immigration and multiculturalism, Trudeau made a point of remarking that “the last thing Canadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country on how they chose to govern themselves.”

This was clearly directed at Trudeau’s audience back home, where friends and foes alike have urged Trudeau to “stand up” to the United States and take Trump to task over his travel ban on Muslims.

But this was diplomacy, and Trudeau was diplomatic. “As we know, relationships between neighbours are pretty complex and we can’t always agree on everything.”

As for Trump, he summed up his day in a four-picture tweet: “Wonderful meeting with Canadian PM @JustinTrudeau and a group of leading CEO’s & business women from Canada and the United States.” That was a far cry from his caustic comments after chatting with some other world leaders, such as the prime minister of Australia.

Overall, the visit — the most challenging meeting of his political career to date — turned out to be a job well done by Trudeau. It might not lead to a beautiful friendship, but it’s not love Trudeau’s looking for: it’s respect. And on that measure, he appears to be off to a good start.

Tasha Kheiriddin can be heard between noon and 2 p.m. on Toronto Talk Radio AM640. She’s also a columnist with Global News and iPolitics.ca, where this piece first appeared.