A former Manitoba premier and Canadian ambassador to the United States says he’s optimistic about Canada/U.S. relations under the new Joe Biden administration, but there are bound to be hiccups in any cross-border relationship.
Gary Doer — who served as Manitoba’s premier from 1999-2009 and ambassador from 2009-2016 — said despite a strong shared history, the relationship between the two countries is often a “rollercoaster,” especially when it comes to trade issues.
Most recently, Joe Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline project has tested ties between the two allies.
“We have dealt with protectionist behaviour in the past,” Doer told 680 CJOB.
“The Americans argue we’re protectionist when it comes to dairy, that we’re protectionist in some other areas of agriculture. We always argue about those and disagree about those.
“‘Buy American’ is a problem with Democrats, but it’s also a bumper sticker that Republicans like to use and support as well, so it’s tough.”
Ultimately, Doer said successfully interacting with their U.S. counterparts requires Canadian politicians to find a way to relate to each other first.
“I think any time you’re dealing with Washington, whether it’s dealing with the president, dealing with a senator, dealing with a governor — you relate first, and you negotiate second,” Doer said. “Having a relationship that you both trust, no surprises, can make a real difference.
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“If you look back with Brian Mulroney and Ronald Reagan, look back at Bill Clinton and Jean Chretien … it was very, very constructive.”
Although trade disputes are inevitable, Doer said one area the two countries always work well together is in terms of defending the North American continent.
“Starting with the safety of our neighbourhood — the military in Canada and the military in the United States work very closely together,” he said.
“I found when I was in Washington that the people in our military and the Pentagon and the people in the CIA — we all work very closely together to share intelligence, to share information.”