Trudeau emphasises trade, democracy, and freedom in Philadelphia

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there is a lot of work to do to support workers and progressive values in Canada and the United States during his trip to Philadelphia on Tuesday.

I was invited to speak at a convention for a big union and ended up meeting with important people like vice-president Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

It was his first trip to a country below the United States since starting a new sales strategy called “Team Canada”. This strategy began during Donald Trump’s first term as president, when trade decisions made the relationship between the US and Canada unsure.

The approach involved having meetings with people from the US Congress, state governments, city leaders, and business executives, to make sure they knew and agreed that having good relationships with Canada is helpful for both countries.

The approach didn’t completely disappear, but it lost momentum after President Joe Biden won. This gave the Liberals a US government that is more supportive of their values and policies.

On Tuesday, Trudeau and Harris both gave speeches to the SEIU where they talked about making medicine cheaper, protecting abortion rights, and raising wages. Their speeches were very similar.

Trudeau said he was not giving his support to Biden by being there – he says he is not choosing sides in another country’s election.

Trudeau and Canada’s ambassador in Washington, Kirsten Hillman, say Canada would do the same thing whether Trump is running for president in November or not.

Trudeau told reporters that this message is important all the time.

Trudeau avoided answering questions about how worried he is about a Trump becoming president again. He said that what worked in the past should work again.

Trudeau said that during Mr. Trump’s time as president, we noticed that a good reason to not impose tariffs or protectionist measures on Canada was because it would also harm American jobs.

“That’s why I mentioned today that Pennsylvania exports more to Canada than to the next four foreign countries combined. ”

Canada says that 7.8 million people in the United States like something. Many people in the US have jobs because of trade with Canada, and many people in Canada have jobs because of trade with the US.

He seemed to make a new friend in Shapiro, who was elected governor for the first time just two years ago. Shapiro is seen as an important member of the Democratic party in the US and may run for president in 2028.

The two met for a short meeting before going on stage together at an event in Canada for business leaders, artists, and academics from Philadelphia.

Shapiro told Trudeau that he wants Pennsylvania to be the best state for renewable energy in the US, following Canada’s good example.

He repeated one of Trudeau’s favorite sayings about how diversity makes us stronger.

Both leaders said it’s important to protect freedom and democracy from increased false information, attacks on institutions, and citizens’ lack of trust in their leaders.

Trudeau talked to lots of union members at the SEIU convention and told them about how his government helps unions. He also talked about why it’s important for the US and Canada to have a good relationship.

“During this tough time for the world, Canada and the United States are there for each other,” Trudeau said.

“Today, it’s important to remember how special our partnership is. ”

The upcoming presidential election in America will be very important for the country.

Donald Trump may come back to the White House. This makes us think of the tough relationship with other countries when he was president before.

If he wins again, he has promised to add a 10% tax on all items brought into the country from other countries.

Trudeau and Hillman said Canada is safe from the threat because the renegotiated North American free trade agreement, which happened during Trump’s presidency, will protect Canada.

Canada is the most important country that buys things from the US. They buy almost one-fifth of all the things that the US sells to other countries. Mexico makes up about 1/6 and China makes up less than 1/10.

The US buys the most Canadian exports, making up 77% of all exports in 2023, which is almost $600 billion.