Working with the next Donald Trump administration will be a constant challenge for Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru.
But he added that every US government is difficult for Canada to work with in its own way. Trudeau said he draws some optimism from the fact Canada was able to successfully update the North American free trade deal the last time Trump was in office.
“It wasn’t easy, and nothing is going to be easy this time,” Trudeau said during a fireside chat at the summit. He went on to say that no American administration is “automatically easy” for a government in Ottawa.
“They take a very robust look at their own interests and Canada adjusts,” Trudeau said. “But our ability to do that and protect good jobs in Canada is what’s going to be at the centre of everything.”
Trudeau said his government will focus on continuing a “win-win” trade relationship with the US. “The fact is, middle-class workers in Canada and the United States have been building things together for decades and generations to tremendous success,” he said.
During the conversation, moderated by Council of the Americas President Susan Segal, Trudeau also appealled for trade deals that are inclusive in their benefits and don’t prioritise growth over all other considerations.
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When citizens of a country feel a trade deal isn’t working for them, it creates instability, Trudeau told the APEC crowd. “Trade done well can benefit everyone,” he said.
