It was a beautiful day in the neighbourhood in Washington last week as American President Barack Obama hosted a state dinner to celebrate one of the world’s most notable international friendships.
It was the first time a Canadian prime minister had been invited to the White House for a state dinner in nearly 20 years — the last being Prime Minister Jean Chretien in 1997.
From the outset, the three-day trip appeared more like a reunion of old friends as Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traded barbs over hockey and beer. Neither could resist cracking a Justin Bieber joke.
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Yet, amidst the pomp and circumstance, the finery and the levity the festivities had a serious undertone.
For Trudeau the three-day visit was a chance to thaw what had become a frosty relationship with our southern neighbour thanks to issues like mandatory country-of-origin labelling, climate change and the Keystone XL pipeline.
In addition to the time spent with Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, Trudeau used his visit to Washington to lay some groundwork, meeting with senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and other members of the Republican leadership. A meeting was also arranged with U.S. House of Representatives minority leader Nancy Pilowski.
The importance of a good Canada-U.S. relationship is not lost on Canadian farmers.
Canada and the United States share the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world. Agricultural trade alone between the two countries accounts for $50 billion annually.
Canada is the top agricultural export destination for 29 U.S. states, with American farmers and processors shipping about $26 billion in goods north annually.
Meanwhile, Canadian producers send about $23 billion in baked goods, meat, livestock and fertilizer south.
In Trudeau, Obama appears to have found an ally — someone to whom he can pass on the progressive torch. Both men have said they are committed to conversations around climate change.
With 20 months left in office, it’s expected Obama will try and make the climate change file one of his legacy issues.
But the friendship that seems to have been struck in Washington can, and should, go beyond the environmental file.
Good relationships in Washington may help with the always dicey task of negotiating a new softwood lumber agreement (the 2006 agreement expired during the fall election campaign). Softwood lumber, an $8 billion export industry, has earned a reputation over the years of being the most intractable trade dispute between the U.S. and Canada.
For agriculture, ongoing efforts by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to streamline Canada-U.S. regulatory requirements and eliminate red tape continue.
Meanwhile, Canadian fruit and vegetable growers would like their preferential status under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, an exemption the industry lost in 2014 because a similar program wasn’t available to American exporters sending goods Canada.
Then there’s the concerns around milk proteins. Canada’s dairy industry continues to express concerns about diafiltered milk imports from the United States. The issue, which industry says is undermining Canada’s supply management system, is briefly being looked at by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture.
And, of course, there’s the Trans Pacific Partnership, which remains under Liberal review.
A strong working relationship between Ottawa and Washington is critical.
As uncertainty continues to brew about the next American government, Ottawa would be wise to try and tackle as many issues on the docket as it can.
One never knows what the next U.S. election will bring.
