Canada elected its first new prime minister in nearly a decade last Monday, as the Conservative Party’s Stephen Harper was ousted by Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Party, which also gained an absolute majority in the country’s government. Though Canada is the United States’s largest trading partner, Harper’s relationship with President Barack Obama has been complicated, due to Obama’s opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline, which Harper supports. Trudeau, though nominally pro-Keystone as well, has also spoken about the importance of balancing environmental impacts of the proposed pipeline. The Liberal party has also indicated that it would remove Canada’s non-NATO military from the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State. As the US prepares for its own presidential elections, how do you see Trudeau’s election impacting the next year of US-Canada relations?

Prof. Lucy Goodhart (IGS)

The election victory for Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Party removes one consistent irritant in US-Canadian relations, since the Liberals will put less pressure on the US to undertake the Keystone pipeline.  On the other hand, it introduces a different irritant, since the Liberals are pledged to pull out fighter planes from the effort to combat ISIS in Northern Iraq.   More broadly, this is a generational change for Canada and the new government may decode to flex its muscles on the foreign stage.  Looking at the year ahead, Michael Ignatieff (former leader of the Liberals) has pointed out in the Financial Times that the Canadian election campaign lasted 78 days and that, in victory, their new leader, Justin Trudeau, urged magnanimity toward the defeated Conservative Party.   “Conservatives are not our enemy.  They are our neighbors.”  At the start of an American election season that is already marked by bitterness and division, the greatest impact of the Canadian election may be what it entitles Canadians to ask about America and what we should conclude about ourselves.  

Prof. Lucy Goodhart (IGS) is a lecturer in International and Global Studies. 

Sophie Freije ’17

While Canada’s replacement of Harper with Trudeau — whose views on the Keystone XL Pipeline deviate less from Obama’s opposition — may temporarily improve US-Canada relations, upcoming election results will ultimately determine the mood of this debate going forward. Trudeau’s stance is most compatible with that of Republican candidates, who tout the economic incentives surrounding the Keystone XL Pipeline. As a result, electing a Republican candidate will pose an interesting trade-off for the U.S.; mutual support for the pipeline will improve U.S.-Canada relations but also lead to more drilling, more greenhouse gas emissions and, potentially, more messy spills. Even if Trudeau’s relatively moderate approach creates a “middle-ground” on the issue, his election hardly eliminates pressure on the U.S. to start gaining economic profits from the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Sophie Freije ’17 is the president of Students for Environmental Action. 

Ariel Kagedan ’16

The results of the Canadian Election will hopefully help us see a return to the vibrant tradition of positive U.S.-Canada relations. Obama’s veto of the Keystone pipeline could not be better for Trudeau. While he is marginally supportive of Keystone, he has no interest in the negative effects it will have on the people, environment, wildlife and climate, and, moreover, the detriment to both countries’ economies. Considering Trudeau’s ‘nominal’ support, I imagine that he will take a hard ‘no’ stance towards the pipeline in an effort to reset a broken relationship. Trudeau’s announcement of his intent to withdraw all non-NATO support from the U.S. led coalition fight against the Islamic State is a potential wrench in beginning an amicable relationship. It is important to remember that given Canada’s small military, any change will be much more a change in tone than practical involvement. I think the White House acknowledges Canada’s important history as a peace-keeping nation in blue berets, and I, for one, am proud that we are turning back into one.

Ariel Kagedan ’16 is the inaugural Brandeis-Canada scholar. He is from Ottawa, Ontario.  

Matt Smetana ’17 

With the Liberal Party now in power in Canada, we will see a massive shift in the way Canada influences the United States. Since our two nations are so closely tied, the policies that Canada passes will not only affect the U.S., but also serve as an example of what our government should enact. Justin Trudeau’s environmental stance is more progressive than most, calling for carbon pricing on a provincial basis. This type of tax policy charges those who emit carbon dioxide, a method that makes alternative forms of energy more economically favorable. He also plans on having a stronger, more constructive presence at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference. Polar regions are at greatest risk from climatic change; therefore, Canada has a great deal to lose. With the new political shift, Canada and the United States now share many of the same ideals and relationships should strengthen moving into the future.

Matt Smetana ’17 is the co-chair of the Brandeis Senate Sustainability Committee and is the undergraduate departmental representative for the Environmental Studies department.