Honoring Our Friendships: President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau at a State Dinner

Our weekly post from the White House is also an Open News Thread. Feel free to share other news stories in the comments.

From the White House:

President Obama:

… this visit reminds us of what we love about Canada. It’s the solidarity shown by so many Canadians after 9/11 when they welcomed stranded American travelers into their homes. It’s the courage of your servicemembers, standing with us in Afghanistan and now in Iraq. It’s the compassion of the Canadian people welcoming refugees — and the Prime Minister himself, who told those refugees, “You’re safe at home now.”

Justin, we also see Canada’s spirit in your mother’s brave advocacy for mental health care — and I want to give a special welcome to Margaret Trudeau tonight. (Applause.) And we see Canada’s spirit in Sophie — a champion of women and girls, because our daughters deserve the same opportunities that anybody’s sons do. […]

And so I would like to propose a toast — to the great alliance between the United States and Canada; to our friends, Justin and Sophie; to the friendship between Americans and Canadians and the spirit that binds us together — a genuine and deep and abiding respect for each and every human being. Cheers.

Prime Minister Trudeau:

… we believe — Canadians and Americans — in the fundamental truth that diversity can be a source of strength. That we are thriving and prosperous countries not in spite of our differences but because of them. Canadians know this. It’s why communities across the country welcomed more than 25,000 Syrian refugees over the past four months. (Applause.) And not as visitors or temporary citizens, but as Canadians. But of course, Americans understand this, too. It’s why each generation has welcomed newcomers seeking liberty and the promise of a better life. It’s what has made America great over the past decades.

We know that if we seek to be even greater, we must do greater things — be more compassionate, be more accepting, be more open to those who dress differently or eat different foods, or speak different languages. Our identities as Canadians and Americans are enriched by these differences, not threatened by them.

On our own, we make progress. But together, our two countries make history. Duty-bound, loyal, and forever linked, whatever the future holds, we will face it together. Neighbors, partners, allies, and friends. This is our experience and our example to the world.

FACT SHEET: United States – Canada Relationship

Transcript: Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada at State Dinner

East Room

8:32 P.M. EST

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good evening, everybody. Bonsoir. On behalf of Michelle and myself, welcome to the White House as we host Prime Minister Trudeau, Mrs. Grégoire-Trudeau and the Canadian delegation for the first official visit and state dinner with Canada in nearly 20 years. We intend to have fun tonight. But not too much. (Laughter.) If things get out of hand, remember that the Prime Minister used to work as a bouncer. (Laughter.) Truly. (Laughter.)

So tonight, history comes full circle. Forty-four years ago, President Nixon made a visit to Ottawa. And he was hosted by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. (Applause.) At a private dinner, there was a toast. “Tonight, we’ll dispense with the formalities,” President Nixon said, “I’d like to propose a toast to the future Prime Minister of Canada — Justin Pierre Trudeau.” (Laughter.) He was four months at the time. (Laughter.)

All these years later, the prediction has come to pass. Mr. Prime Minister, after today, I think it’s fair to say that, here in America, you may well be the most popular Canadian named Justin. (Laughter and applause.)

I said this morning that Americans and Canadians are family. And tonight, I want to recognize two people who mean so much to me and Michelle and our family. First of all, my wonderful brother-in-law, originally from Burlington, Ontario — Konrad Ng. (Applause.) This is actually an interesting story, though, that I was not aware of — Konrad indicated to me when we saw each other this afternoon that part of the reason his family was able to immigrate to Canada was because of policies adopted by Justin’s father. And so had that not happened, he might not have met my sister, in which case, my lovely nieces might not have been born. (Laughter.) So this is yet one more debt that we owe the people of Canada (Laughter.) In addition, a true friend and a member of my team who has been with me every step of the way — he is from Toronto and Victoria, and also a frequent golf partner, Marvin Nicholson. (Applause.) So as you can see, they’ve infiltrated all of our ranks. (Laughter.)

Before I ever became President, when we celebrated my sister and Konrad’s marriage, Michelle and I took our daughters to Canada. And we went to Burlington and — this is always tough — Mississauga. (Laughter.) And then we went to Toronto and Niagara Falls. (Laughter.) Mississauga. I can do that. (Laughter.) And everywhere we went, the Canadian people made us feel right at home.

And tonight, we want our Canadians friends to feel at home. So this is not a dinner, it’s supper. (Laughter.) We thought of serving up some poutine. (Laughter.) I was going to bring a two-four. (Laughter.) And then we’d finish off the night with a double-double. (Laughter.) But I had to draw the line at getting milk out of a bag — (laughter) — this, we Americans do not understand. (Laughter.) We do, however, have a little Canadian whiskey. That, we do understand. (Laughter.)

This visit has been a celebration of the values that we share. We, as a peoples, are committed to the principles of equality and opportunity — the idea that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can make it if you try, no matter what the circumstances of your birth, in both of our countries.

And we see this in our current presidential campaign. After all, where else could a boy born in Calgary grow up to run for President of the United States? (Laughter and applause.) Where else would we see a community like Cape Breton, Nova Scotia welcoming Americans if the election does not go their way? (Laughter.) And to the great credit of their people, Canadians from British Columbia to New Brunswick have, so far, rejected the idea of building a wall to keep out your southern neighbors. (Laughter.) We appreciate that. (Laughter.) We can be unruly, I know.

On a serious note, this visit reminds us of what we love about Canada. It’s the solidarity shown by so many Canadians after 9/11 when they welcomed stranded American travelers into their homes. It’s the courage of your servicemembers, standing with us in Afghanistan and now in Iraq. It’s the compassion of the Canadian people welcoming refugees — and the Prime Minister himself, who told those refugees, “You’re safe at home now.”

Justin, we also see Canada’s spirit in your mother’s brave advocacy for mental health care — and I want to give a special welcome to Margaret Trudeau tonight. (Applause.) And we see Canada’s spirit in Sophie — a champion of women and girls, because our daughters deserve the same opportunities that anybody’s sons do.

And this spirit reminds us of why we’re all here — why we serve. Justin, Sophie, your children are still young. They are adorable and they still let you hug them. (Laughter.) When we first spoke on the phone after your election, we talked not only as President and Prime Minister, but also as fathers. When I was first elected to this office, Malia was 10 and Sasha was just seven. And they grow up too fast. This fall, Malia heads off to college. And I’m starting to choke up. (Laughter.) So I’m going to wind this — it was in my remarks — (laughter) — and I didn’t — I can’t do it. It’s hard. (Laughter.)

But there is a point to this, though, and that is that we’re not here for power. We’re not here for fame or fortune. We’re here for our kids. We’re here for everybody’s kids — to give our sons and our daughters a better world. To pass to them a world that’s a little safer, and a little more equal, and a little more just, a little more prosperous so that a young person growing up in Chicago or Montreal or on the other side of the world has every opportunity to make of their life what they will, no matter who they are or what they look like, or how they pray or who they love.

Justin, I believe there are no better words to guide us in this work than those you once used to describe what your father taught you and your siblings — to believe in yourself. To stand up for ourselves. To know ourselves, and to accept responsibility for ourselves. To show a genuine and deep respect for each other and for every human being.

And so I would like to propose a toast — to the great alliance between the United States and Canada; to our friends, Justin and Sophie; to the friendship between Americans and Canadians and the spirit that binds us together — a genuine and deep and abiding respect for each and every human being. Cheers.

(A toast is offered.)

PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU: Dear friends, Mr. President, Barack, Michelle, all of you gathered here, it is an extraordinary honor for me to be here with you tonight. Thank you so much for the warm welcome you’ve extended to Canada and to the Canadian delegation, and to Sophie and me, personally.

It’s incredibly touching to be able to be here not just as a couple, Sophie and I, but to have been able to bring our families down as well. Sophie’s mom and dad, Estelle and Jean — get a load of Estelle, I’m looking forward to the future with Sophie. (Laughter.) And, of course, my own mother, Margaret, whose last State Dinner here was in 1977. So it’s wonderful to have you here.

It’s also touching to meet Malia and Sasha, who are here at their first State Dinner. And quite frankly, the memories for me of being a kid and not being old enough to attend these kinds of events with my father almost makes me wish I had gone through my teenage years as a child of a world leader — but not quite. (Laughter.) I admire you very much, both of you, for your extraordinary strength and your grace, through what is a remarkable childhood and young adulthood that will give you extraordinary strength and wisdom beyond your years for the rest of your life. The one thing that you have received from your extraordinary parents is the tools to be able to handle the challenges and the opportunities in front of you. So thank you very much for joining us tonight. (Applause.)

In thinking about what I wanted to say this evening, I came across a quote from President Truman, who shared these words with the Canadian Parliament nearly 70 years ago. He said that Canada’s relationship with the United States did not develop spontaneously. It did not come about merely through the happy circumstance of geography, but was “compounded of one part proximity, and nine parts good will and commonsense.”

It is that enduring good will and commonsense that I believe defines our relationship to this day. It’s what makes our constructive partnership possible. It’s what allows us to respectfully disagree and remain friends and allies on the few occasions we do. For example I would argue that it’s better to be the leader of a country that consistently wins Olympic gold medals in hockey. (Laughter and applause.) President Obama would likely disagree. And yet, you still invited us over for dinner. (Laughter.) Because that’s what friends do. (Laughter.)

Because, now that I think of it, we’re actually closer than friends. We’re more like siblings, really. We have shared parentage, but we took different paths in our later years. We became the stay-at-home type — (laughter) — and you grew to be a little more rebellious. (Laughter.) I think the reason that good will and commonsense comes so easily is because we are Canadians and Americans alike, guided by the same core values. Values like cooperation and respect. Cooperation because it keeps us safe and prosperous. And respect because it’s the surest path to both safeguarding the world we share and honoring the diverse people with whom we share it.

When it comes to security, for example, we agree that our countries are stronger and the world is safer when we work together. For more than half a century, we’ve joined forces to protect our continent. And we’ve been the closest of allies overseas for even longer, fighting together on the beaches of France, standing shoulder to shoulder with our European partners in NATO, and now confronting violent extremism in the Middle East.

In every instance, we realize that our concerns were better addressed together than alone, and together, we have realized the longest, most peaceful, and most mutually beneficial relationship of any two countries since the birth of the nation state. It’s a relationship that doesn’t just serve its own interests — it serves the entire world. Canadians and Americans also value economic interdependence, because we know that it brings greater prosperity for all of us.

Over $2.4 billion worth of goods and services cross the border every day — evidence of one of the largest and most mutually beneficial trading relationships in the world. And one of our most popular exports to the United States, and I need you to stop teasing him, has been another Justin. (Laughter.) Now, no, no, that kid has had a great year. (Laughter.) And of course, leave it to a Canadian to reach international fame with a song called “Sorry.” (Laughter and applause.)

Together, Canada and the U.S. negotiated trade agreements that have expanded opportunities for our businesses, created millions of good, well-paying jobs for our workers, and made products more affordable for more Canadian and American families. We must never take that partnership for granted, and I can promise you that my government never will.

But nor should we forget that our responsibilities extend beyond our ruling borders and across generations, which means getting rid of that outdated notion that a health environment and a strong economy stand in opposition to one another. And it means that when we come to issues like climate change, we need to acknowledge that we are all in this together. Our children and grandchildren will judge us not by the words we said, but by the actions we took — or failed to take.

If we truly wish to leave them a better world than the one we inherited from our own parents — and I know, Mr. President, that you and the First Lady want this as strongly as Sophie and I do — we cannot deny the science. We cannot pretend that climate change is still up for debate. (Speaks French.)

Thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership — your global leadership on the pressing issue of the environment and climate change. (Applause.)

And finally, we believe — Canadians and Americans — in the fundamental truth that diversity can be a source of strength. That we are thriving and prosperous countries not in spite of our differences but because of them. Canadians know this. It’s why communities across the country welcomed more than 25,000 Syrian refugees over the past four months. (Applause.) And not as visitors or temporary citizens, but as Canadians. But of course, Americans understand this, too. It’s why each generation has welcomed newcomers seeking liberty and the promise of a better life. It’s what has made America great over the past decades.

We know that if we seek to be even greater, we must do greater things — be more compassionate, be more accepting, be more open to those who dress differently or eat different foods, or speak different languages. Our identities as Canadians and Americans are enriched by these differences, not threatened by them.

On our own, we make progress. But together, our two countries make history. Duty-bound, loyal, and forever linked, whatever the future holds, we will face it together. Neighbors, partners, allies, and friends. This is our experience and our example to the world.

Barack, thank you for all that you have done these past seven years to preserve this most important relationship. May the special connection between our two countries continue to flourish in the years to come, and may my grey hair come in at a much slower rate than yours has. (Laughter.)

And with that, on behalf of 36 million Americans, I propose a toast to the President, to the First Lady, and to the people of the United States of America. Cheers.

(A toast is offered.)

END

Bolding has been added.

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Programming Note: For those who follow the president’s weekly addresses in this space, the link is here.

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10 Comments

  1. Earlier in the day, the president and prime minister had held a joint press conference:

    President Obama:

    … this visit reflects something we Americans don’t always say enough, and that is how much we value our great alliance and partnership with our friends up north. We’re woven together so deeply — as societies, as economies — that it’s sometimes easy to forget how truly remarkable our relationship is. A shared border — more than 5,000 miles — that is the longest between any two nations in the world. Every day, we do some $2 billion in trade and investment — and that’s the largest bilateral economic relationship in the world. Every day, more than 400,000 Americans and Canadians cross the border — workers, businesspeople, students, tourists, neighbors.

    Transcript: Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada in Joint Press Conference

  2. Also from that news conference, was an answer the president gave to a question about whether he was responsible for “the rise of Trump”. His reply:

    From the transcript:

    Q (Margaret Brennan) Thank you, Mr. President. Some of your critics have pointed to the incredibly polarized political climate under your administration as contributing to the rise of someone as provocative as Donald Trump. Do you feel responsibility for that, or even some of the protectionist rhetoric from some Democratic candidates? Do you have a timeline for when you might make a presidential endorsement? And to follow on my colleague’s question here, do you feel political heat is constraining your pool of viable Supreme Court nominees? Thank you.

    PRESIDENT OBAMA: It’s a three-fer. I think it’s important for me to nominate a Supreme Court nominee quickly because I think it’s important for the Supreme Court to have its full complement of justices. I don’t feel constrained in terms of the pool to draw from or that I’m having to take shortcuts in terms of the selection and vetting process.

    With respect to your first question, I’ve actually heard this argument a number of times. I have been blamed by Republicans for a lot of things, but being blamed for their primaries and who they’re selecting for their party is novel. (Laughter.)

    Look, I’ve said — I said it at the State of the Union that one of my regrets is the degree to which polarization and the nasty tone of our politics has accelerated rather than waned over the course of the last seven and a half years. And I do all kinds of soul-searching in terms of are there things I can do better to make sure that we’re unifying the country. But I also have to say, Margaret, that, objectively, it’s fair to say that the Republican political elites and many of the information outlets — social media, news outlets, talk radio, television stations — have been feeding the Republican base for the last seven years a notion that everything I do is to be opposed; that cooperation or compromise somehow is a betrayal; that maximalist, absolutist positions on issues are politically advantageous; that there is a “them” out there and an “us,” and “them” are the folks who are causing whatever problems you’re experiencing.

    And the tone of that politics — which I certainly have not contributed to — I don’t think that I was the one to prompt questions about my birth certificate, for example. I don’t remember saying, hey, why don’t you ask me about that. (Laughter.) Or why don’t you question whether I’m American, or whether I’m loyal, or whether I have America’s best interests at heart — those aren’t things that were prompted by any actions of mine.

    And so what you’re seeing within the Republican Party is, to some degree, all those efforts over a course of time creating an environment where somebody like a Donald Trump can thrive. He’s just doing more of what has been done for the last seven and a half years.

    And, in fact, in terms of his positions on a whole range of issues, they’re not very different from any of the other candidates. It’s not as if there’s a massive difference between Mr. Trump’s position on immigration and Mr. Cruz’s position on immigration. Mr. Trump might just be more provocative in terms of how he says it, but the actual positions aren’t that different. For that matter, they’re not that different from Mr. Rubio’s positions on immigration — despite the fact that both Mr. Cruz and Mr. Rubio, their own families are the products of immigration and the openness of our society.

    So I am more than happy to own the responsibility as President, as the only office holder who was elected by all the American people, to continue to make efforts to bridge divides and help us find common ground. As I’ve said before, I think that common ground exists all across the country. You see it every day in how people work together and live together and play together and raise their kids together. But what I’m not going to do is to validate some notion that the Republican crack-up that’s been taking place is a consequence of actions that I’ve taken.

    And what’s interesting — I’ll just say one last thing about this — there are thoughtful conservatives who are troubled by this, who are troubled by the direction of their party. I think it is very important for them to reflect on what it is about the politics they’ve engaged in that allows the circus we’ve been seeing to transpire, and to do some introspection.

    Because, ultimately, I want an effective Republican Party. I think this country has to have responsible parties that can govern, and that are prepared to lead and govern whether they’re in the minority or in the majority, whether they occupy the White House or they do not. And I’ve often said I want a serious, effective Republican Party — in part to challenge some of the blind spots and dogmas in the Democratic Party. I think that’s useful.

    You mentioned trade, for example. I believe that there have been bad trade deals on occasion in the past that oftentimes they have served the interests of global corporations but not necessarily served the interests of workers. But I’m absolutely persuaded that we cannot put up walls around a global economy, and that to sell a bill of goods to the American people and workers that if you just shut down trade somehow your problems will go away prevents us from actually solving some of these big problems about inequality and the decline of our manufacturing base and so on.

    And that’s an area where some traditional conservatives and economists have had some important insights. But they can’t be presented effectively if it’s combined with no interest in helping workers, and busting up unions, and providing tax breaks to the wealthy rather than providing help to folks who are working hard and trying to pay the bills. And it certainly is not going to be heard if it’s coupled with vehement, anti-immigrant sentiment that betrays our values.

    (Bolding mine)

    • What a brilliant, reasoned reply our president made to that needling reporter! Honestly, I wonder why these creepo journos don’t blush as they ask their inane questions. As if President Obama is responsible for the racism and hatefulness of McTurtle and Co.

      Glad I didn’t go into that profession. Thought about it at one time.

  3. In the News: Rachel Maddow’s Show last night on escalating violence at Trump rallies:

    Rachel Maddow presents a video timeline of Donald Trump’s comments at rallies that have stoked hostility and incited violence by his supporters against protesters, leading to chaos after a canceled rally in Chicago …

    Katy Tur, NBC News political reporter covering the Trump campaign, talks with Rachel Maddow about the “undercurrent of otherness” that is part of Donald Trump’s political rhetoric that fosters hostility and frustration between Trump supporters and anti-Trump …

    Michael Beschloss, NBC News presidential historian, talks with Rachel Maddow about the historic use of protest violence for political purposes …

    Robert Costa, national political reporter for the Washington Post, talks with Rachel Maddow about reaction among Republicans to the outbreak of violence around a Donald Trump event in Chicago, and debate over whether such violence could actually stoke support …

    • Trump’s campaign manager

      One day after a Donald Trump supporter was indicted for punching a black protester at a campaign rally, Trump’s campaign manager did not immediately condemn the violence, saying Friday that the Republican front-runner’s supporters are “passionate” and “express it in different ways.”

      “I think Mr. Trump’s people are very, very passionate and they’re angry because of the way that this country has been taken advantage of from so many other countries,” Corey Lewandowski said. “That’s a frustration level I think a lot of people in this country feel and people express it in different ways.”

      Lewandowski’s explanation echoes the campaign’s previous comments when two Trump supporters beat up a homeless Latino man in August. At the time, Trump said his supporters were “very passionate” and “love this country.”

    • Mother Jones: This Is What It Looks Like to Get Beat Up at a Trump Rally – Here are 10 really ugly incidents.

      “Make America racist again.”

      “She said she was going to take and rip the sign. Let’s see if she does it.”

      “Tase him!”

      “These are not people,” Trump said. “Just remember that.”

      “Light the motherf**ker on fire!”

      “All lives matter…Are you from Mexico?”

      “I was called a n***r and a c***. They pushed and shoved me.”

      “The next time we see him, we may have to kill him.”

      “…He grabbed me by the neck and started choking me and then he slammed me to the ground.”

      Incidents described at the link.

    • Thanks for posting this record Jan. Rachel is doing her job as a journalist.

  4. Thanks for the excerpts from the speeches at the White House dinner, Jan! I really dote on Justin Trudeau, especially for his answer when asked why he’d appointed women as 50 percent of his cabinet. “Because it’s 2015,” he said simply.

    And he met planes bearing Syrian refugees, shaking hands with them as they set foot on Canadian soil. Wish our President could have done that, but there are too many batshit-insane native-born citizens here for him to even entertain such a thought.

    Sometimes Canada looks really good, despite the cold in the winter…

    • Cold, and sadly, not much interested in old people like me. After Trudeau was elected, I googled around to see what it would take to move to Canada. You have to be incredibly wealthy or planning to open a business. Neither one describes me so we will have to work hard to make our country humane again. I have great faith in the young people that they will reject Trumpism and continue the path laid out by President Obama.

  5. Guess we’ll stay here and hope we don’t get Trumped, Jan. OMG! On the evening news they showed a clip of Hillary saying she’s had calls from foreign leaders, wanting to know if they could endorse her, if it would help her to defeat Trump. She said, “That’s only up to the American people, but thanks anyway.”

    The Economist says that a President Trump would plunge the civilized world into crisis.

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