The federal Liberals arenB次元官网网址檛 the only ones declaring U.S. President Joe BidenB次元官网网址檚 visit to Ottawa a triumph for Canada-U.S. relations: WashingtonB次元官网网址檚 envoy, too, described it Friday as an B次元官网网址渙verarching success.B次元官网网址�

Biden got what he wanted on several issues, including a clear timeline on key aspects of upgrading Norad, progress on critical minerals and signs the two countries are ever more aligned on China, said U.S. ambassador David Cohen.

On Norad, B次元官网网址渢he lingering issue of ongoing discussion B次元官网网址� it wasnB次元官网网址檛 a point of contention B次元官网网址� was the timing of some of the commitments and what some of the commitments meant in terms of B次元官网网址� dollars,B次元官网网址� Cohen said.

Those commitments include a $7-billion plan that includes the first of new over-the-horizon radar systems within the next five years, with other upgrades to be completed in time for Canada to welcome its new F-35 fighters.

B次元官网网址淔or the first time, there is a clear date attached to the operability of at least the first of those (over-the-radar upgrades) being 2028, and that is the year that Norad was looking for.B次元官网网址�

Canada has also promised other Norad improvements, including a $7.3-billion refit for the systemB次元官网网址檚 northern forward operating locations, will be ready for the new fleet of jets which are to be fully operational by 2034.

The conversations about Norad have been going on for years, but were likely helped along by last monthB次元官网网址檚 encounter with what turned out to be a Chinese surveillance balloon drifting through North American airspace, Cohen said.

B次元官网网址淚 think the encounters focused everyone B次元官网网址� Canada, the United States and frankly, maybe the rest of the world B次元官网网址� on the aggressiveness of China, specifically in the Arctic,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚 think the balloon provided a public sense of urgency that reinforced the need on the part of both Canada and the United States to pay special attention to continental defence.B次元官网网址�

The two countries also outlined Friday an ambitious vision for a robust and reliable supply chain on critical minerals, which are vital elements for the manufacture of electric vehicles, semiconductors and modern-day weaponry.

During a joint news conference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, however, Biden raised eyebrows when he seemed to suggest Canada has no ambitions for its critical-minerals wealth beyond extraction and export.

B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 have the minerals to mine; you can mine them,B次元官网网址� Biden said. B次元官网网址淵ou donB次元官网网址檛 want to B次元官网网址� turn them into product. We do.B次元官网网址�

Cohen shrugged that off, chalking it up as an awkward effort to illustrate how compatible the respective strengths of the two economies promise to be.

B次元官网网址淚 think the point that he was trying to make was that there were tremendous complementary strengths and opportunities in the critical mineral space between Canada and the United States,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淐anada has the critical minerals the United States doesnB次元官网网址檛 have. As a result, Canadian participation in the critical minerals supply chain and value chains is a given.B次元官网网址�

As proof, Cohen pointed to the agreement announced Friday with IBM to expand a semiconductor assembly and testing facility in Bromont, Que., creating a corridor between Canada and upstate New York that will involve B次元官网网址渆very elementB次元官网网址� of the semiconductor supply chain.

One of the most immediate effects of BidenB次元官网网址檚 visit was the overnight closure of the Canada-U.S. border to northbound asylum seekers, the result of a B次元官网网址渟upplementB次元官网网址� to a 2004 migration treaty between the two countries.

Weekend media reports described both a mad scramble by migrants to get into Canada via the busy unofficial crossing at Roxham Road before Friday nightB次元官网网址檚 midnight deadline, as well as scores of would-be asylum claimants being turned away in the hours after the new agreement took effect.

ItB次元官网网址檚 part of a broader U.S. vision that aims to address the much larger issue of irregular migration across the continent and around the world, Cohen said.

B次元官网网址淭he work that weB次元官网网址檝e done on the southern border has already had a dramatic impact over the past couple of months, and weB次元官网网址檙e hoping to see a similar impact on the northern border,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淏ut itB次元官网网址檚 a very difficult issue. ItB次元官网网址檚 not as simple as a policy of saying, B次元官网网址榃eB次元官网网址檙e going to provide asylum for everyone who seeks it.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

Cohen said FridayB次元官网网址檚 visit also helped to blunt a U.S. perception that Canada represents a potential weak link in the effort to present a united foreign-policy front to China, a concern he acknowledged during confirmation hearings back in 2021.

But those were more the views of the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who were conducting the hearings than of the Biden administration, said Cohen B次元官网网址� and these days, the two countries appear to be working from the same playbook.

B次元官网网址淚 think the impetus for the questions were B次元官网网址� and thereB次元官网网址檚 no secret to this B次元官网网址� that Canada has traditionally had a slightly more friendly relationship with China than the United States,B次元官网网址� he said.

That all appeared to change dramatically with ChinaB次元官网网址檚 politically charged detention in 2018 of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were finally freed in September 2021 and were on hand Friday for BidenB次元官网网址檚 speech to Parliament.

B次元官网网址淭he Canadian perspective with respect to China has evolved, as has the United States,B次元官网网址� Cohen said.

B次元官网网址淚t is therefore not surprising that the stated policies of Canada toward China now look an awful lot like the United StatesB次元官网网址� expressed views toward China.B次元官网网址�

One area where Biden might well have ended his trip to Ottawa disappointed was on Haiti, the impoverished, leaderless Caribbean nation that has devolved into gang violence since the 2021 assassination of president Jovenel Mo茂se.

Canada has committed $100 million in fresh aid to support the Haitian National Police, but has stopped short of committing to any sort of military intervention, insisting the country is in need of homegrown solutions to the crisis.

The U.S. isnB次元官网网址檛 giving up on the idea of a security force, whether or not it involves Canada, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told the CBC in an interview Sunday.

B次元官网网址淲e still find value in the potential use of some sort of security force in Haiti,B次元官网网址� Kirby said.

B次元官网网址淲hatever comes out of that is going to have to be done in full consultation with the Haitian government as well as the UN, and we just arenB次元官网网址檛 at that point right now.B次元官网网址�

The U.S. shares TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 concerns about the state of the Haitian police and will continue to do what it can to bolster their capabilities, Kirby added.

James McCarten, The Canadian Press

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