Trudeau to get warm welcome in Washington

WASHINGTON (NEWS 1130) – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is getting ready for a rock star welcome in Washington, DC as he embarks upon the first state visit for a Canadian leader in almost twenty years.

Trudeau is causing quite a stir in the US capital with one Obama administration official quoted as declaring Trudeau her “new political crush,” saying his “looks, heart and mind” make him “dreamy.”

That pretty much sets the tone as the leaders prepare for a bilateral meeting that could result a climate change agreement and a streamlining of border crossings between our two countries.

And while the soon-to-expire softwood lumber agreement could be a sticking point, as some pundits put it, even when there are disagreements between Obama and Trudeau, they’re pretty agreeable.

David Moscrop in the political science department at the University of British Columbia agrees that there is a special relationship blooming between the two, but that’s not always a good thing when it comes to support north of the border.

“It’s been a long term strategy of Canadian prime ministers to get close, but not too close,” he tells NEWS 1130.

“It’s certainly easier to have the discussions you need to have in order to address certain policy issues but, of course, in Canada people get a little bit concerned if you get too cozy with the American president.”

And with the looming presidential election in the US, the Canada-loving climate could soon change.

“If it ends up, in some nightmare scenario, being someone like Donald Trump, I think the Prime Minsiter would find a way to deal with it. Essentially he has to,” says Moscrop.

“For the most part, leaders work with whomever they have to work with. They have their own domestic interests and they’re just going to do the best they can with whoever they get. Leaders are able to come to a more or less rational consensus on how to best deal with issues, no matter how bombastic and bizarre their egos might be.”

Moscrop expects there will not be a sea-change in Washington after the next election, predicting another Clinton White House but, should there be a Trump presidency, he has some words of wisdom.

“You know the old curse ‘may you live in interesting times?’ It seems to have come true for a lot of us,” he laughs.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives at Washington’s Andrews Air Force Base late this afternoon to begin a his three day visit.

Tomorrow he meets with President Barack Obama and will attend a White House state dinner.

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