PRIME Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday congratulated U.S. Vice President on her historic election, and she recalled fondly her years spent in Montréal.
Trudeau looked forward to working with the U.S. administration on shared priorities, including fighting the COVID-19 pandemic through close collaboration on borders and access to vaccines, and to building back better.
He also looked forward to strengthening the bilateral trading relationship and Canada-U.S. supply chains, and avoiding the unintended consequences of Buy America policies, for the benefit of people in both countries.
The Prime Minister and the Vice President welcomed opportunities for Canada-U.S. cooperation in leading global action to fight climate change. Trudeau also highlighted the importance of strengthening North American energy security.
The two leaders agreed on the centrality of democratic principles and respect for rule of law and justice as values that Canada and the U.S. share. They spoke of the need to increase trust in government through greater transparency and effective delivery of services.
Trudeau and Harris discussed a wide range of issues, from promoting diversity and inclusion to the importance of mental health, as well as the need to address online hate, firearm trafficking, and gender-based violence.
Trudeau thanked Harris for the United States’ ongoing support to free Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have been arbitrarily detained in China.
Both the Prime Minister and Vice President looked forward to the upcoming bilateral meeting between Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden.