The Goal of Canadian Prime Minister's Negotiations with Trump is 'Expanding Trade Relations'

Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, met with Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. According to Reuters, his goal is to expand trade and economic relations between the two countries and to avoid topics such as immigration, where the two sides have completely opposing positions. Mr. Trudeau shook hands with Donald Trump with a smiling face upon entering the White House. This is the first conversation between the two since Mr. Trump's presidency began. The Canadian Prime Minister has so far tried not to take a clear stance on Donald Trump's campaign slogans regarding immigration and the review of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Mr. Trudeau's visit to the White House will last four hours. The first part will be a private meeting between the two, followed by a session with senior officials from both governments. This meeting will conclude with a joint press conference around 2 PM Eastern Time. Justin Trudeau stated on Friday that he believes the two sides will find many common points. He added that in this meeting he will defend 'Canada's values' in a 'respectful manner and not from an ideological perspective.' 75% of Canada's exports go to the U.S. Since Donald Trump's victory, public opinion in Canada has shown more support for NAFTA. A poll released on Monday indicates that about 44% of respondents believe this agreement is beneficial for Canada, whereas support for this agreement was around 25% in June of last year. Trump's promise to review NAFTA, although only mentioning relations with Mexico, has raised concerns within the Canadian government. Justin Trudeau had a very close relationship with former U.S. President Barack Obama. Mr. Trudeau has many disagreements with Donald Trump. For example, after Trump's executive order on January 27 to halt the entry of travelers and acceptance of refugees from seven Muslim countries, Justin Trudeau tweeted that Canada welcomes refugees. Nevertheless, experts believe that the Canadian Prime Minister has many motivations to build good relations with Mr. Trump. Steven Kelly, a former U.S. diplomat in Canada, says, 'Their severe disagreements are quite evident in some cases. However, I believe that in the current situation, insisting on these disagreements and provoking the other side is not the right approach, as personal relations are much more important for the new U.S. President.' Nick Nanos, a polling expert in Canada, also states that Justin Trudeau, who unexpectedly rose to the premiership of a mostly liberal government last year, remains very popular in the public opinion of the country. However, he too must apply the same approach that Canadians always expect from their leader, which is to maintain and expand economic relations with the U.S. without the relationship becoming one of subservience. He adds, 'The main issue in this meeting is to avoid falling into a pit and not to discuss and cooperate on important issues.' According to this expert, if Justin Trudeau is asked about contentious issues like immigration, refugees, or NAFTA, he will express his views without criticizing Donald Trump.