Challenges still lie ahead for the Canada-U.S. relationship despite several days of bilateral meetings between the two countries on their shared priorities and close ties as longtime allies.
During what Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland dubbed “Canada-U.S. week,” leaders and officials touted joint commitments to tackling climate change, recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and securing the release of detained Canadians in China Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
But among the questions Canada needs answered is whether the country will be spared from its neighbour’s “Buy American” provisions — and whether Canada might be able to tap into the U.S. supply of COVID-19 vaccines.
When asked by CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton whether the Biden administration would consider exempting Canada from the provisions, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken focused instead on the existing trading relationship between the two countries.
“We are each other’s largest trading partners. We have a remarkably vibrant commercial and trade relationship. I think the potential going forward, particularly as we’re trying to build more resilient supply chains … there is huge opportunity there,” Blinken said in his first Canadian interview, which aired Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live.
“We both have a strong incentive to work together on a whole series of projects, as well as to make sure that that trading relationship — already arguably the strongest in the world — grows even stronger,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid a virtual visit to Canada last week to discuss a number of issues with the prime minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau. (Jason Burles/CBC)
‘Buy American’ weakens relationship, expert says
But hours before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden met virtually last Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Washington was still “evaluating” how the order might be applied.
Christopher Sands, director of the Wilson Center’s Canada Institute, says that if Blinken wants to discuss the strength of the Canada-U.S. relationship, he should acknowledge that protectionist policies will weaken those ties.
“What has made us resilient has been that rather than trying to do everything ourselves, we built these supply chains across borders. And it means that when you have a crunch, you can go to Canada for help,” Sands said.
“You don’t make supply chains more resilient by putting a ‘Buy American’ provision in, because what that means is we’re restricted to the amount of supply that’s available at home.”
Biden signed an executive order promoting the purchase, production and development of made-in-America goods several days after he took office — a priority he emphasized during his presidential campaign.
Sands told CBC News he thought the Biden administration might have distanced itself from “America First” rhetoric in the wake of the Trump presidency.
“To me, it advertises their feeling of relative weakness, that they feel that they need to address sort of populist and nationalist feelings as well,” he said.
WATCH | Top U.S. diplomat ‘confident’ Canada-U.S. relations will grow:
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he is ‘very confident we’re going to see real growth and expansion’ in the relationship between the U.S. and Canada during an exclusive interview with CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton. 6:47
When asked by Barton, Blinken did not say whether there was a future scenario that would allow Canada to access domestically produced shots.
“We’re focused on getting every American vaccinated, and that’s job one,” he said. “But we’re also looking, at the same time, at how we can help get vaccines around the world.”
Blinken said that as vaccine production ramps up in the weeks ahead, access to doses will also increase around the world, including in Canada.
Boxes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply manufacturing plant in Kalamazoo, Mich. Earlier this year, the company backtracked on a statement that Canada could receive doses from the U.S. facility. (Morry Gash/The Associated Press)
Sands said that while executive orders aren’t as binding as legislation, he was disappointed that officials haven’t done more to assure Canadians that the U.S. could share its supply.
“The easy thing to say would be, ‘Canada, you put in orders to get vaccine from Pfizer … and the U.S. is committed to expanding production of vaccine,'” he said.
“That’s the kind of thing that you would have expected the U.S. to say after World War II, kind of that leadership.”
Back in November, Pfizer told the Globe and Mail that Canada would be sent doses from the company’s plant in Kalamazoo, Mich. — but Pfizer backtracked on that statement earlier this year.
Pfizer Canada president Cole Pinnow told Barton earlier this month that the company “re-evaluated what our supply chain plan was going to be” after “some uncertainty” with the previous U.S. administration, deciding instead that Canada’s shipments would come from Puurs, Belgium.
Pinnow said doses will continue to come from the company’s European facilities at least until the end of June.
Procurement Minister Anita Anand says she has received “positive indications” that the U.S. shipment is on track to arrive in the second and third quarter of this year.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
