Canadian officials eyed ‘new opportunities’ no matter who won U.S. election: memos

OTTAWA — As the U.S. presidential election loomed, Canadian officials envisioned new opportunities for co-operation with their southern neighbour on nuclear energy, supply chain security and carbon capture technologies — no matter who won the contest, newly released government memos show.

Several months before Americans headed to the polls, one internal Global Affairs Canada memo flagged the goal of ensuring Canada’s relationship with the United States “will be not only sustained, but broadened and deepened over the years to come, whatever the result of the elections later this year.”

The memos, obtained by The Canadian Press through the Access to Information Act, provide insight into the federal strategy to not only weather, but also capitalize on, what promised to be a turning point for its closest ally.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in January that Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Trade Minister Mary Ng would work with Kirsten Hillman, ambassador to Washington, to implement a “Team Canada” approach to promote and defend the country’s interests with the U.S.

“We have an interest in locking in progress made since 2020 and we are preparing for all possible outcomes,” said a briefing note prepared in late January.

It said Canada’s preparation process would support engagement by ministers at the federal and state level to establish a broad network of contacts in the U.S. to ensure “better insight and influence.” The tactics would also include advocating “across the aisle” on Canadian priorities to raise awareness.

Indeed, Hillman said in late August that she, Champagne and Ng had visited dozens of governors, as well as mayors, senators, trade officials, business executives and labour groups.

At the time, the U.S. election outcome was far from certain.

Since becoming president-elect in November, Donald Trump has rattled the Canadian political cage with a threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods entering the U.S. unless Canada does more to shore up the border.

The internal memos show officials at Canada’s foreign ministry were quietly laying international groundwork early this year to help manage a possible Trump victory.

“We must remain vigilant and ready to respond quickly if the policies of a new administration impact our interests,” said notes prepared by the department for a late March meeting on Canada-U.S. relations with Germany’s ambassador to Canada.

The memo said officials were monitoring areas where there might be a policy change, including the U.S. approach toward multilateral organizations, such as NATO and the G7.

“Through high-level interactions and through our mission network, we are engaged in advocacy across the political spectrum in the United States to build support for these shared interests.”

The notes also raised the notion of whether Germany and France, which co-created an alliance for multilateralism in support of the rules-based system during the first Trump presidency, would pursue something similar in the future.

A memo drafted in advance of a May working lunch between Canadian and European Union officials noted interest in working together on issues that might arise under a new U.S. administration, including climate change, NATO, Ukraine and industrial and trade policies.

“We believe in the importance of a strong, united, and engaged United States in the global system,” the memo said.

Global Affairs officials also came up with questions for Derek Burney, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. from 1989 to 1993, before a planned May speech to staff.

Among them: How can Canada strengthen its value as a key ally? What should be the next big policy direction for bilateral relations? Where is there room for improvement in the trade agreement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico?

Another internal note pointed out the U.S. election was taking place “in a context of unprecedented polarization,” given the starkly different visions of America held by Republicans and Democrats on a variety of issues.

“Canada is taking a deliberate and proactive path to prepare for the range of potential election outcomes in the United States,” the undated memo said.

“Regardless of the outcome, the election could also yield new opportunities for Canada in the United States. This includes co-operation on nuclear energy, supply chain security, and carbon capture technologies amongst others.”

Canadian officials were also combing through American media to catalogue expected actions from a “Trump 2.0 administration” on immigration — from suspending the U.S. refugee program to building detention facilities to speed up the pace and volume of deportations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2024.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press