tv Key Capitol Hill Hearings CSPAN March 10, 2016 6:00pm-8:01pm EST
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to some degree, all those efforts over a course of time, creating an environment where somebody like a donald trump can thrive. he is just doing more of what has been done for the last 7 1/2 years, and in fact, in terms of his position on a range of issues, they are not a whole lot different between any of the other candidates. it is not as if there is a massive difference between mr. trump's position on immigration and mr. cruz's position on immigration. mr. trump is just different in the way he says it. there's not a big difference between mr. trump's position and mr. rubio's position on immigration, despite the fact that mr. cruz and mr. rubio are both products of immigration and the openness of our society.
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so i am more than happy to own the responsibility as president, as the only officeholder who is elected by all of the american people, to continue to make efforts to bridge divides and help us find common ground. as i have said before, i think that common ground exists all across the country and you see it every day in the way people live together, work together, play together, and raise their kids together. but what i am not going to do is to validate some notion that the republican crackup that has been taking place is a consequence of
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actions that i have taken. and what is interesting -- i will just say one last thing about this -- there are thoughtful conservatives who are troubled by this, who are troubled by the direction of their party. i think it is very important for them to reflect on what it is about the politics they have engaged in that allows the circus we have been seeing transpire and to do some introspection, because ultimately, i want an effective republican party. i think this country has to have responsible parties that can govern and that are prepared to lead and govern whether they are in the minority or the majority, whether they occupy the white
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house or they do not. i have often said i want a serious, effective republican party, in part to challenge some of the blind spots and dogmas in the democratic party, and i think that is useful. you mentioned trade. i believe that there have been bad trade deals on occasion in the past, that oftentimes have served the interests of global corporations, but not necessarily served the interests of workers, but i am absolutely persuaded that we cannot put up walls around the global economy and that to sell a bill of goods to the american people and workers that if you just shut
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down trade somehow your problems will go away prevents us from actually solving some of these big problems about inequality and the decline of our manufacturing base and so on. and that is an area where some traditional conservatives and economists have had some important insights. but they can't be presented effectively if it's combined with no interest in helping workers and busting up unions and providing tax breaks to the wealthy rather than folks who are working hard and trying to pay the bills. and certainly, it's not going to be heard if coupled with vehement anti-immigrant
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sentiment that betrays our values. ok. [indiscernible] obama: i think the democratic voters are doing just fine working this out. i think it's useful that we have had a vigorous debate among to good people who care deeply about our country and who have fought hard on behalf of working people in this country for a long time. i think it has been a good conversation, and my most important role will be to make sure that after the primaries are done i bring everybody together so that we can focus on winning the general election. reporter: i will be asking my question in french but
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i will repeat it for you in english afterward. translator: mr. trudeau, you have not talked about lumber, and it's a major problem with bilateral relations. have you thought about a solution to avoid the conflict reopening in november? what can you do so the fermentation survives the november election? all of this could have to be restarted a year from now? extent isto what losing seeks to the democrats hampering progress on this said,on mark that being you and mr. trudeau have signed a number of issues. what can be done for this progress to not be lost with the
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arrival of the new administration? french] translator: this morning we worked very hard and made a lot of progress, and have shown what is at stake, a lot is at stake. we hope this will be solved shortly to help not only canadian workers and the canadian economy but the economy of both of our countries. among these discussions, of course we raised the question of lumber. we keep on working on that. i am totally confident that we are on the right track to a solution in the next weeks and months to come. now, in terms of the decision we
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have taken and the work we have done today, i am extremely confident that what we have managed to achieve, the agreement we have taken and the solutions we have found for the problems we have faced together, i am confident all of this is going to become a reality because at every stage, not only are we talking about what is good for one side or the other side, but we are talking about what is good for both countries. our economies are so interwoven, the populations so interconnected that we are going to have agreement, for instance, that will facilitate crossing of borders while increasing the security of our citizens. this is good for both sides and it is where we worked so hard together with a lot of progress and a lot of success today.
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prime minister trudeau: we discussed many issues this morning, issues that have been worked on intensely by our respective friends, colleagues, and delegations over the past weeks and months. certainly, soft-wood lumber came up. and i'm confident we are on a track toward resolving this irritant in the coming weeks and months. but in general, the issues we made tremendous progress on, i am extremely confident will move forward in a rapid and appropriate fashion because we found such broad agreement on issues that are not just good for one of our two countries,
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but indeed both of our countries, canadians and americans, for our jobs, for our kids and their futures, for workers, businesses as we tackle challenges on the economy, challenges on the environment, and understand that working together in constructive, productive ways is exactly what this relationship and indeed this friendship is all about. i am feeling extremely good about the hard work we have done this morning, and indeed about the work remaining to do over the coming weeks and months on the issues we brought forward today. president obama: this issue of soft-wood lumber will get resolved in some fashion. we are already making progress on it. it has been a long-standing
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bilateral irritant, but hardly defines the nature of the u.s.-canadian relationship, and we have some very smart people and they will find a way to resolve it. undoubtedly, to the dissatisfaction of all parties concerned, because that is the nature of these kinds of things, right? each side will want 100% and we will find a way for each side to get 60% or so of what they need, and people will complain and grumble, but it will be fine. and in terms of continuity, one thing i will say -- this is an area where i will play the elder statesman, as alex described me.
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and as somebody who came in after an administration that politically saw things very differently than i did, what you discover is that for all the differences you may have in your political parties, when you are actually in charge, then you have to be practical, and you do what is needed to be done and what is in front of you, and one of the things that is important for the united states or for canada or for any leading power in the world is to live up to its commitments and to
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provide continuing momentum on efforts even if they did not start under your administration. so there were a whole host of initiatives the began under the bush administration, some that i was very enthusiastic about, like petfar, which provides drugs for aids in various parts of the world. something that president bush for.ves and risk credit we continue that, but there were some that when i was outside the government, i questioned how they were approaching it. i might have tweaked it and i might say to my foreign partners look, we have a problem doing it this way, but here is a suggestion for how we can do the same thing or meet your
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interests in a slightly different way, but you are always concerned about making sure that the credibility of the united states is sustained or the credibility of canada is sustained, which is why, when there is turnover in governments, the work that has been done continues, particularly when you have a close friendship and relationship like we do with canada, it's not like the work we are doing on entry and exit visas of vanishes when the next president comes in. of course, i intend to make sure the next president who comes in agrees with me on everything, but just in case that doesn't happen, the u.s. and canadian relationship will be fine. all right? thank you, everybody.
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mrs. trudeau of canada. this is for their state visit. it has been 19 years since the canadian prime minister has been feted, and tonight president and mrs. obama are hosting want in the east room for prime minister trudeau and mrs. judah. about 130 invited guest will feast on herbs and vegetables from the white house garden. trudeau ander president obama will address the dinner together. the white house dinner is the official highlight of the state visit. tonight on c-span, you will see the guest arrivals and the extensive preparation that goes into a state dinner. because of the number of guests, the dinner will be held in the larger east room rather than the
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state dining room. those rooms that on opposite ends of the first for the white house. guests will enter through the east garden room, the booksellers area of the white house, and advertisers will include an upscale version of .he canadian dish here is a look at the schedule of events for this evening. at about 6:55 p.m. eastern time, prime minister trudeau will arrive at the north portico of the white house. that is across the street from the blair house, where he is staying, and at 7:30, they will have the grand staircase official photo, where the couples come down the stairs from the white house residence. this evening, toasts and dinner, and then at 10:00, the reception and music. some of the guests tonight include lauren michaels, a
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longtime executive producer, mike myers, senators hatch, whickobuchar. minnesotaor from mi will be there. also the ceo of the dow chemical company. this is the live picture of the north corporate go of the white an hour,d in less than maybe 40 minutes, the prime minister will be arriving there. you can see the honor guard getting ready, and the president and mrs. obama will greet them there, and we will bring that to you live. we will also see the guests arriving in the booksellers area of the white house in a few minutes. the white house social -- in the white house
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gives a press preview for the state dinner. isyou can see the food that being served, you can see the other preparations, flowers, place settings, that type of thing, and c-span attended the press preview. we want to show you some of the preparation of goes into the state dinner. hi, everyone. welcome to the white house. i am the white house secretary. it is my honor to welcome you here today for the press preview for the event happening tomorrow. tomorrow, the dinner will happen in the eastern, following by music selections. this marks the 11th official of visit of the obama administration, and i am excited for you to be here. in a few moments, you will get to hear from some of my colleagues, starting with the white house florists, who will talk about the designs. it is inspired by the scenic lands and u.s. and canada and
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also the colors of spring. you will then hear from the chefs, he will go over the meal they have prepared that will be served. for the first time, we are tureen. an individual this is not an easy feat to put this together, so i have to say a blanket thank you for all the departments who have helped put this evening together. introduce someone who will tell you about the visit and the relationship between the u.s. and canada. have a great time, and thank you. >> good afternoon. take you for coming. the president and first lady are looking forward to welcoming prime minister trudeau and mrs. and their entire delegation to the white house on march 10. this will be the first official
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visit by a canadian prime minister in 19 years and is a testament to the importance that the united states and president obama placed on the u.s.-oh canada patient. expand an opportunity to and deepen our already very close relationship that we share. this will be the second meeting between the president and prime minister. they met last december and have spoken several times on the telephone since. -canadated states relationship is one of the strongest in the world, underpinned by our shared history, values, family ties, economy, and geography. we share the world's largest, border, enjoy the most comprehensive trade and investment relationship. we stand shoulder to shoulder in securing our nations against threats, domestic and abroad. we provide leadership in the multilateral institutions to respond to crises and support communities in need.
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we are joining to protect the environment to combat climate change, as well as developing clean energy. therehese visits occur, is a bilateral meeting that is only one aspect of the event. also on the schedule is an arrival ceremony, a press conference. this progression of events that's the tone for the final event, the state dinner. the president and first lady will post the state dinner in honor of the prime minister and mrs. trudeau. i will leave the details to my colleagues, but would like to highlight a couple issues about a state dinner. in the united states, the modern state dinner dates back to the 1870's and civilize is the relationship, the importance of the relationship that the white on theaces -- places relationship with a foreign country.
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such an event is reserved only for the most important of relationships, and in the case time in office, this is only the 11th time. we are fortunate to call canadians our allies, partners, and friends, and look forward to tomorrow's event. it gives me great pleasure to introduce the white house florist. thank you. >> hello, everyone. we are very excited that the --st lady, mrs. obama since jade is one of the favorite colors of the first lady of canada. we have incorporated it from yellow, the first color of spring, and color of friendship. we had enhanced [indiscernible] with small satellites with each one of them, which have one type
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of flour, which are showing -- - flowers. we have cascading orchids, hydrangea, and hanging ama ranthis. i will now introduce my colleague. >> hi, good afternoon. i am the white house executive chef. for the canada state dinner, we want to showcase everything from the pacific northwest all the way to the atlantic side of the north america -- from north america. this will be the first time we will the unveiling the part of the service, and what we will do is do a revealed.
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it is called the halibut represents the food of the americas. you get closer, you could take a picture of this, but it is a wonderful ,aked halibut that is garnished asparagus, and some spring onions. the much what we want to connotation is they spring -- is spring. for the seller, white house it a salad, whichd is such a salty antennae combination. for the main course, we are serving baby lamb chops from a small farm in colorado, and we will garnished it with mashed potatoes and wonderful vegetables in the spring,
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accented by -- i will turn you down to our pastry chef. thank you. >> good afternoon, everyone. my name is suzi morrison, the executive pastry chef, and i'm here to describe to you the third course for tomorrow's dinner. we have a desert that is a reflection of the memory of winter, and the celebration of the arrival of spring. guests will be served this cake with delicate nuances of texas pecans and caramelized maple syrup of new england. the splendor of the rocky mountains is here in this handmade sugar display, which the rocky mountains extend from new mexico to canada. a variety of pastries with american and canadian
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influences, a view from the mountaintop, the handmade sugar sculpture. this illustrates the region's beautiful scenery. is thelong with it dramatic landscape surrounded by sunny wilderness, and lush valleys with turquoise waters. this also includes a cranberry -- white chocolate snowfalls, and a chocolate coconut -- thank you very much, and have a wonderful afternoon. that preparation was from .esterday, and now we are live this is the so-called booksellers area, the east garden room of the white house, and you will be seeing guests arrive here, walking through.
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we will sit back and watch this. this is the fifth time in the modern era that a canadian prime atister has been fe ted at a state dinner. 1988, brian mulroney was hosted for a state dinner by the reagans. lastchretien was the canadian prime minister inviting to a state dinner. the archer joe, the father of current prime minister, 1969, came down to see president nixon and was hosted at a state dinner. this is the booksellers area live. let's look in.
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through yet, but that's because the prime minister has not arrived. in about 20 minutes or so out on the north order quote of the white house, the prime minister and mrs. trudeau will be arriving. you can see the marines practicing their arrival , and that will be in about 20 minutes, and of course we will bring that to you live. president and mrs. obama will come out the door there and greet the trudeaus. they are staying at blair house, wishes the official guest house -- which is the official guesthouse for white house visitors. they will bring a little motorcade and it will take about 37 seconds to drive from blair house up to the north portico of the white house. at six: 50 to happen 5 p.m. eastern time that the prime minister arrives there. then they go upstairs and have a little social time together. then they come down together
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down the grand staircase and take an official portrait. that will happen at about 7:30 p.m. eastern time and then the 8:40-ish.an at that is an estimated time, it could push one way or the other. we will bring you the toast and then we have to turn our cameras off. we don't get to go to the reception. that all happens tonight. some of the other guests we expect to see arrive, some of the u.s. officials include secretary of defense ashton ,arter, the energy secretary nsa advisor susan rice, the head of homeland security is a guess samantha. ambassador power and valerie jarrett, senior adviser to the president will also be there.
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have hosted. the menu includes alaskan halibut with roasted apricot, baby lamb chops from colorado withaked pecan cake butterscotch swirl ice cream. that's what 130 guests will be eating tonight in the east room of the white house. as we await the arrivals of the trudeaus at the north portico or the guest arrival in the book cellar area, we want to show you the short interview we did with the new canadian ambassador to the united states. his name is david mcnaughton. the canadian embassy sits right on pennsylvania avenue, about halfway between the white house ol. the capit ambassador david mcnaughton at the canadian embassy. mcnaughton, the
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newly elected prime minister will be making his first official visit to the united dates this week. what is happening here at the embassy in preparation? been an awful lot of work done by the staff here. obviously this kind of trip is intense. there are a lot of meetings, and in addition to the prime minister we have many cabinet ministers coming. the staff has been working overtime to make this a successful visit, and i must say that the state department and and everybodye has been terrifically cooperative. it has really helped the staff here in terms of the preparation. everybody has been terrific. >> as ambassador, what is your role? days,ave been here for 10 so it's been a lot of work for me getting up to speed with all
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the issues. i've had the good fortune of meeting a lot of people already at the white house. i sat beside secretary kerry at the gridiron dinner, which was delightful. we had a lot to talk about. i've had a couple of meetings at the white house. i had my family here when i presented my credentials to the president. it has been a bit of a whirlwind 10 days, but it's been amazing. >> you are new to your post. tell us about the amount of coordination that goes on between the state department in the white house and the embassy. how do you manage all of that preparation for an official visit? we have in total almost 300 people here at the embassy. they have counterparts, not just at state, but homeland security ustr.l the various -- the
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they've been working ever since the visit was announced day -- day out to make this a successful trip. it's been a lot of work. i have been briefed on all the issues. i've been brought up to date in terms of the schedule, but most of the hard work is done by the staff on both sides. >> what do you think the canadian people expect out of this visit? >> well, in some respects, it is a re-engagement and a refresh of their relationship. it's the most important relationship we have in the world. americans are not only our closest neighbors, but our best friends and our largest trading partner. there is $2 billion a day of bilateral trade that goes on. it's a critical relationship for us from an economic point of world,ut also in today's it's also important that we work together on security issues. a lot of that has been being
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discussed. we are certainly at one in terms of our approach to that. side-by-side, and we need to work together on security measures, as we have in the past. been partners in norad for a long time, and that has worked out really well. >> what do you think the prime minister wants to a when he speaks with the president and he for all the events that will take place? >> we have quite a number of items that have then discussed often on and we hope this visit allows us to finalize some agreements, certainly on the environment, climate change, some economic issues. and some security issues. and there are other items where we are not going to reach agreement while the prime minister's here, but hopefully we can nudge them along and get them to a point where we can
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hopefully get some agreements between now and the fall. >> where do you want to do some nudging? us, there are economic issues that are really quite important. for the united states and for , we had 1810 year agreement that ran out last fall . it is in both of our interest to reach an agreement on lumber because having those kind of trade disputes, the only people who are happy when those take place our lawyers. i'm not sure that is in our interest to be making waves. ,> how did you get your post and you've only been here for 10 days, but how often are you communicating? in blairi was first house many years ago with the
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prime minister's father. i worked for the foreign minister right out of university, and we came to washington -- i came to washington with his father. i got to know the prime minister probably eight or nine years ago when he got into politics. and hisf of staff principal secretary are close personal friends. i worked on the campaign that took place last year and he and i are very close. anticipated not when i was working on the election campaign that i was going to be asked to do this job. that wasn't why i was working on the campaign. when he asked me if i would do this, i was thrilled. this is obviously a very important job in the canadian diplomatic corps, so i am delighted to be here. i'm hoping that i can use my experience in terms of business
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and in politics -- in public policy to work with america to our mutual benefit. we need to see this not as a zero-sum game but as a way to work together for the benefit of both countries. >> what are your marching orders? [laughter] >> obviously this year is an important year because not only the presidential election but congressional elections. i need to develop relationships. when there are difficulties, and there are always going to be difficulties. there are difficulties among difficulties in relationships like marriages. the way you get over those faculties is to be open and honest and not let the little problems get in the way of what is a terrific relationship.
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>> i'm head of the american-canadian inter-parliamentarian group. this brings some much-needed glamour to the very important relationship between america and canada, one of our biggest trading partners, the only embassy i've ever seen that had rates on its wall. this will make america think about how important canada is to our global security and also to our economy. >> is there some hockey trash talking going on? >> canada has applied a lot of hockey players to minnesota. thank you very much.
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>> forward march. >> you saw prime minister and mrs. trudeau arriving at the white house. that was like coverage. now the next schedule event is at about 7:30 p.m. eastern time, in about 25 minutes. that is when they will come down the grand staircase for their official photo. the are going to go up to residence and have a little social time at this point. here in our studio in washington, we are joined by , who spent many years with a canadian magazine. she is now with politico. ms. savage, what is the significance of the state dinner, or a state visit? >> this is huge for canada.
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it has been 19 years, and this is a relationship that goes on every day. relationship, energy, you name it, military. but canada never gets much attention in washington dc, so to have the spotlight on this relationship is a really big deal for canada, and particularly a big deal for prime minister trudeau, who as you know is newly elected, coming in, trying to make his mark. incredibly warm, and tcs to reception we are seeing from the president, it means a great deal. 's mother is attending this dinner as well. >> prime minister trudeau is the sign of an iconic canadian prime minister. lotre elliott trudeau did a to establish what canadians consider their identity today, multiculturalism, bilingualism, these are his need legacies.
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someone who was also very controversial, he is seen as opposing the energy industry out west, and some of those same tensions are emerging today. this prime minister has a big pedigree behind him in terms of canadian politics and political history. >> what do we know about prime minister trudeau? >> we know he is young, his very progressive. he is a self-described feminist. he is making climate change a big issue for his government, and he is someone who came to politics after wandering around a little bit through life, trying on different roles. he was a schoolteacher for a while. he tried out various degrees that he did not finish, and ultimately came back into the canadian consciousness when his father died. he gave a very moving eulogy and people looked at him and said there is someone who can inspire
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our party again. he eventually became the leader of the liberal party and this fall was elected prime minister. >> is it fair to say he was a bit of a wealthy dilettante? >> i think that's how some people would portray him. the big question was, is he a lightweight, does he have anything to say, and what does he stand for? do to a lot of work to persuade voters that he actually has substance to him. if you see the covered she has been getting here in washington, it's been very much of a celebrity profile attention and a lot of pictures of him on his challengesut really to show the substance, and i think he is trying to do that here. >> you said this was a big deal for canada to have this. besides the state dinner, what goes into a state as it? are a lot of
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preparations, a lot of meetings. every department, every official is looking for what they call deliverables. but can they show for their work that the president and the prime minister can stand together and say here is what we have accomplished. so there is a lot of work going on, especially on climate change. they're both trying so hard to both ofentum going in their countries. but it's not easy, and for prime minister trudeau, wanting to be a champion of climate change, his own government says canada is not on track to meet its emission reduction targets that it agreed to internationally. he was out last week meeting with leaders trying to get them to agree on levels for a carbon tax. there are so many parallels between him and president obama, and one of them is that moment where you campaign, but now reality steps in, and how do you cope with, how do you put them
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into reality? with all of c-span programs, we like to hear from you and get your input as well. we are going to put up the fine -- the phone lines and we will watch the arrivals and talk with watch all and we will the events happening at tonight's state dinner, but we want to get those lines up so you can participate as well. we have a third line set aside if you are canadian or if you are watching us and canada, we would love to hear from you as well. you can also send a tweet and cspan, and we will
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find that as well. louisa savage, is this visit getting a lot of attention in canada? >> it is certainly getting a lot of attention in canada. here in washington of course there is so much competing news, it's not getting quite as much attention. of course there is the presidential race going on. this is always a challenge for canada, how to get on the american radar, so this is a nice window of opportunity for the prime minister to come in raise his issues, which include not only the climate issue but border management, trade. onre were some advancements that made with the president. in canada, everyone is watching closely, will he get what he wants, will there be any substance to deliver from this meeting? and certainly they are watching it much more closely in canada than here. antive issues subst
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playing out in canada is the budget deficit and the potential for that deficit going higher because of some of the programs he wants to initiate. >> this is so fascinating to me because i was a reporter in ottawa in the 1990's under the last liberal government. on gettingfocus was rid of budget deficits, balancing the books, because they were under so much pressure from wall street creditors who were raising their interest rates, and they just knew that if the cap spending, that's where their entire federal budget would have to go. leaders go to great links to try to balance the budget. they cut back on government programs and it was such a point of pride, and then they started to run surpluses. there was a feeling that canada was going to stay in balance after that, and the
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conservatives came in and ran some deficits after the financial crisis. so it was quite interesting, not only given full it -- canadian political history but what is going on in the world, where you see countries in europe trying to rein in their spending. and here comes this leader who says no, we think it's time for spending and investing particularly in infrastructure. the argument he made, interest rates are really low right now and this is a good time to do this. in a stimulus type way, this kind of spending can stimulate the economy and then pay us back through increased revenues. now they are on track to have even greater deficits and what they thought they would have, and on top of that, it's a bad moment for the canadian economy because oil prices are so low and being hit quite hard by the
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decline in the price of oil. that is the concern that will put a lot of pressure on various policies the government has. how do you do everything you want to do when the price tag keeps going up? harper was prime minister for 10 plus years. why do you think he never got invited down for a state dinner? that is a long time. >> there are two or three reasons. first of all, he was not that kind of guy. this was not something he liked to do, the pomp and circumstance. that is one thing. the canadian relationship is such a close, tightknit one, that you don't need a special dinner. towards the end, especially with the obama administration, the relationship got very frosty. there was tension over the keystone xl product -- pipeline
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which the obama administration was looking at, and the process kept getting dragged out. every time the prime minister would come here he would be hounded about keystone. it became uncomfortable and embarrassing and finally, in the end, the president said no to the permits for the pipelines which was border, something that was very important to the previous prime minister. >> this is a terrible segue but i did want to report on what the first lady is wearing. the first lady is wearing a midnight blue, floral jacquard down with asymmetrical draping designed by jason would. so for those of you who wanted to know that, that's what she is wearing, and we will see her in about 15 minutes or so is she comes down the grand staircase with mrs. trudeau. who are some of the canadians that are here?
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ministersre a lot of from this government that are here. what is interesting about this group is, first of all, as i said, the prime minister described himself as a feminist and he has appointed a half female cabinet, on purpose, which is pretty extraordinary, i think. he has a lot of young, dynamic ministers and a lot of them are here with him today. women and a very diverse cabinet. this is really an opportunity for them to forge those relationships with the people they need to be working with going forward. luiza savages our guests. we will take a few calls as we wait for the obamas and the trudeaus to come down the grand staircase. canada's national weekly
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.ewsmagazine i was the washington correspondent here for some years and got a really close look at how the bilateral relationship actually was in practice. >> about $2 billion a day go over the border between our two nations in trade. let's hear from new jersey. >> hello, c-span. how are you today? a question, isza it just me, or is the canadian delegation the absolute antithesis of a trump rally? progressives, young people, folks of all different colors and sex is involved here. as a fan of all things politics, it's very refreshing to see
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good-looking progressives on tv for a change. >> i think that is true. this is certainly a very progressive and young group of politicians. i think that is a big reason why the president has been not just warm but i would say enthusiastic in all his comments. i think he looks at this prime minister and sees the younger version of himself. you heard the prime minister talk about president obama as someone he is learning from. it's sort of a protege relationship they have been projecting today which i thought was really interesting. the prime minister laughed about a potential president trump and what that would mean for canada. he said they would not build the wall on the canadian border. he said the relationship is so close and so big that it transcends politics and we will have to work with whoever is in the white house, and we trust the judgment of the american people.
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i think that was a diplomatic answer and i am sure they thinkd him on that, but i chuggilationship keeps along. somen of the announcementsg they made on moving forward on some of the border measures, this is a continuation of something started under the harper government and i'm sure will continue under the next administration. >> there were two state dinners for brian mulroney during the reagan administration, but president obama seems to have found a real lady here. -- seems to have found a real buddy here. >> as someone who has been covering this stuff for years, the big question that fascinates me, is to what extent does this make a difference?
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there was a lot of speculation that harper and obama didn't get along so canada will not get keystone. some people say it is worth a key when there is some thing holding up an agreement or you need some help pushing something through congress, that having the ability to call up the president and put in a were directly makes a big difference. it will be interesting to see what it means between these two leaders. >> we have this tweet, a good night for canadian-american relations. hopefully prime minister trudeau will be able to work with whomever the u.s. elects in november. the next call is from brenda interim, north carolina. caller: good evening. host: go ahead and turn down
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your tv and speak, we are listening. fromr: i am a canadian newfoundland. when the current prime minister's father was elected, i came to the campaign. it is just so nice to see him come to washington. do you fill a special connection to the trudeau family? yes, i really enjoyed him being prime minister and .ave all his books i keep up with canadian politics. it's lovely to see him. i hope to get to see his mom on television. i have followed her as well of course since she married his father back in the 1970's.
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it's quite a treat for me. not: margaret trudeau did arrive with prime minister and mrs. trudeau and we have not seen her come through in the booksellers area where the arrivals are. maybe we will see her come through, but she has her own story, doesn't she? interestingy person, and a very interesting family. she was almost 30 years younger than him and she was known for having a celebrity party lifestyle and partying with the rolling stones. they were such a colorful couple. in the years since then she has and they outspoken public came to see her in a new light. she tragically lost a son. she was someone most canadians have a lot of work for. but pierre trudeau the father, i
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grew up in western canada in calgary and then i lived in the east. the attitude i encountered toward him were just diametrically opposed. when i was a kid there were posters that would say wanted dead or live in western canada because of his policies on energy. whereas when he was dying, and i was working in ottawa, colleagues of mine were just in tears. it was such an incredibly moving to hang, it was like jfk or someone of that stature. a very polarizing figure in different parts of the country. it is so interesting to see now with the collapse of oil prices and the difficulties the energy sector is having in building pipelines to get the land from -- to get the oil from landlocked alberta, you are seeing some of those tensions resurface.
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it is a strain that runs through canadian politics that you don't really have here in the united states. everything here is polarized left and right. in canada there is an undercurrent of national unity. is the policy going to help or hinder the task of keeping the confederation together, keeping quebec happy on one hand and alberta on the other. grumblings in texas once in a while but no one takes that seriously, but canada came very close to falling apart. >> it does sound similar to the u.s. where you have the east coast and the west side of the country. they are similar, but i don't think anyone in america
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thinks there's the slightest chance that one part of the country could actually break off . this has come close to happening in canada. i think there is a lot more anxiety around it than there is here. it's actually something that people take seriously their. >> we were showing two screens there. we are watching the arrivals live at the white house. that was a former saturday night live person and movie star mike myers who was arriving, he is canadian by birth. maybe you did not recognize him with gray hair now. 320 million is the population of america. canada is about 27 million? luiza: most of the population lives pretty close to the u.s. border, and everyone watches
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american tv and feels that connection very much to the united states. the trade relationship that is so huge, hundreds of billions of dollars a day. here we are in a situation now where the trade agreement were , trade has been flowing but the problem has become infrastructure. whether it's the oil trade or trucks carrying goods or the auto industry. there's an issue with building a bridge between ontario and michigan to carry 10,000 trucks a day. , the issuehe issues around holding electrical power lines to bring hydroelectricity from canada into new hampshire. that became a talking point in the republican debates about imminent domain and what it would take to build it. that is the challenge now for canada and the u.s..
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that this proud canadian is watching the state dinner from my home in maryland. our next caller is calling in from new brunswick, canada. we are listening to what you have to say. caller: thank you very much, it's a pleasure to speak with you, but i'm not in new brunswick, i am in florida. i winter in florida. absolutey it's just an pleasure to view your program tonight and i feel so proud to see justin trudeau, who is just a mesmerizing figure now on our political landscape, with his wife. he is someone that's going to bring a new frontier to our country and be very progressive justpen to new aspects, speaking about the cabinet that he nominated have women is absolutely wonderful.
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it's something i reminisce about his father having a close relationship with fidel castro. now that america has made that open visit with president obama, and here is his son visiting with obama, i think it is history, and it's amazing to be here and watch it. >> you spend your winters in in florida. what are the differences in your point of view? caller: i have family in florida. on theferences are based greater population of america and what is happening and some of the issues. the gun issue is something we also see with great concern and worry.
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and i see it here when i visit come out open it is -- visit, how open it is to carry a gun. that is not part of our culture. we find difficulty with that. host: thank you. is there anything you want to add? louisa: i think it is interesting if you look at political attitudes in the united states, you have the northern united states and you would probably find more similarity in the culture between the northern u.s. and canada, where you have differences with politics in the south. i always think of it as if you took the american political spectrum and cut off the far right, and even some of the far left, and just took the middle, that would be something closer to the political spectrum in canada, where people are more
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comfortable with policies, whether conservative or liberal. one thing i said earlier, in terms of trade, the united states as a trading partner, it is like 4000 people a day crossing the border, these are people who might live in one country and work in the other. many nurses for example are crossing to and fro to work in detroit on a daily basis. for many people, the border is part of their daily life. host: that is the busiest border crossing between our two nations, the windsor detroit border crossing. louisa: it is so important for the auto industry, because when you build a car in north america, you are actually building it in both countries, they go to the factories and there is an interesting story going on, where canada has wanted to build a second bridge
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because the current bridge goes into downtown windsor and it brings 10,000 trucks a day into the middle of winter where they encounter 18 traffic lights. they has been trying to build a bridge to bring this traffic around that bridge, but it is owned by a private owner, which is unusual, and he collects tolls. he has been fighting this in washington, so recently there was an agreement with the governor of michigan, who is now under attack over the flint water crisis, but he signed an executive agreement that said, ok, i cannot get the legislature to authorize this, but if you -- if you come in canada, pay for it, i can make an executive decision to authorize it. so they are trying to move forward, but the owner of the bridge continues to bring lawsuits in various ways. so it will be interesting to see if this intersection is ever
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built. host: it is one of those things you don't really think about on a daily basis. louisa: it is important to the manufacturing economy. host: earlier today, the president and mrs. obama welcomed the trudeaus to the white house. we want to show you the arrival ceremony. ♪ [trumpets] ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and mrs. michelle obama. ♪ [applause] ♪
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justin trudeau. [applause] president obama: mrs. trudeau. [applause] president obama: and their beautiful children and the quite good-looking canadian delegation. [applause] president obama: it has long been said that you can choose your friends, but you cannot choose your neighbors. [laughter] well, by virtue of geography the united states and canada are blessed to be neighbors. by choice, we are steadfast allies and the closest of friends. [applause] the truth is,a: we do not express this enough. in part, because of our national characters. our northern friends can be more
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reserved and americans can be a little louder, more boisterous. and as a result, we have not always conveyed how much we treasure our alliance and ties with canadian friends. and that is why today we are very proud to welcome the first official visit by a canadian prime minister in nearly 20 years. [applause] president obama: it is about time, eh? [laughter] president obama: what a beautiful day it is. which is a little unfair, as president, very first foreign inp was to canada, to ottawa february. [laughter] president obama: in the snow. still, our friends from the great white north gave me a very warm welcome and we hope to
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reciprocate some of that warmth today with your first official visit south of the border. we are joined by proud canadian americans. [applause] president obama: we are family and that this is also a special day for the many canadians who live and work here in america and who enrich our lives every day. we do not always realize it, but so often that neighbor, coworker, that member of the white house staff, some of our favorite performers and artists, they are canadian. they sneak up on you. [laughter] president obama: even as we remember what makes us unique, americans and canadians, we see ourselves in each other. we are guided by the same values, including our conviction of the blessings we cherish as free people, these are not gifts
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to be taken for granted, these are freedoms that must be protected by every generation. americans and canadians, brave men and women in uniform have paid the price together across a century of sacrifice, from the fields of flanders to the rugged --ntains of afghanistan did afghanistan. we stand united against terrorism and for the nations like ukraine to determine their own destiny. as leaders of the united nations, we stand for peace, security and the human rights of all people. our shared values also guide us at home. i am proud to be the first american president to stand with a canadian prime minister to be able to say that in both our nations, health care is not a privilege for a few, but now a right for all. [applause] president obama: and as to vast
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and vibrant societies, we reaffirm that our diversity is our strength. whether your family was among the first native peoples to live on these lands, refugees that we welcomed just yesterday, whether you pray in a church or a set of god or in a temple or in a , or any- synagogue temple, or any mosque, no matter what state you live in, you the freedom to marry the person you love. [applause] now, i do nota: want to go off -- over the very real differences between americans and canadians, there are some things we will probably never agree on. whose beer is better. who is better at hockey. [applause]
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prime minister trudeau: don't get me started. president obama: where is the stanley cup right now? i'm sorry, is it in my hometown with the chicago blackhawks? in case you were wondering. where is it? [laughter] and this visit: is special for another reason. nearly 40 years ago, on another march morning, another american president welcomed another canadian prime minister here to the white house. that day, prime minister pierre trudeau said that the united states was canada's best friend and ally. one reason he said, we have a common outlook on the world. today, prime minister justin trudeau carries on that work.
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the prime minister, your election has brought a new energy not only to canada, but to the relationship between our two nations. we have a common outlook on the world and i have never seen so many americans so excited about the visit of the canadian prime minister. [applause] with thisobama: visit, i believe that the united states and canada can do even more together, even more to promote trade with economic partnerships that provide jobs and opportunities for our people, even more to ensure security that so many americans and canadians count on, so that they can live in safety and freedom, even more to protect our countries and communities, especially in the arctic, from climate change, just as we did together in paris to reach the most ambitious agreement to fight climate change. [applause] president obama: and, guided by
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our values, we want to do more -- aroundo advance the world. to giving a student in africa it is to study by, because as americans and canadians, we believe in the dignity of every human being. [applause] president obama: as always, our work remains rooted in the friendship between our peoples and we see that every day and communities along our shared borders, and alaska, people head across the border go to celebrate. at the baseball diamond in alberta, there is a good chance the ball will land in the united states. and in vermont, where it meets the border of quebec, many come together at the local a where the border literally runs right
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across the floor. the residents of one of these border towns once said, we are two different countries, but we are like one big town. the people are always there for you. prime minister trudeau, justin, sophie, to all of our canadian friends, we are two different countries, but is like this remind us we are like one big town and we reaffirm that americans and canadians will always be there for each other. welcome to the united states. [speaking french] [applause] prime minister trudeau: mr. president, first lady, distinguished guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for this extraordinary welcome. thank you so much for inviting sophie and me, and through us
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all of canada, to join you on this spectacular morning. [applause] sophie and i along with our entire delegation are honored by your hospitality and by the reinforcement of just how powerful you are, mr. president, to organize such a day for us. [laughter] : -- minister trudeau [speaking french] you may recall that our government was elected on a plan to strengthen the middle class. we have an ambitious agenda as
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we realize that we vitalizing the economy -- revitalizing the economy will be investing in new ideas and new technology. this will foster new jobs and increase our global competitiveness. that was the canadian plan and it very much resembles challenges and solutions that you have been putting forward here south of the border. a plan to invest in our country and invest in our people, this is wonderful to see that our american friends share and are working on the exact same objectives. partnereading trading and closest ally, the relationship between our two countries has always been a vital. as an exporting nation, canada is always eager to work closely to reduce trade barriers between our countries. speaking of exports, we know with certainty that there is a high demand for canadian goods
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down here, a few that come to mind that president obama rightly recognizes as being extraordinary contributors, the american suspects -- american success story, hockey players for the chicago blackhawks. [applause] prime minister trudeau: we have faced many challenges it -- challenges over history. while we have agreed on many things and it disagreed on a few others, we remain united with it, percent -- with a common purpose, allies, our news and friends -- partners and friends as we tackle the world challenges. whether looking at environmental protection, making key investments to grow the middle class, defending the rights of the oppressed peoples abroad, canada and the united states will always collaborate in partnership anod
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