A glimpse of Trudeau’s congratulatory call that might have been to Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris talks with Justin Trudeau on the balcony of the Eisenhower Executive Office building on the White House campus, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau had clear guidance on what to say early last November in the event he should pick up the phone to congratulate Kamala Harris on becoming the first woman president of the United States.

Advisers suggested he remind Harris of their most recent meeting at a conference in Pennsylvania the previous May.

“When we met in Philadelphia, you said the campaign ‘would be bloody difficult, but we’ll win’ — you were so right! You led a remarkable campaign!” Trudeau, prime minister at the time, was counselled to say.

Notes prepared in anticipation of the call also suggested Trudeau tell Harris he was pleased to work on “all the shared priorities we have, including women’s rights, abortion rights, and climate change and the environment.”

“Waiting to welcome you in Canada at the next possible opportunity!”

The briefing notes were not needed, of course, as Donald Trump won the 2024 U.S. presidential election, earning him a second term — after serving from 2016 to 2020 — and thwarting the bid by Harris to break new ground for American women.

However, the notes and related materials obtained by The Canadian Press through the Access to Information Act show federal officials were prepared for a victory by either contender. They also provide a glimpse at an alternative political narrative that never played out for Canada and the United States.

A media statement drafted for release by the Prime Minister’s Office following a possible victory by the Democrats’ Harris, who is of Black and South Asian heritage, called it “a historic win that will encourage more women — including racialized women — to run for political office and that will break barriers much beyond the ballot box.”

The speaking notes drafted for a Trudeau call to Trump covered some of the same points as those for a conversation with Harris, including efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East and Ottawa’s alignment with Washington on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement.

However, the notes for a congratulatory chat with Trump described the continental trade pact as “a remarkable legacy of your last presidency.”

They also suggested Trudeau express a desire to work with the president-elect on cross-border pipelines and transmission lines, as well as on bolstering supply chains to reduce dependence on hostile states.

The talking points also made no mention of women’s rights or the environment, and there was no suggestion that Trudeau and Trump should meet in person.

Just a few weeks after the election, Trudeau did head to a dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida after the president-elect threatened to impose steep tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. Trump said the countries could avoid the tariffs if they took action to stop migrants and illicit drugs such as fentanyl from entering the U.S.

Trump suggested at the dinner that Canada become the 51st state, a taunt he would make repeatedly in the ensuing months.

Soon after the Florida visit, Trudeau pointed to Harris’s defeat as an example of the attack on women’s progress and rights.

Once installed as the 47th president of the United States, Trump hit Canada with a barrage of tariffs on goods, including steel and aluminum products and automobiles.

A background section on the economy and trade in the notes for a Trudeau call with Trump accurately predicted that economic security would be a front-burner issue for Trump’s Republican administration.

“Canada should expect an administration that is more inward looking, protectionist, transactional and less committed to rules-based structures,” the notes said.

“This poses both risks and opportunities for Canada. In response, we will need to demonstrate that we are a partner willing to take tough decisions to protect the North American integrated market and to defend our interests.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2025.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press