OTTAWA -- While outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to concede the election to Democratic president-elect Joe Biden, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is standing by his move to quickly congratulate Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris for their victory this weekend.
“We have confidence in the American electoral process, as it has unfolded,” Trudeau said, dismissing a question about what he would do if the ongoing Republican legal challenges of the results and recounts determine that Trump did win. He also deflected a question on what his message to Trump might be, about the election outcome.
To date there has been no substantiated evidence to back Trump and his supporters’ claims of widespread voter fraud.
“I was pleased to congratulate president-elect Biden on the weekend. We will continue to work with the current American administration until Jan. 20, after which we will work with the new administration,” Trudeau said.
“It's important to remind people of the strength of American democratic systems and the institutions designed to evaluate and analyze election results, tabulate election results. We have confidence in the processes that operate in the United States, and we'll continue to demonstrate that,” said the prime minister.
Trudeau spoke with Biden by phone on Monday, and his office shared a photo of Trudeau smiling while speaking with his incoming U.S. counterpart.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Trudeau was the first international leader to speak with Biden.
“We’ve worked with each other before, and we’re ready to pick up on that work and tackle the challenges and opportunities facing our two countries,” read the caption of the photo, posted on his social media channels.
In the PMO statement about the call, the pair “agreed to stay in close contact.”
As The Associated Press has reported, China and Russia are holding off on congratulating Biden until the outstanding legal challenges and electoral certification of the results are finalized.
In an interview on CTV’s Question Period on Sunday, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said that Canada is hoping for a “smooth transition,” but plans are in place for all scenarios over the next two months.
CONCERNS OF BIDEN PROTECTIONISM?
Biden will be the third American president that Trudeau has worked with, and he has vowed to continue to defend Canadian interests and push against the prospect of continued U.S. protectionism as he forges a new bilateral relationship.
Biden’s campaign platform contained an entire section on his planned approach to trade, and it’s centred around an idea of “buy American” and ensuring that “the future is made in all of America.”
Canada’s foreign affairs minister said over the weekend he’ll be looking to evolve this position to one of “buy North American.”
“The fundamental argument that we made every step of the way over the past four years and will continue to make into the future, is the fact that creating or imposing barriers on trade between Canada and the U.S., not only hurts Canada, but also hurts workers and companies in the United States,” Trudeau said.
“The integration of our supply chains, the close collaboration and cooperation between businesses on people on both sides of the border means it's always better for us to have free-flowing goods and opportunities on both sides of the border as we work together to succeed in an increasingly competitive global market,” said the prime minister.
HARRIS 'AN INSPIRATION'
On Saturday, political leaders in Canada were quick to offer their congratulations to the pair in statements and social media messages, with Trudeau saying he was “really looking forward” to working with Biden and Harris.
Speaking publicly for the first time about the results, Trudeau took a moment to emphasize the milestone reached by the election of Harris as America’s first Black, South Asian and female vice-president.
“For so many people in Canada and around the world seeing a woman, a Black, and South Asian American woman elected as the next vice-president of the United States is an inspiration. And a reminder that everyone's voice belongs in politics,” Trudeau said.
