World Grain - April 2021 - 30

FEATURE: CANADA CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT US RELATIONS

David MacNaughton, Canada's former ambassador to
the United States, cautioned attendees about being
overly optimistic about the new US administration.

the past, " he said. " People have found ways to use those
organizations to achieve their own national objectives.
There's a lesser sense of camaraderie and shared goals.
We need to continue to work with those organizations,
but we have to be realistic. "
Canada will have to find ways to work with people
who have common interests and take advantage of its
leverage, he said.
" We're going to have to have sharp elbows and brass
knuckles every once in a while, " MacNaughton said.
" We can't just rely on the international rules-based
system to protect our interests. We're not without leverage; we just have to figure out how we're going to
exercise that and do it appropriately. "
China was allowed into the WTO with the notion that
it would then be part of the international order. Instead,
it is constantly abusing the rules, he said. While Canada
will likely align itself with the United States on a host
of issues such as Hong Kong, minorities in China and
international trade issues, the tricky part will be ensuring Canada's interests are protected.
" We're going to have to work collaboratively on all
of those issues or it's just going to be too easy for the
Chinese to use us as an example, " MacNaughton said.
" It doesn't mean we won't have differences of opinions
with the Americans on China. On the key elements,
we're going to have to have their back. We have to make
sure they have our back, too, and make sure they don't
make side deals. It's going to be a delicate balance. "
For too long, Canada has taken its relationship with
the United States for granted, he said. When Trump
threatened NAFTA, it jolted Canadians into action.
" We have to continue to over-engage in the US in
terms of making sure that we are seen to be their best
friend and strongest ally, " he said.
30

That means working with the United States not just
on trade but security and defense, two major concerns
for the United States.
" I don't think we've stepped up to the degree we
should, " MacNaughton said. " We have to become a
better partner on security and defense if we want the
same kind of partnership and recognition in trade that
we expect from the Americans. "
MacNaughton was encouraged that not only did
Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meet in
February, but an ongoing dialogue was set up with
Canadian cabinet ministers and US cabinet secretaries. Canada and the rest of the world was jolted by
many things the Trump administration did, he said,
so the United States needs to show it can be a trusted
partner again.
" Canada can help bring the Americans back into the
international community, which is going to be really
important, " MacNaughton said. " If the rest of the democracies don't trust the Americans, it opens the world
for the Chinese to become more and more dominant. "
There's no question that protectionism is on the rise,
and it will manifest in a variety of ways, he said. Canada
needs to show how it can contribute to the overall security of the supply chain. For example, it can be a source
of minerals and rare earth elements needed for devices,
renewable fuels and energy as well as oil.

We're going to have to
have sharp elbows and
brass knuckles every once
in a while. We can't just
rely on the international
rules-based system to
protect our interests.
David MacNaughton, Canada's former
ambassador to the United States
" The US still depends on our oil and our emissions
are lower than they are from California, " MacNaughton
said. " There's a lot of ignorance about the contribution
Canada can make to their economy. We need to highlight that more and educate them more about what we
can do to make them more secure and resilient because
that's the way we can fend off that protectionism. "
That will take all of the Canadian interests working
together, like the Team Canada approach used in negotiating the new NAFTA.
" Unless we work together, we're not going to be sucApril 2021 / World Grain / World-Grain.com

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World Grain - April 2021

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