President Obama on Tuesday congratulated Canadian Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau, pledging to maintain the close relationship between their two countries.
“The two leaders agreed on the importance of deepening the already strong United States-Canada relationship and committed to strengthening the countries’ joint efforts to promote trade, combat terrorism, and mitigate climate change,” the White House said in a statement.
{mosads}Trudeau, a member of the Liberal Party, unseated longtime Canadian Prime Minster Stephen Harper in Monday’s election, an outcome that raised questions about the future of the U.S.-Canada relationship.
Under Trudeau, the Liberal Party has pledged to end Canada’s mission against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The country joined the U.S. coalition fighting the extremist group last year.
Trudeau publicly supports the Keystone XL Pipeline, but criticized Harper for putting too heavy a focus on the issue.
Harper, a member of the Conservative Party, frequently chafed at the lengthy U.S. approval process. The pipeline permit application remains under review by the State Department.
“I think it would be shortsighted to reduce the relationship between our two countries to just one issue,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Tuesday. “The fact is, there are a whole range of issues where the United States and Canada worked effectively together to advance the interests of both countries. Obviously, Canada made a substantial and important contribution to our counter-(ISIS) coalition.”
The two leaders also discussed Canada’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, a top priority for Obama, and its support for a global climate agreement in Paris this December, the White House said.