Biden and Trudeau start talks with ‘friend-chip’ ice cream and chocolate ‘peace’ bar

President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked off their tough talks on Canada’s defense spending on Friday with warm words, a “friend chip” ice cream cone and a chocolate bar that read “peace.”

The two leaders entered Canada’s parliament building with their arms around each other as they officially began Biden’s state visit.

But they began informally when Justin and Sophie Trudeau hosted Joe and Jill Biden for a private gathering at their home on Thursday night, where Trudeau served the president’s favorite dessert: ice cream. It was the friend chip ice cream from a local store: maple flavored with chocolate chips and marshmallows.

Both governments are doing everything they can to emphasize the friendship between the two men and their respective nations, but underlying issues remain, including Canada’s reduced defense spending on NATO and NORAD.

“We have no greater friend and ally than the United States and it is always, always a pleasure to welcome you and sit down with you,” Trudeau said in a welcoming speech.

“We are lucky that Canada is to the north,” Biden replied. “We sometimes disagree and agree on things. But there is no fundamental difference in the democratic values ​​we share. And it really makes a big difference. And so it’s an honor to be here. We have a lot to talk about. And I think we’ll get a lot done.’

Biden is making his first visit to Canada as president, a long-postponed trip, in part due to the COVID pandemic.

Ottawa rolled out the red carpet for the American leader and a government official presented Biden with a chocolate bar that read “peace.”

It was made by Peace By Chocolate, a company in Canada founded by Syrian refugees, whose family’s chocolate factory in Damascus was destroyed by the bombings there.

Biden, who arrived in Ottawa Thursday evening, has a packed schedule for Friday: his meeting with Trudeau, a press conference with the prime minister and a formal state dinner including Canadian stars Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy.

One of the big issues the two leaders will discuss is Canada’s defense budget – and whether the United States’ northern neighbor contributes enough to both NORAD and NATO.

NORAD was a product of the Cold War, with the huge amount of money funding the defensive project – designed to track down Soviet bombers – coming from the United States.

But slowly it turned into a bi-national operation. NORAD’s commander can be from the United States or Canadian Forces, and he or she reports to both the Prime Minister and the President.

Most Americans know about NORAD through their annual “Santa Tracker,” but the recent Chinese spy balloon incursion has brought the Cold War agency back into the spotlight.

Last year, Trudeau’s government pledged $4.9 billion (that’s $3.6 billion) over the next six years to modernize the defense system.

US presidents have long pushed Canada to spend more on its military, including Barack Obama in 2016 and Donald Trump in 2019, especially when it comes to NATO spending.

Among all NATO countries, Canada ranks sixth from the bottom in terms of national defense commitments. NATO members should spend 2% of their national gross domestic product on defense. Canada spends about 1.5%.

Leaders have already taken another important issue off the table by reaching an agreement on the northern border to reduce illegal crossing there.

As part of the deal, Ottawa will announce 15,000 slots for migrants from the Western Hemisphere to apply to enter Canada legally.

The number of border crossings on the US-Canada border has increased even as the cold weather has made it dangerous with people suffering from hypothermia and exposure as they make their way through the vast, forested area.

The Swanton sector, which includes parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and New York, saw an 846% increase in detentions from October 2022 through January compared to the previous year.

Canada is also seeing an increase in migrants coming to their side of the border, particularly at Roxham Road station.

More than 39,000 refugees entered Canada last year through unofficial border crossings, the vast majority via Roxham Road, which connects Quebec to New York state.

It is the highest number since 2017, when there was a spike due to then-President Donald Trump’s crackdown on migrants.

It involved a loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement, which requires asylum seekers already in the US to apply there instead of presenting themselves at a Canadian port of entry.

But that policy doesn’t apply to Roxham Road because it’s an unauthorized entry point – literally a road that dead ends in the border and then continues on the other side. That’s where all these migrants cross.

Trudeau said last month the only way to close off Roxham Road is to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement. That announcement comes during Biden’s visit.

The agreement is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to increase the impact on people who cross the border illegally.

Haiti also remains a major issue between Canada and the United States.

The Biden administration wants Canada to send a multinational force to Haiti to help it fight gang control.

In October, the United States proposed a resolution to the United Nations Security Council for the deployment of a rapid, multinational force to Haiti to help the national police break the stranglehold of armed gangs.

Since the beginning of the year, 531 people have been killed, 300 injured and 277 kidnapped by gang-related violence in Haiti.

The US had hoped that Canada would act, but Trudeau does not seem enthusiastic.

Trade issues are also expected to be discussed.

The dairy market is a problem because the US believes Canada is still not meeting its obligations to open its market to US producers.

Canada, meanwhile, is concerned about US subsidies for US production of electric vehicles and semiconductors. Ottawa is expected to respond with its own clean energy and manufacturing incentives.

At the same time, the US looks to Canada to supply the critical minerals and rare earth elements needed to make batteries for electric vehicles, while the Biden administration seeks to reduce dependence on adversaries such as China for crucial raw materials.

Meanwhile, Canada has a robust market for essential minerals that the US needs to make batteries for electric vehicles. Washington would like to have access to it, especially as Biden tries to reduce China’s reliance on such materials.