The relationship between presidents and Canadian prime ministers is always much scrutinized, especially it seems on this side of the border how much face time you get with the U.S. leader actually matters.
To talk about this visit and Canada’s priorities, I’m joined by Canadian ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman. Thank you so much for joining us today, it’s so nice to see you here in Ottawa.: It’s great to be here, Mercedes, so thanks so much for having me.
: Well, first and foremost, any government looking at a budget is also considering it in the greater context of when is the next election? And what do they need to do to ensure that they still have the support of the voters? And I know it seems crass, Mercedes, but it is a relevant calculation that happens during budget time. Is this something that our base will like? Is this something that Canadians will like? There’s no question Canadians are hurting.