Sun. Oct 6th, 2024

The United States and Canada celebrate our progress under the Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership over the past two years and reaffirm our historic alliance, steadfast friendship, and commitment to overcome the daunting challenges of today and realize the full potential of the relationship in the future.  Our enduring partnership is based on a mutual commitment to shared security, shared prosperity, and shared democratic values, including the importance of fighting climate change and an abiding respect for human rights and the rule of law.  As the closest of friends and allies, we remain committed to making life better for people on both sides of our shared border and to building a more free, equitable, secure, and prosperous world.

To that end, the United States and Canada will work together to:

1. Catalyze Clean Energy and Create Good Jobs:  Deepening economic integration, accelerating the deployment of clean technologies, and workforce development are essential to building a more sustainable and globally competitive economy for American and Canadian workers, including through continued implementation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

  • President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau highlighted the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and Canada’s Emissions Reduction Plan as foundational elements to leading the clean energy future through robust clean energy industrial policies that help mobilize technological innovation, bolster resilient supply chains, strengthen our respective economies and expand the middle class, while keeping our environment healthy for future generations.  Canada is moving forward with an enhanced plan to support a clean economy future, including with a new investment tax credit for clean technology manufacturing in addition to tax measures that support clean hydrogen and clean technology adoption.  As the implementation of these plans proceed, the United States and Canada will work together toward an integrated North American approach that benefits U.S. and Canadian workers, suppliers, and products.
  • The United States and Canada launched a one-year Energy Transformation Task Force chaired by the U.S. Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister to work across the spectrum of the clean economy.  The task force will accelerate cooperation on critical clean energy opportunities and supply chains, including but not limited to, securing and strengthening renewable energy and electric vehicle supply chains, critical minerals and rare earths, grid integration and resilience, advanced and conventional nuclear energy and other areas that advance our collective energy security, and to avoid and reduce disruptions to our integrated and mutually supportive supply chains.
  • The United States and Canada have built the world’s largest market-based energy trading relationship, which provides a firm foundation as we strive to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.  Both countries will work to harmonize charging standards and develop cross-border alternative fuel corridors, drawing on USD $7.5 billion in the U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and CAD $1.2 billion in Canadian funding to build a network of electric vehicle fast chargers and community charging options on both sides of the border.
  • Building on Canadian and U.S. commitments to achieve net-zero power grids by 2035 and to accelerate efforts to phase down new, unabated coal power generation facilities, both countries intend to propose regulations before this fall that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their respective sectors.  The United States and Canada also intend to work with other major energy importers and exporters to develop an internationally aligned approach to measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification for lifecycle methane and CO2 emissions across the fossil energy value chain.
  • The United States and Canada will work together to address the climate impact of goods, promote North American trade of low-emissions goods, including the promotion of common approaches for trade in low emissions goods, including green steel and aluminum.
  • On civil nuclear engagement, Canada will join the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program, providing funding and in-kind support.  The United States and Canada will also coordinate efforts to develop secure and reliable North American nuclear fuel supply chains and build broader partnerships with longstanding allies and partners, both of which will help to ensure access to low enriched uranium, including High-Assay Low Enriched Uranium.

2. Strengthen Resilience of Critical Mineral and Semiconductor Supply Chains:  The United States and Canada will work together to create a strong, environmentally responsible, and resilient North American critical minerals supply chain.  We are committed to identifying, securing, and developing critical minerals extraction, processing, manufacturing, and recycling opportunities in both countries to diversify supply chains essential to clean energy, electric vehicles, semiconductors, aerospace, and defense, among other sectors, that meet strong environmental, sustainability, worker, health and safety, Indigenous and Tribal consultation and partnership, and community engagement standards.

  • Canada and the United States are taking a significant step toward the creation of reliable and sustainable critical mineral supply chains that are vital to our economic and national security and demonstrate the commitment of the United States to support Canadian companies in the energy economy.
  • Last year, the United States announced USD $250 million of Defense Production Act Title III funding for U.S. and Canadian companies to mine and process critical minerals for electric vehicle and stationary storage batteries, with awards to U.S. and Canadian companies to be announced this spring.
  • The Canadian Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund will make CAD $1.5 billion available to support clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects necessary to accelerate critical minerals production and an additional CAD $1.5 billion through the Strategic Innovation Fund to support advanced manufacturing, processing, and recycling.
  • With the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, the United States and Canada will facilitate investment to promote secure and resilient semiconductor supply chains, creating jobs in both countries.  Both countries will advance a cross-border packaging corridor, beginning with Canada and IBM providing a significant investment to develop new and expanded packaging and testing capabilities at its Bromont facility as part of a Memorandum of Understanding.
  • To strengthen advanced packaging for semiconductors and printed circuit boards in North America, the United States announced an additional USD $50 million in Defense Production Act funding for U.S. and Canadian companies to advance packaging for semiconductors and printed circuit boards, with Canada to provide up to CAD $250 million for semiconductor projects from the Strategic Innovation Fund in the near term.  We are also establishing an Advanced Technology Data and Security Dialogue and intend to deepen our collaboration on shared priorities in quantum information science and technology.

3. Protecting Our Shared Waters and the Arctic:  The United States and Canada committed to fight climate change and build net-zero economies, conserve biodiversity, and protect fragile ecosystems, including in transboundary waters and the Arctic.

  • Recognizing the vulnerability of the unique, shared Arctic ecosystem, Canada and the United States committed to advancing conservation, environmental protection and resilience in partnership and consultation with the Indigenous peoples and populations, and furthering work under agreements and treaties established around the movement of shared species
  • The United States and Canada further committed to initiating dialogue with other Arctic Nations and Indigenous peoples to advance conservation and sustainable economic development in the Central Arctic Ocean, and recognized the need to conserve and protect Arctic ecosystems and reduce localized emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and black carbon in the Arctic to complement our global mitigation efforts.  The two countries will collaborate to prepare for, prevent, and respond to oil spills and other environmental disasters in the Arctic.
  • The United States and Canada announced a renewed commitment to preserving and restoring our shared national treasure, the Great Lakes.  The United States welcomed Canada’s announcement of a new, historic investment of CAD $420 million over the next decade as part of this shared responsibility to protect and restore the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem.  The U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided the largest single investment in the Great Lakes in history, with USD $1 billion for cleanup and restoration activities.
  • The United States and Canada will intensify their work over the coming months toward agreement on a modernized treaty regime that will support a healthy and prosperous Columbia River Basin.  We will focus on flood risk management, power generation, and environmental benefits that are shared equitably by both countries and the Indigenous peoples and Tribal nations, communities, and stakeholders in this watershed.  The Columbia River is a vital shared resource that underpins many lives and industries on both sides of the border and the watershed requires our attention and prompt coordination.
  • The United States and Canada also intend to reach an agreement in principle by this summer to reduce and mitigate the impacts of water pollution in the Elk-Kootenai watershed, in partnership with Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples, and in order to protect the people and species that depend on this vital river system.

4. Advancing Diversity and Inclusion: Recognizing the central importance of inclusion and equal opportunity to our democracies, Canada and the United States will continue to work toward fair and inclusive policies that benefit all citizens, regardless of sex, gender, or sexual orientation; race, ethnicity, or religion; age; disability; or geography.

  • Building on previous bilateral and North American commitments, the Leaders reaffirmed their shared determination to promote equality and ensuring everyone lives free from discrimination, harassment, or violence.  Canada and the United States remain committed to ensuring the full, equal, and meaningful participation of marginalized communities in our societies.
  • The Leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls as essential for achieving a more peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous world. They underscored the importance of continued cooperation on the advancement of gender equity, including with respect to child benefits, early learning and childcare, pay equity, and women’s entrepreneurship, among other issues.

5. Bolster Global Alliances: The United States and Canada are committed to the security of our treaty allies, including through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and to supporting our partners around the world.  We are even stronger through our collaboration at and with the United Nations and other international organizations, alliances, and groups, including the G7, G20, the Five Eyes, and the Organization of American States.

  • We condemn Russia for its illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war against Ukraine, and will continue imposing economic costs on Russia, while maintaining our unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes.
  • Canada and the United States acknowledge the serious long-term challenge to the international order posed by the People’s Republic of China, including disruptive actions such as economic coercion, non-market policies and practices, and human rights abuses.  While we will cooperate with China in areas of mutual interest, such as on climate change, we remain committed to ensuring our ability to compete effectively with China on a level playing field. Canada and the United States will also continue to cooperate on countering foreign interference in our societies in a manner that reflects our shared democratic values.
  • We emphasize that our basic positions on Taiwan remain unchanged, and reiterate the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community.  We encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.
  • The President and Prime Minister reaffirmed their commitment to the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, and welcomed the first U.S.-Canada Indo-Pacific Strategic Dialogue on March 10 and will cooperate to promote a free, open, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific.
  • The United States and Canada are working together to support countries around the world as they develop their economies to deliver inclusive and resilient growth, while fostering sustainable pathways to net zero emissions. Through the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, we are collaborating to unlock public and private capital for quality infrastructure to create lasting positive impacts for low- and middle-income countries and support sustainable development, as well as benefit partners’ economic security and global supply chains. We are also advancing an ambitious agenda to evolve the multilateral development banks, starting with the World Bank, to better respond to global challenges, while also enhancing their work on poverty alleviation and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • The United States and Canada also remain concerned about deteriorating security in Haiti, committed to increasing international support for the Haitian people, including through security and humanitarian assistance, enhanced support for the Haitian National Police, and by holding accountable those who undermine Haiti’s stability.

6. Invest in Our Collective Defense and Security:   Our highest priority is to protect our citizens and our sovereign territory.  We will invest in the modernization of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), including specifically

  • As part of a CAD $6.96 billion investment in surveillance system modernization, procuring and fielding two next generation Over-the-Horizon Radar (OTHR) systems covering the Arctic and Polar approaches, the first by 2028 to enhance early warning and domain awareness of North American approaches;
  • CAD $7.3 billion in investments in the northern forward operating locations to support 5th generation aircraft and mobility/refueling assets, which capabilities should be in place prior to the arrival of the F-35 aircraft, including airfield improvements to accommodate aircraft personnel, fuel, and munitions, to ensure NORAD’s ability to deter and defend against emerging threats to our air and sea space and compete with China and Russia for years to come.
  • The Prime Minister confirmed that the funding for these investments would come from Canada’s planned investments in defense infrastructure.  These U.S. and Canadian efforts will bolster NORAD’s ability to detect threats earlier and more precisely and respond effectively.  In the face of global threats, the Leaders acknowledged the importance of investment in modern, ready, and capable forces in line with their commitments to NATO under the 2014 Wales Summit Defence Investment Pledge.  Such investments enable effective contributions to NATO, United Nations, and other global missions.
  • The Leaders recognized the need to work in close collaboration to combat all criminal activity in our combined jurisdiction.  The Cross-Border Crime Forum is key to the safety of both countries, by facilitating cooperation to reduce violent extremism, child sex exploitation, cross-border smuggling, and firearms violence on both sides of the border.
  • Cyber threats can impact both Americans and Canadians, particularly when directed at cross-border systems on which we all rely.
  • To better protect against these threats, we will deepen our cooperation on driving improvements to the cybersecurity and resiliency of our critical infrastructure.
  • We will focus on two key sectors – pipelines and electricity – due to their criticality to our economies and their cross border nature.  Further, we reiterate that in each of our countries, should an adversary choose to target critical infrastructure systems, we will both respond.

7. Disrupt the Illicit Production and Distribution of Synthetic Opioids: The opioid overdose crisis is having devastating health and economic consequences in our societies.  We are united in our resolve to disrupt the illicit production and distribution of synthetic opioids like fentanyl and its precursor chemicals while augmenting our public health response.

  • Canada and the United States will expand multi-agency cooperation to improve intelligence sharing on cross-border fentanyl and precursor chemical trafficking to support interdictions and investigations, as part of our effort to bolster cooperation under U.S.-Canada Opioids Action Plan.
  • Canada will join the United States as it builds a global coalition against synthetic drugs, underscoring U.S. and Canadian leadership in response to this shared security and public health challenge.  The United States and Canada reaffirm their commitment from the tenth North American Leaders’ Summit to work with Mexico trilaterally to defeat the synthetic opioid crisis.

8. Manage Migration Collaboratively:  The Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection enshrines our belief that irregular migration requires a regional approach centered on expanding legal pathways and humane border management and recognizes that we must address the underlying economic and security drivers of migration.  The United States and Canada remain committed partners in advancing the principles of the Declaration.

  • As part of its commitment to these principles, Canada will welcome an additional 15,000 migrants on a humanitarian basis from the Western Hemisphere over the course of the year to continue expanding safe, regular pathways offered throughout the hemisphere as an alternative to irregular migration, with a path to economic opportunities
  • Additionally, U.S. and Canadian officials are now poised to implement an agreement to apply the terms of the Safe Third Country Agreement to asylum seekers who cross between ports of entry, which we anticipate will deter irregular migration at our shared border. We will remain in close coordination as we work to implement this new agreement.

Source – The White House

 


FACT SHEET: Strengthening the United States-Canada Partnership

As President Biden has said, the United States has no closer friend, partner, or ally than Canada.  Over the past 150 years, our two countries have built one of the closest and most extensive relationships. Canada is our largest trading partner, with nearly $2.6 billion in goods and services crossing our shared border, the world’s longest land border, every day – an almost 20 percent increase in 2022 over the previous year. This trade supports millions of jobs on both sides of the border. Our people also share deep personal and familial ties, and we’ve worked together to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the world.

Under this Administration, President Biden has restored trust and confidence between our two countries while reaffirming the United States’ enduring commitment to the U.S.-Canada partnership. The U.S.-Canada partnership benefits not only our people, but the world – and by working together, there is nothing we cannot achieve.

The United States and Canada are powering private sector investment to promote inclusive economic growth and create good paying jobs. We will use the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act to build integrated supply chains and make North America more competitive.

  • Last year, the United States announced $250 million in Defense Production Act (DPA) funding for U.S. and Canadian companies to mine and process critical minerals for electric vehicle and stationary storage batteries. Awards to U.S. and Canadian companies will be announced this spring. The Canadian Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund will make CAD $1.5 billion available to support clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects and an additional CAD $ 1.5 billion available through the Strategic Innovation Fund to support advanced manufacturing, processing, and recycling. These mutual steps will strengthen U.S.-Canada collaboration on supply chain resilience.
  • Both countries will advance a cross-border semiconductor packaging corridor, beginning with Canada and IBM providing significant incentives as part of a memorandum of understanding to develop new and expanded packaging and testing capabilities at its Bromont facility. The arrangement will generate jobs and economic activity in both Canada and the United States.
  • The United States also announced $50 million of DPA funding for U.S. and Canadian companies to further strengthen advanced packaging of semiconductors and printed circuit boards in North America. Canada will provide up to CAD $250 million for semiconductor projects from its Strategic Innovation Fund.
  • The United States and Canada committed to identify opportunities between the two countries to promote training and work opportunities in priority areas such clean energy and skilled trades, and bring together key players from multinational companies, unions, state and provincial governments, and educational and training institutions to grow the pool of talent needed for critical supply chains. The United States and Canada will work with automakers, battery manufacturers, and organized labor on sharing training efforts and cross-border credentials to meet the growing demands for electric vehicles in North America.
  • The United States and Canada updated the Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals Cooperation. Under the Plan, the Departments of State, Commerce, Defense, and Energy and the U.S. Geological Survey will work with Canadian counterparts on increased information and data sharing, joint efforts to promote private sector engagement, coordination on research and development, and cooperation at multilateral fora.

Tackling the climate crisis is a key issue for President Biden, and both the United States and Canada – our largest energy trading partner – are committed to taking decisive action. Our countries will grow the clean energy economy by lifting up bold legislation like the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act to accelerate the clean energy transition and make North America a clean energy powerhouse.

  • The United States and Canada have built the world’s largest market-based energy trading relationship, which provides a firm foundation as we strive to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. We will work to harmonize charging standards and develop cross-border alternative fuel corridors, drawing on USD $7.5 billion in the U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and CAD $1.2 billion to build a network of electric vehicle fast chargers and community charging options on both sides of the border.
  • The United States and Canada will work towards collaboration on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Earthshot™, which are decadal performance targets for critical technology areas. Canada plans to embrace the goals of the Long Duration Storage Shot (LDSS), which aims to reduce the cost of grid-scale energy storage by 90% for systems that deliver 10+ hours of duration within the decade. To drive toward the LDSS goal, Canada plans to focus on energy storage technologies for remote and off-grid applications.
  • Canada will fund and provide in-kind support for the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program, the Biden Administration’s leading international initiative to help partner countries develop nuclear energy programs under the highest standards for safety, security, and nonproliferation. The United States and Canada will also coordinate efforts to develop secure and reliable North American nuclear fuel supply chains that do not rely on authoritarian-based suppliers and will build broader partnerships with longstanding allies and partners, both of which will support ensuring access to low enriched uranium and High-Assay Low Enriched Uranium.
  • Building on Canadian and U.S. commitments to achieve net-zero power grids by 2035 and to accelerate efforts to phasedown new, unabated coal power generation facilities, both countries intend to propose regulations before this fall that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their respective sectors. The United States and Canada also intend to work with other major energy importers and exporters to develop an internationally aligned approach to measure, monitor, report, and verify lifecycle methane and CO2 emissions across the fossil energy value chain.
  • The United States and Canada committed to work in close partnership with Arctic Indigenous Peoples and will use Indigenous Knowledge as an integral part of the decision-making processes wherever possible. The two countries recognized the need to reduce localized emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and black carbon in the Arctic to complement our global mitigation efforts. The two countries also committed to conserving and protecting Arctic biodiversity, ecosystems, habitats, and wildlife, and will collaborate to prepare for, prevent, and respond to oil spills and other environmental disasters in the Arctic.
  • The Leaders recognized the challenges that the creation of the international border between the United States and Canada places on Indigenous communities. The leaders are committed to working together to address the impacts the shared border has on mobility, traditional practices, Native language preservation, kinship, cultural ties, and economic opportunities for Indigenous Peoples. This includes a commitment to work in partnership with Tribal Nations and Alaska Native Villages in the United States, and First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in Canada, to find solutions to these longstanding border challenges.
  • Leaders committed to work over the coming months towards agreement on a modernized Columbia River Treaty regime that provides flood risk management, power generation, and environmental benefits that are shared equitably by both countries and the Indigenous and Tribal nations, communities, and stakeholders in this watershed.
  • The United States and Canada are undertaking a joint technical review and assessment to examine whether the U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement (AQA), entered into in 1991, is meeting its environmental objectives as well as its sufficiency in addressing transboundary air pollution. The agreement includes commitments by both countries to address acid rain and ground-level ozone. The review will also examine pollutants/issues not currently addressed by the AQA, such as particulate matter (PM2.5). Under the agreement, the United States and Canada also cooperate on science and research topics such as wildfires, ammonia, and methane as an ozone precursor.

Irregular migration is a critical issue for the Western Hemisphere. As committed under the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, the United States and Canada are working closely to address these issues by prioritizing orderly and safe migration through regular pathways.

  • Canada will welcome an additional 15,000 migrants on a humanitarian basis from top sending countries in the Western Hemisphere, such as Haiti, Colombia, and Ecuador, over the course of the year. The United States and Canada also announced the implementation of an agreement to apply the terms of the Safe Third Country Agreement to migrants who cross between the ports of entry.

The United States and Canada are committed partners in the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the only binational military command in the world. Recent events have made clear the importance of NORAD and of our partnership on continental security and defense. The United States and Canada will continue to closely coordinate to defend our airspace.

  • Canada confirmed commitments to modernize NORAD capabilities. Canada will procure and field two next-generation Over-the-Horizon Radar systems, at least one by 2028, to enhance early warning and domain awareness of North American approaches. Canada will also make investments in the northern forward operating locations to support 5th Generation aircraft and mobility/refueling assets, capabilities that should be in place prior to the delivery of F-35s to Canada, to include airfield improvements to accommodate aircraft, personnel, fuel, and munitions.
  • In the face of global threats, the leaders acknowledged the importance of investment in modern, ready, and capable forces in line with their commitments to NATO under the 2014 Wales Summit Defence Investment Pledge.  Such investments enable effective contributions to NATO, United Nations, and other global missions.

The trafficking of illicit drugs, including synthetic opioids like fentanyl, is a global challenge that causes needless death and suffering. The United States and Canada are committed to continue our close partnership to intensify and expand prosecution of drug traffickers, dismantle criminal networks, disrupt the supply of precursor chemicals used to make illicit fentanyl, and prevent the trafficking of drugs, firearms, and people across our shared border.

  • Canada will join the United States as we build a global coalition against synthetic drugs, underscoring U.S. and Canadian leadership in response to this shared public health and security challenge. The global coalition will be open to countries from all regions of the world that are interested in accelerating global efforts against synthetic drugs. The United States also looks forward to working with our North American partners through the Trilateral Fentanyl Committee to beat the synthetic opioid epidemic.

The United States and Canada redoubled efforts for stability in Haiti by continuing to work together to find a path for meeting Haiti’s security and humanitarian needs.

  • The United States has committed over $90 million to support training and equipment for the Haitian National Police.
  • The United States has provided more than $204.7 million in humanitarian funding to respond to complex humanitarian crises in Haiti, including a cholera outbreak, an earthquake, food insecurity, violence against vulnerable communities, and widespread population displacement.
  • In the last six months, the United States announced an additional $56 million in humanitarian assistance for Haiti, delivered 450 metric tons of health, logistics, and water, sanitation and hygiene commodities to Haiti, and transported 232 metric tons of personal protective equipment for health care workers, rehydration fluids for cholera patients, and water disinfection tablets.

The United States and Canada also remain committed to improving health outcomes.

  • The United States and Canada will work to transform international clinical trials and research, accelerate biomanufacturing innovation, strengthen the role of research during outbreaks, and exercise response capabilities to promote development of life-saving medical products. Our two countries will also increase scientific collaboration on the development of new and next generation medical countermeasures to stop outbreaks.

The United States and Canada also committed to strengthen space cooperation.  

  • The United States strongly welcomed Canada’s decision to support the extension of operation of the International Space Station through 2030. The United States also welcomed the upcoming announcement of the names of the Artemis II mission crew, which includes a Canadian astronaut.

Source – The White House

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