complex, butay be the bottom line is clear. there is no relationship in the entire world like the canada-u.s. relationship. [applause] oure minister trudeau: great countries have been friends a long time. we grew up together, and like all great, enduring friendships, at our best we bring out the best in one another. through it all, are enormous shared compliments speak for themselves -- accomplishments speak for themselves. diverse societies that have been shaped by history together. we could not be prouder of that passed -- past. on behalf of 36 million canadians, i think you all for your were what -- thank you all for your warm welcome. now let's get to work on shaping our shared future. [applause] march.t shoulder, commands] >> mr. president, this concludes the ceremony. ♪ [applause] [applause] ♪ host: that was the arrival ceremony earlier today. we are back in the c-span studio. right now, they are having a reception. they are dining. savage of politico is here with us. louisa, in eight years, i do not think i have ever seen the president this excited about another former -- about another leader, this is like a real bromance. louisa: it really is like an emotional warmth here that you do not see with meeting world leaders. i think he sees this as a younger version of himself and he wants to grab onto that, that solidarity, in terms of their political ideology,, goals -- ideology, common goals. he has a short window of time and to the notion that he has somebody here he thinks can help push his agenda forward, whether on climate or trade, he is helping -- hoping to get support from the prime minister before a vote in congress. he sees this as an opportunity to push issues forward with a kindred spirit. host: and the prime minister has not endorsed that, has he? louisa: i think that he will eventually. most of the exports from canada go to the united eighth. -- states. canada looks for trade agreement all over the world, so the idea that they would be locked out of this one is unlikely. this was an agreement that was signed by the previous government, so trudeau said he wants to consult and have a vote on the agreement before embracing it. so, you will see it happen, i do not think on this visit he will embrace it, but i would be incredibly surprised if ultimately he did not. host: we will take a few more calls before the white house toast, and then the dinner. we will put up the phone lines. this is the 11th time the obamas have sponsored a state or official dinner. from the past, india, mexico, china twice, japan, the united kingdom, france, germany, and pope francis, they have all been honored with a state dinner like this. and you said earlier, this is a big deal in canada. correct? louisa: absolutely. this is really the coming out of the prime minister, embraced by the president, and all of the attention and glitz and glamour. the prime minister is not the head of state, he is a member of parliament, so this is unique. this is the big show that you really only see in washington. i think everybody involved with this trip is very excited. host: who is head of state in canada? louisa: the queen is the head of state in canada. it is a funny situation, because the governor general is appointed by the prime minister. host: is there any power associate with that position? louisa: there is constitutional power when it comes to calling an election, the prime minister must go to the governor general, certainly in constitutional situations, but largely it is symbolic and not overtly political. host: we have been watching the arrival ceremony, the pop and circumstance, where does that prime minister live in ottawa be with their feet -- there a state dinner like this of their -- up there? the prime minister has invited president obama there. there could be such pop in circumstance if he chose to do that. it is traditional actually for the u.s. president to make his first foreign visit to canada. shortly after he was elected, president obama did that and it is a really big deal in ottawa. get presidentgo obama cookies that were made for him. it is a very warm welcome that he got, kind of like this. host: the president alluded to the fact that sometimes the u.s. takes canada for good -- granted. do you agree and what is the attitude toward the state? louisa: i think in a way it is true, but not necessarily a bad thing. i think that, where is the attention of washington of the white house, it is him -- it is on the problems, syria, afghanistan, looking at the refugee crisis, russia and ukraine, so it is so important economically and important to the daily lives of families, but it is not a crisis. this is not a problem. so it is not in the headlines. when it gets in the headlines, that is not always a good thing. keystonene was -- when was in the headlines, it was not a good thing. it becomes this political football and you do not want to be in that situation, because , or the side has to win other. it is not always a good thing to get a ton of media attention in washington. it depends on the situation. you need to be careful sometimes in dealing with american politics that are so divided between republicans and democrats. host: there are some issues of disagreement, syrian refugees, the pipeline, atp. louisa: the one where canada is trying to make its mark is responding to the syrian crisis. there are two pieces to this. one of the president agrees with , and the other he is not thrilled with. so where the president has really congratulated the prime minister, is with canada's move refugees.,000 syrian by comparison, the united states , which has a population nine times the size, says they would only take about 10,000 this year. so you can see how big a difference that is. governors inhad the united states who say they do not want any in their states, because they are worried that this could be a way for a sleeper terrorist to come into the country. so this has raised hackles on capitol hill. the white house loves this. they are congratulating him on the policy. and the president himself went to the airport to see these families. he was helping them pick out coats, winter coats. but on the hill, there have been concerns about security. the u.s. refugee system, that it takes two years, and here the premise it was elected in the fall and in february, he has already -- he has already taken in refugees. so, the senior official of the department of homeland security, including the head of the u.s. customs and border protection services, has said that they are satisfied with the way that candidate is vetting refugees. they emphasize that there is a lot of sharing of information on these people who are coming in, they are checking them against u.s. databases and canadian databases, and they said that for the most part these are families. not young men of fighting age. at politico, we didn't interview -- we did in interview on this very issue and he was very comfortable with the procedures being followed. but there is always an element of risk. the fbi director pointed out that when refugees coming from the act -- the iraq war were coming in, a few of them actually did get arrested on terrorism charges. but with syria, -- in iraq, you had boots on the ground. lesssyria, there is a lot information, see have to work harder to get this intelligence. most families that have come out of syria, they are not coming fresh out of the war zone, they have lived in camps for a long time. but this is something that the u.s. has paid attention to. on the flipside on dealing with the middle east, the prime jetster has pulled out from the crisis, and i do not think that that was a result that people in washington wanted to see when they wanted to keep the coalition going. so the premise or put a positive face on this, saying that candidate is tripling -- canada is tripling their training in iraq. that seems to be a diplomatic way of putting something positive there to say something about something that they were not thrilled with. in addition, many presidents have been pressing canada to step up in terms of commitment to spend more as a nato partner on military and defense. they say that he should be spending 2% of gdp and right now, canada is around 1%. this has been ongoing, this pressure to step up for all of the allies, not just canada. host: louisa savage is our guest . we are looking at the state dinner being held at the white house as we speak. the reception is going on now before the toast. there will be entertainment at around 10:00 p.m. tonight. unfortunately, we could not get our cameras in there. but we are talking about the issues on the three-day state visit, but there is also the other side that people care about. we mentioned that mrs. obama is wearing a gown by jason wu. elizabeth wants to know, via twitter, who designed sophie's down -- gown? downa: this is a beautiful -- gown, and it was designed by a canadian designer, who was born in romania. toronto --sign in study design in toronto. is taiwaneseu canadian. we will go back and take calls. gordon in oregon, you have been very patient. caller: i wanted to say how wonderful your coverages -- coverage is. i have a brother that was an economic advisor to prime minister trudeau, his father. so i am an old man now, and it is really and touched by the whole ceremonies today. host: gordon, thank you for calling and sharing. gordon, did you live in canada at one point in your life? caller: i grew up in montreal. host: growing up in montreal, part of quebec, is a different world than what it would be in western canada or even toronto? caller: yes. host: why so? caller: one i grew up it was very cloistered. we were not very progressive, it plessisrime minister to -- duplessey's time. occurring inom quebec. changed,has since dramatically. and 1960's.s host: quebec, is a different world? louisa: yes, this is a province that was a conservative plays with a heavy hand -- place with a heavy hand of the catholic church, emerging into a multiple multicultural societies, that is really one of the most productive parts -- progressive parts of the country, looking to europe a lot. the first name is slipping my interesting, so ophie trudeau,s she was a former tv presenter and has done a lot of celebrity television, so she is very much in her element. host: does she have a full schedule during this time? louisa: today, she and the first lady did an event promoting education for girls around the world. they were at the institute of peace and i think that that is something close to her heart and close to michelle obama's heart, as it was for laura bush who was very active in educating women. i think that is one where they can find a common cause. host: laura bush just out with a new book. she is in town today. this is a book on women in afghanistan. about 130 people attending tonight's dinner. this is held in the east room, because the other dining room is not quite big enough. some senators there include, the senator from minnesota, senator collins, and senator king of maine. the senator from new hampshire is there as well. minnesota the senator. the energy secretary is there. and --a powers, the you u.n. ambassador. andceos from dow chemical, ups, all at the dinner. the official white house photographer, we want to show you a photo he took. this is in the state dining room . it looks well lit and entertainment colors. he took. photo lincoln is ready for the state dinner, tonight. that is with the photographer says about the photo. tom from florida. please go ahead. great to talk to you. i was one of the few americans that probably watched justin the night he was elected in canada. how happy we were to see your country. i would not worry about advice from the barack obama administration, militarily. he does not have too many great successes. the good news for the people of canada, in november we will be electing the century 21 real estate agent, that should be fun for the canadian people. thank you. isisa: i have to say, there an enormous interest in canada with a this election. there is a lot of interest in donald trump and bernie sanders. they are watching it closely. about,re a lot of jokes we will be the ones to build a wall. from a canadian perspective, from somebody who has followed the issues, donald trump makes trade sound like a zero-sum game. if you look at the way that trade works swing canada and the united states, it is not that candidate is building a lot and selling it to the u.s. so much of this is building that is why you have a company like ups. they care about moving things across the border. campbell soup, they grow tomatoes in one country and process in the other and then they can them. the auto industry, they make things across the border. that kind of rhetoric does not jive with the reality on the ground that both canadian and american companies see. canada is the biggest export market for the states, so there are a lot of jobs that relate to trade with canada. so the idea that one canada -- one country has to win and the other loses, that is not reflect the reality. host: they say that $2 billion a day goes between the borders when it comes to trade. and mike myers, the actor, both attending tonight. michael j fox, another famous canadian, and his wife at the dinner tonight. they will be having baby lamb chops, and made public on -- cake, there is the official menu. taking a call from stuart. caller: good evening. ms. savage, you have passion and purpose. i was on c-span with general colin powell years back, so i appreciate everything c-span does. the dynasty of the trudeau family is incredible, showing a picture of when he was a baby and knowing he is in office now, it shows you that anybody can run for office or be an office. -- an office. the continuation of the family is amazing, so god bless him. i went to canada in 1967, and i met a young lady and i dated her, i used to drive their every weekend, 400 miles, that is true love. canadians are great people and i found the city of montreal, i used to study at the library, and everybody went out of their way to help you. they did not just point and say, it is down there. they would walk you. so, god bless canada and what we do financially in shipping and everything else. i had helped governor rockefeller get reelected. in closing, i just -- because i help toys for tots, i do the luncheon at the 21 club in new albert is aince friend of mine. i want to wish him a happy birthday. now, pr trudeau was -- p year -- prime minister p year honored previously. the last canadian to have a state dinner was in 1997. lindsay wants to know why it took 19 years to have a canadian state dinner. louisa: that is a good question. i think that there are a couple of reasons for that. the previous prime minister was not big into ceremony. i think that both he and the president, they were both people who were reserved. neither one of them have that warmth between them. also ons an emphasis having trilateral meaning. after 9/11, when there were all of these problems of shutting down the borders and figuring out, how are we going to balance security and commerce together, canada and mexico and the united states, i think at the urging of companies that were worried about this, they started to meet. it was a george bush initiative, he brought leaders together and he started a process and people called it the three amigos. it was the leaders coming together to find a common solution in the post-9/11 world. i think to some extent, those meetings in a way, they planted this bilateral thing that we see today. that was really the focus. it was an urgent focus, because the world changed after 9/11. win that border was shut, you highways thatg on could not get into the u.s. i interviewed the mayor of windsor, or terrio about this -- ontario about this, and drivers were on the highway, they were bringing ported john's -- porta lawns on people's front -- this was really a crisis. there have been so many changes since then. we have had a passport requirement imposed on traveling between the united states and canada, which we never had before. it makes sense to have a passport to travel, but if you are going up to canada on a weekend, you are not thinking about applying for passports. many people go to canada who do not necessarily travel abroad. so this was something that candidate initially fought against, and eventually gave in to. the commission had recommended it. and you saw, you talk about northern senators at the state dinner, these are people that really pushed the agenda between canada and the united aids, the northern states have so much at stake and you saw them coming out with drivers licenses that would have your citizenship, that could be used to cross the border. those economies from the pacific northwest or the great lakes, they are very intertwined, and it is really the governors and senators of those states that care about making this work. it is an interesting question and complicate a, why we do not see this earlier. but there is so much focus on figuring out how to make this work after 9/11. under the harper government and under the previous government. and now we are looking at the fruits of labor. now we are expanding clearance, so if you are going out of the airport, taking the train, you can be cleared in one country and across the border and not have to go through customs again. you can be certified as a traveler, we have nexus cards, this is all post-9/11. this was really the focus of some much work. now to have these two leaders come out and say, this is the next increment of this, they have predecessors to thank for laying the groundwork for the liberal government and conservative government to get to where we are today. host: george w. bush had steak dinners for the leaders of philippines, queen elizabeth the second, and italy. his first state dinner was for the president of mexico, just a couple of days before 9/11. -- the new canadian ambassador, what should we know about him? criteriae has the one that i think is very important for any ambassador, and he is very close to the prime minister. going to the eople is this right person or how close are they really. he's got that. e helped trudeo -- trudeau elected. one of the ambassadors that the united states sent to canada have been big fundraisers and huge supporters and as you see the whole, ambassadors, these are plum posts. but david was much closer to the prime minister. he is close in crafting his strategy and so on. that's what he has got going. he is not a career politician. the outgoing ambassador who was a skilled politician benefited from the fact that he could go in and meet with a governor, senator or congressman and speak their language as a fellow elected. that's not the case here. but on the flip side he's very, very close to the current prime minister where the previous prime minister was a member of the m.v.p. party who was representing a conservative prime minister. but they have a close relationship. and that should help them along. host: we sat down with david at the canadian embass ay. very significant. only embassy on pennsylvania avenue. here's our interview. >> ambassador, the newly elected prime minister. justin trudeau will be making his first visit to the united states, what is happening at the embassy in preparation for his arrival? >> there has been a lot of work done by the staff. this kind of a trip is intense. a lot of meetings we have. in addition to the prime ministers, we have cabinet ministers coming so the staff has been working overtime to make this a successful visit and i must say that the state department and the white house and everybody has been terrifically cooperative and it's really helped the staff here in terms of the premmingses. everybody has been terrific. >> as ambassador, what's your role? >> i take credit for the good things and what the staff does. i have been here for 10 days. a lot of work for me getting up to speed with all the issues and had a good fortune of meeting people at the united states. i met with secretary kerry at the gridiron dinner. we had a lot to talk about. had a couple of meetings at the white house. i had my family here when i presented my credentials to the president. it has been a whirl wind 10 days, but been amazing. >> you are new to your post. tell us about the amount of coordination that goes on between the state department, the white house and the embassy. how do you manage all of that in preparation for an official visit? >> you know, we have almost a total of 300 people here at the embassy. and so they have counterparts, not just at state, but homeland security and all of the various -- the you ustr and they have been working ever since the visit was announced day in and day out to make this a successful trip. it's been a lot of work. i have been briefed on all the issues and brought up to date on the schedule but most of the hard work is done by the staff on both sides. >> what do you think the canadian people expect out of this visit? >> well, in some rpts, it is you know a re-engagement and refresh of the relations, most important relationship we have in the world. americans are not only our closest neighbors but our best friends and largest trading partners. $2 billion a day with bilateral trade that goes on. it's a critical relationship for us from an economic standpoint but in today's world it's important to work on security issues and a lot of that is being discussed and we are certainly you know at one in terms of our approach to that. we live side by side. we need to work together on security matters, as we have in the past. we have been partners in norad for a long time and that has worked out really well. >> what do you think the prime minister wants to accomplish when he speaks with the president and he is here for all the different events that will take place? >> we have quite a number of items that have been discussed on and off between canada and the united states. we are hoping this visit allows us to final idse some agreements certainly on the environment, climate change, some economic issues that are important and some security issues. and other items where we aren't going to reach agreement while the prime minister is here but hopefully nudge them along and get them to a point where we can hopefully get some agreements between now and the fall. >> where do you want to do some nudging? >> for us there are economic issues that are quite important. for the united states and for canada, the whole dispute over softwood lumber -- we had a 10-year agreement that ran out last fall and another agreement that runs out in october. it's in both of our interests to reach an agreement because having those trade dispute, the only people that are happy when those take place are lawyers and i'm not sure that's in our interest to be making lawyers wealthy. >> describe your relationship with the prime minister. how did you get your post and only been here for 10 days, but how often are you communicating? >> i first was in blair house many years ago with the prime minister's father. i worked for the foreign minister right out of university and we came to washington with his father. and i got to know the prime minister eight or nine years ago when he got into politics. his chief of staff and his principal secretary are close personal friends. i worked on the campaign that took place last year and he and i are very close. i really hadn't anticipated when i was working on the election campaign that i was going to be asked to do this job. that isn't why i was working on the campaign but when he asked me if i would do this, i was thrilled. this is a very important job in the canadian diplomatic corps so i'm delighted to be here and i'm hoping that i can use my experience in terms of business and in politics and in public policy to work with americans to our mute tall benefit, because we need to see this not as a zero sum game but to work together. >> what are your marching orders? [laughter] >> obviously this year is an important year because not only a presidential election but obviously congress -- congressional elections. so i need to develop relationships because you know, things that -- when there are difficulties and there are always going to be difficulties, difficulties among friends and difficulties in relationships, like marriages, but the way to get over them is to be open and honest and not let the little problems get in the way of what is a terrific relationship. >> ambassador, thank you for your time. >> thank you very much. host: that was the canadian ambassador to the u.s. earlier this week. back live, how important is the canadian ambassador here? is there some power behind that position or some influence? >> it's an interesting question. the role of the canadian ambassador has changed over the years and interesting way and if you go back to 1980 and negotiations back then when the u.s. ambassador, he has written and told me about those he was told your place is to deal with the state department, with the white house. you do not go to capitol hill because you don't get -- you don't medical in the law-making process. during that time they were trying to pass free trade, they needed to persuade people there. so he was really forceful on saying our role as an ambassador not just to represent the government but to be a lobbyist and get meetings on the hill. so now the modern embassy has a secretary tar yacht devoted to lobbying on capitol hill and will go in there with charts and show you your district and say here are the jobs and here's the full economic con tech. it's interesting. we are at a point now where there has to be the next level of that evolution and i'm not sure how anyone knows how to build it. building cross infrastructure support trade that has been growing. when you are building real things in the real world on real land, suddenly you are out of the state department, you are out of the congress and into local communities, state legislatures, local politicians. they don't have diplomatic reception rooms for the ambassadors to come in and make the case. this is a new realm for a foreign government and the detroit bridge saga. if you saw the consul general in detroit going on essentially political campaign towards the state with the governor of michigan and making the case for the bridge because the owner of the bridge at the time had launched a referendum campaign, a ballot initiative that would have blocked the bridge and you saw this diplomat from canada doing some speeches with the governor ahead of an election trying to prevent this ballot initiative and that's the challenge now. do you want to build a pipeline through the state of nebraska where the keystone xl, you have to be there on the ground and dealing with communities and states and that is not what most foreign diplomacies are structured to do. so it is fascinating in the evolution of this relationship and the kinds of things that diplomats are called on to do. host: you are with politico. what do you do? >> guest: live events. panel discussions, newsmaker interviews, international events like canada and washington. and launch political europe and working on transatlantic events. if you are here in washington and come to a playbook breakfast or a panel discussion on policy, that's what we do. it is a lot of fun. host: if you are a reader of the "new york times," her husband writes for the "new york times." carl in hot springs village, arkansas. thanks for holding. caller: good evening. thank you for such an enlightening evening. i would like your comments either dispel or affirm -- comments made by americans that the health care system in canada causes people to wait for months or years for health care. good luck and thank you. host: the elephant in the room. host: it's a complicated question. there are wait lists for certain procedures and certain kinds of specialized procedures. it's not health care at large. if you are sick you go to the doctor and don't deal with paperwork. but there have been issues with particular specialized procedures. there is the safety valve, look if you want to spend the money you can cross the border and go into the united states and get whatever treatment you want. host: is that common? guest: it is an option. but most people are pretty satisfied with their health care. we say the third rail of american politics is social security. in canada it's the health care. nobody wants to lose that. it is part of the social contract. host: the obamas are hosting the trudeaus at their 11th or official state dinner. tonight it's for prime minister trudeau and his wife. a lot goes into the preparations at the white house for a state dinner. there was a press preview done by the social secretary. and we want to show you this. and this was from yesterday. >> hi, everyone. welcome to the white house. i'm the white house secretary. it's my privilege and honor to welcome you here today for the press preview for the state dinner happening tomorrow. it will be happening in the east room followed by musical collections. this marks the 11th state official visit of the obama administration and so excited that you are here to show you a preview. in a few moments you will get to hear from my my colleagues, the white house florist and the design and dec omprmp of the. and is inspired by the colors of spring. you will hear from the chefs chris and suzy and will be served on owe baum ave china and debuting the individual turee nmp from the obama china service. this is not easy. so in addition to the social office and the colleagues i have to say thank you to all the departments that put this special evening together. to my turn it over national security colleague. have a great time and thank you. >> good afternoon. thank you for coming. the president and first lady are looking forward to welcoming rime minister trudeau and mrs. trudeau on march 106789 this will be the first official visit by a canadian prime minister in 19 years. the united states and president obama places on the u.s.-canada relationship. this gives us an opportunity for the two countries to expand and deepen the very close relationship that we share. this will be the second meeting between the president and prime minister. they met last december in phillipines and several times on the telephone. the united states-canada relationship is one of the strongest in the world. underpinned by our family ties, economy and gee oggra if i. we share the largest common board and trade and investment relationship. we stand shoulder to shoulder in secure our nations both domestic and abroad and provide leadership that involves multi lateral institutions to respond to crises and support communities in need. we are joining to protect the event and combat climate change as well as developing clean energies. when these visits occur, the bilateral meeting is one aspect of the event. also on the schedule is an aprifle ceremony, press conference and lunch hosted by the secretary of state. this progression sets the tone for the final event, the state dinner. they will host the state dinner in honor of prime minister and mrs. trudeau. i will leave the details to my colleague but highlight a couple of issues. in the united states, the modern state dinner dates back to the 18 70's. and symbolizes the relationship, the importance and value of a relationship that the white house places on the relationship with the foreign country. such an event is reserved for the most important of relationships and in the case of president obama's time in office, this is only the 11th time. in short we consider ourselves fortunate to call the canadians our allies, partners neighbors and friends and looking forward to tomorrow's event. let me introduce the white house florist. >> good afternoon, i'm the white house executive chef and for the state dinner, we want to showcase everything from the pacific northwest all the way to the atlantic side of the north americas. for the first course, we will be unveiling this wonderful soup tureen that is part of the obama service and doing a little reveal. halibut casserole that represents the comfort food of the americas and show you later can at you get closer, you take a closeup picture of this, but a wonderful baked halibut that is garnished with asparagus and some spring onions. what we want to anticipate is spring. apricotsalad, roasting in honey and wonderful cinnamon. a punk ent salad that is garnished with appalachian cheese which is a tangy combination. for the main course, we are serving baby lamb chops from a small farm in colorado with potatoes and wonderful vegetables in the spring whiskey y youion sauce. will turn it over to our pastry chef. >> good afternoon everyone. i'm the executive pastry chef and describe the dessert course for tomorrow's dinner. we have a dessert that is reflection of the memory of windsor and the celebration of the arrival of spring. the guests will be served this cake with texas toasted pecans and maple syrup from new england. the splendor of the rocky mountains is here in this sugar display which extends from new mexico to canada. a variety of pastries, a view from the mountaintop is a hand made sugar culture and illustrates the region's beautiful and astonishing scenery. along with it is the dramatic landscape surrounded by stunning wilderness and lush valleys with turcoice waters. this includes a cranberry square andramel, golden racin tart hocolate coconut tart. host: dinner is going to be served in five minutes or so. the two leaders are still giving their toeses. when they finish, we'll get that video back and play it for you. we have a few minutes with our guest talking about u.s.-canada relations, some of the issues and also talking about the dinner. we are going to put the numbers up on the screen and set aside a third line for canadians. we would like to hear from you whether you are watching here in the united states or in canada. charles from mobile, alabama. caller: i'm enjoying this. i wanted to reflect back to when she spoke about in regards to e prime minister decided [indiscernible] caller: i read in the "new york times" that was an excellent policy choice for him because canada is known for excellence in planning where the prime minister felt there were a lot of other people contributing from the air. could you speak a little bit more towards that and talk about where that strength may come from and also if you agree with that. guest: withdrawing the fighter ets? [indiscernible] host: trainers on the zpwround in northern iraq to help the forces there. host: canada is increasing the number. guest: tripling it. we saw it during the iraq war when the liberal government did not want to participate in that war but they did help the allied effort by sending ships to relieve other ships. there are ways our allies can help each other without doing the front line work. in this case, my understanding from my colleagues who cover the pentagon, the concern was not so much they would lose these particular fighter jets, but they didn't want to encourage other allies who were having difficulty to start pulling out. there was a symbolic concern. host: would it be political suicide for a canadian prime ?inister to not be by lingual host: you go to a press conference, you hear everyone switching back and for the and you will see it in the joint press conferences between the president and the president. the prime minister switches to france and the u.s. cameras go away and switch to other programming and it's a way of saying to the french-speaking part of the country they are just as important as anyone else and this prime minister is very by lingual and the last prime minister made the effort. the ambassador who was being sent to canada under the bush administration, david wilkins and he was from south carolina and i went down to interview him before he was going to canada and wonderful host and had a great conversation and he said do you have any advice when i go to ottawa and i said it would be lovely to learn a few words of french that you can use in your public moments. every year, the u.s. ambassador hosts this big fourth of july party at a beautiful house with beautiful views of the river, which is quite majestic and beautiful grounds and everyone comes for the 4th of july and food from whatever the home state is and music and one of the coveted tickets in town he you out and said bonjour all. he said that's the limit of how much french he learned. he was a charming southerner. host: joan is in sag harbor, new york. your comments about the state dinner, u.s.-canada relations. caller: thank you for presenting this program because it's so refreshing to turn the television on and see programs in the middle of all political chaos but i have a question. i know that the prime minister is very concerned about climate change and about the environment as is our president and i know they have been in discussions based on this problem that we all face in the world, but i also know that much of the economy in canada is based on oil production. do you have any idea how he will reconcile his interests in climate change and the environment with the economic needs that he may have to meet in canada? host: this is the key question and you just framed it so well. this is a real challenge for him. look, the oil sands in alberta are more energy intensive than traditional conventional oil. there are some forms of oil in the united states and california, thermal oil that are comparable. but it is heavy crude and takes energy to get it out of the ground, oil sands or tar sands. there have been studies that say to get the kind of emissions reduction that canada needs to get, you would have to have a carbon tax in the range of $100 per ton whereas a -- in the united states, it's easier to switch the economy to natural gas, you could have much lower, $15 per ton tax to get that same reduction. the point is, it is much more expensive and more difficult. when you see the president is doing is rally the premiers and they have taken steps to reduce the emissions, but it's going to be hard because it is an oil and gas exporting country. oil prices are low now and really difficult time to impose new costs and taxes on an industry that is suffering and people are losing their jobs and so on. so this is a challenge and will be interesting to see how he does it. you saw some announcements, the president announced that they ll be taking steps to reduce methane emissions and other emissions and looking for things they can do. the other point, president obama has through the e.p.a., he has regulatory power to say to the states here's my clean energy plan and reduce emissions from coal plants. the states are fighting this in the courts and see how it works out. but the prime minister has to rely on the provinces and the proper vingsal preliminary years. so i think you have identified one of the core challenges, how does he reconcile. host: the "new york times" took a look at president obama state official dinners. 35% came from wall street, 12% from the media. those are just some of the facts and figures in the "new york imes" study. our guest has been with politico. thanks for being with us. preview of the state dinner. now, just a few minutes ago. the two leaders finished their toeses to each other. this is the last piece of video maybe 10 minutes ago. last piece of video we shot before we have to get our cameras and everybody can enjoy the dinner. here's president obama and prime minister trudeau at the state inner. president obama: first state dinner with canada in nearly 20 years. [cheers and applause] president obama: we are going to ave fun tonight. cheers and applause] [indiscernible] president obama: tonight, history comes full circle. 44 years ago, president nixon made a visit to ottawa hosted by trudeau.ister pierre [applause] president obama: there was a toast. tonight we'll dispense with the formalities president nixon said, i would like to propose a canada, he future of justin trudeau. he was four months at the time. [laughter] president obama: all these years later, the prediction has come to pass. mr. prime minister, it's fair to say here in america, you may well be the most popular justice. amed [laughter] president obama: i said this morning that americans and canadians are family and tonight i want to recognize two people who mean so much to me and michelle and our family. first of all, my wonderful brother-in-law, originally from burlington, ontario, conrad. hey, conrad! [applause] president obama: this is actually an interesting story, conrad indicated to me when we saw each other this afternoon that part of the reason his amily was able to imgreat to canada was because of policies adopted by justin's father. and so had that not happened, he might not have met my sister and my nieces might not have been born. so this is yet one more debt that we owe the people of canada. in addition, a true friend and a member of my team who has been with me every step of the way. he is from toronto and victoria partner, ent golf marvin nicholson. [applause] president obama: they have nfiltrated all of our ranks. before i ever became president when we celebrated and my sister's conrad's marriage michelle and i took our daughters to canada. and we went to burlington and mrs. aga and then we went to toronto and niagara falls. i can do that. and everywhere we went, the canadian people made us feel right at home and tonight we want our canadian friends to feel right at home. this is not a dinner, it's supper. we thought of serving up some protein. i was going to bring tofu and finish off the night with a double-double. but to draw the line at getting milk out of a bag. this, we americans do not understand. we do, however, have a little canadian whiskey. that we do understand. this visit has been a celebration of the values that we share. we as a people are committed to the principles, the quality and opportunity, the idea that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can make it if you try, no matter what the circumstances in both of our countries. and we see this in our current presidential campaign. after all, where a born boy born in calgary grow up to run for president of the united states? [laughter] [applause] president obama: where we would see a community like welcoming americans if the election does not go their way. [laughter] president obama: and to the great credit of their people, canadians from british columbia to new brunswick have rejected building a wall to keep out your southern neighbors. we appreciate that. we can be unruly, i know. but on a serious note, this visit reminds us of what we love about canada. the solidarity shown by the canadians when they welcomed stranded american travelers into their homes, the courage of your service members standing with us in afghanistan and now in iraq and the compassion of the canadian people welcoming refugees and the prime minister himself who told those refugees you are safe at home now. justin, we also see canada's spirit of advocacy in mental health care and give a special welcome to margaret trudeau tonight. [applause] president obama: and we see canada's spirit in sophie, a champion of women and girls, because our daughters deserve the same opportunities that anybody's sons do. and the spirit remind us of why we're all here, why we serve. justin, sophie, your children are still young. they are adorable and still let you hug them. [applause] president obama: when we first spoke on the phone after your election, we spoke not only as president and prime minister but also as fathers. when i was first elected to this office, mal inch a was 10 and sasha was seven and grew up too fast. this fall, malya is going to college and i'm going to choke up. it was in my remarks. and i can't do it. it's hard. but there is a point to this, though, and that is we are not here for power. we aren't here for fame or fortune, we are here for our kids. we are here for everybody's kids to give our sons and our daughters a better world, to pass to them a world that is safer and a little more equal and a little more just, little more prosperous so that a young person growing up in chicago or montreal or on the other side of the world has every opportunity to make their life what they will, no matter who they are, what they look like, how they pray or who they love. justin, there is no better words to guide us than those you once described what your father taught you and your siblings. to believe in yourself, to stand up for ourselves, to know ourselves and accept responsibility for ourselves, to show a again you inand deep respect for each other and for every human being. and so, i would like to propose a toast. to the great alliance between the united states and canada, to our friends, justin and sophie, to the friendship between americans and canadians and the spirit that binds us together, the again you ine and deep and abiding respect for each and every human being. cheers. >> cheers. [applause] prime minister trudeau: prezz, michelle, all of you gathered here, it is an extraordinary honor for me to be here with you tonight. thank you so much for the warm welcome you have extended to the canadian delegation and us personally. incredibly touching to be here, not just as a couple, some ofey and i, but being able to bring our families down well and some ofey's mom and dad and look forward to the future with sophie and of course my own other margaret, whose last state dinner here was in 1977. so it's wonderful to have you here. malialso touching to meet and sasha first state dinner and the memories for me of being a kid and not being old enough to attend these kinds of events with my father almost makes me wish i had gone through my teenaged years as a child of a world leader, but not quite. i admire you very much both of you for your extraordinary strength and your grace to what is remarkable childhood and young adulthood that will give you extraordinary strength and wisdom beyond your years for the rest of your life. one thing you have achieved from your extraordinary parents are the tools to be able to handle the challenges and the opportunities in front of you. so thank you very much for joining us tonight. [applause] in thinking about what i wanted to say this evening, i came across a quote from president truman who shared these words with the canadian parliament nearly 70 years ago, he said canada's relationship with the united states did not develop spontaneously did not come about through the happy circumstance of gee oggra if i but was compounded of one part proximity and nine parts of goodwill and common sense. it is that enduring goodwill and common sense that i believe defines our relationship to this day. it's what makes our constructive partnership possible. it's what allows us to respectfully disagree and remain friends and allies from the few occasions we do. for example, i would argue that it's better to be the leader of a country that consistently wins gold medals in hockey. president obama would likely disagree and yet, you still invited us over for dinner, because that's what friends do. [laughter] prime minister trudeau: because now that i think of it, we are actually closer than friends. we are more like siblings, really. we have shared parentage and took different paths in our later years. we became the state at home type. [laughter] prime minister trudeau: you grew to be a little more rebellious. [laughter] prime minister trudeau: i think the reason that goodwill and common sense comes so easily is because we are canadians and americans alike guided by the same core values, values like cooperation and respect, cooperation because it keeps us safe and prosperous and respect, because it's the shurest path to both safeguarding the world we share and honoring the diverse world with whom we share. when it comes to security, for example, we agree that our countries are stronger and the world is safer when we work together. for more than half a century, we have joined forces to protect our continent and we have been the closest of allies overseas even longer fighting together on the beaches of france, standing shoulder to shoulder with nato and now confronting violent extremism in the middle east. in every instance, we realize that our concerns were better addressed together than alone. and together, we have realized the longest, most peaceful and most mutually beneficial relationship of any two countries since the birth of the nation state. it's a relationship that doesn't just serve its own interests, it serves the entire world. canadians and americans also value economic interdependence, because we know that it brings greater prosperity for all of us. over 2.4 billion worth of goods and services cross the border every day, evidence of one of the largest and most beneficially trading relationships in the world. and one of our most popular exports to the united states and i need you to stop teasing him -- no. no. that kid has had a great year. and of course, leave it to a canadian to reach international fame with a song. [laughter] prime minister trudeau: together, canada and the u.s. negotiated trade agreements that have expanded opportunities for our businesses, created millions of goods, well-paying jobs for our workers and made products more affordable for more canadian and american families. we must never take that partnership for granted. a promise our government never will. nor should we forget our responsibilities extend beyond our own borders, but across generations, which means getting rid of that notion that a healthy environment and strong economy stands in opposition to one another and means when we come to issues like climate change, we need to acknowledge that we are all in this together. our children and grandchildren will judge us not by the words we said, but by the actions we took or failed to take. if we truly wish to leave them a better world than the one we inherited from our own parents and i know, mr. president, you and the first lady want this as strongly as sophie and i do, we cannot deny the science and cannot pretend that climate change is up for debate speaking french] >> thank you, mr. president, for your leadership, your global leadership on the pressing issue of the global leadership and climate change. [applause] prime minister trudeau: and finally, we believe, canadians and americans, in the fundamental truth that diversity can be a source of strength, that we are striving in prosperous countries, not in spite of our differences, but because of it. canadians know this. it's why communities across the country welcomed more than 25,000 syrian refugees over the past four months. [applause] prime minister trudeau: and not as visitors or temporary citizens, but as canadians. but, of course, americans understand this, too. it's why each generation has welcomed new comers seeking liberty and the promise of a better life. it's what has made america great over the past decade. we know if we seek to be even greater, we must do greater things be more compassionate and accepting, more open to those who eat differently, eat different foods or speak different languages, our i had tents are enriched by these differences, not threatened by them. on our own, we make progress. but together, our two countries make history. duty-bound, loyal and forever linked. whatever the future holds, we will face it together. neighbors, partners, allies and friends. this is our experience and our example to the world. barack, thank you for all you have done these past seven years to preserve this most important relationship. may the special connection between our two countries continue to flourish in the years to come and to -- may my gray hair come in at a much slower rate than yours did. [laughter] prime minister trudeau: on ehalf of us, i propose a toast to the president, to the first lady and to the people of the united states of america. heers. [applause] host: those were the toasts delivered by president obama and prime minister trudeau. that's going to wrap up our coverage of this 11th state dinner for the obama administration. everything that you have seen today, the preparation, the interview with the canadian ambassador, the toeses, et cetera, all available on our website at c-span.org. you can watch it there. now earlier today as part of the state visit, which is a three-day state visit, the two leaders held a news conference in the rose garden and so it to you now. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by tional captioning institute] >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and the prime minister of canada. president obama: thank you everybody. please have a seat. once again, i want to welcome prime minister trudeau to the white house. we completed a very productive meeting, although i regret to inform you we have not reached an agreement on hockey. but it is not interfering with the rest of our bilateral relationship. as i said earlier, this visit reflects something we americans don't say enough which is how much we value our great alliance and partnership with our friends up north. we are would he haven together so deeply as societies, as economies, that it is easy to forget how truly remarkable our relationship is. a shared border, more than 5,000 miles which is the longest between any two nages in the world. every day, we do $2 billion in trade and investment and that is the largest bilateral economic relationship in the world. every day, more than 400,000 americans and canadians cross the border, workers, business people, students, tourists, neighbors and of course every time we have a presidential election, our friends to the north have to brace for americans who swear they'll move to canada if the guy from the other party wins. and so, typically, it turns out fine. [laughter] president obama: this is not my second meeting with justin. i'm grateful i have him as a partner. we have a common outlook on what our nations can achieve. he campaigned on a message of hope and change and optimism and is inspiring young people at home and governing with equality. on the world stage, his country is leading on climate change and cares deeply about development. so from my perspective, what's not to like. of course, no two nations agree on everything. our countries are no different. but in terms of our interests, our values, how we approach the world, few countries match up the way the united states and canada do. and given our work together today, i can say and i believe the prime minister would agree when it comes to the central challenges we face, our two nations are more closely aligned than ever. we want to make it easier to trade and invest with one another. canada is the top market for u.s. exports, which support about 1.7 million good-paying american jobs. when autos are built on both sides of the board, this co-production makes us more competitive in the global economy as a whole. we have instructed our teams to stay focus to make it easier for goods and people to move back and forth across the borders including reducing bottlenext. we discussed how to move forward with the transpacific partnership and today, we reafffirmed our determination to move ahead about an agreement to pre-clear travelers through immigration and customs making it easier to travel and visit and do business together. as nato allies, we are united against the threat of terrorism. candidate ave is a member of the global coalition fighting ithe i will, tripling is personnel, stepping up its intelligence efforts in the region and providing critical humanitarian support. we are working together to prevent the flow of foreign fighters and share information with respect to our no-fly lists and entry-exit system as we uphold the civil liberties of our respective citizens. in syria, the cessation of hostilities has led to a drop of violence and the united states and canada continue to be leaders in getting humanitarian aid to syrians who are in desperate need. our two countries continue to safely welcome refugees from that conflict and i want to commend justin and the canadian people for their compassion nature leadership on this front. i'mi am pleased to say the u.s.d canada are fully united in combating climate change. as the first u.s. president to visit the arctic, i saw how both our nations are threatened by rising seas, melting permafrost, disappearing glaciers, and sea ice. so we are focusing on making sure that the paris agreement is fully implemented. we are looking to double our investments in clean energy research and development. we are announcing new steps. canada is joining us in our aggressive goal to bring down methane emissions in the oil and gas sectors. together, we will move swiftly to establish standards to meet that goal. we will also work together to phase down hfc's and to limit carbon emissions from international aviation. we are announcing a new climate and science partnership to protect the arctic and its people, and later this year, i will welcome our partners, including canada, to our white house science ministerial on the arctic to deepen our cooperation in this region. we are also grateful for canada's partnership as we renew america's leadership across the hemisphere. mr. prime minister, i want to thank you for canada's continuing support of our new chapter of engagement with the cuban people, which i will continue with my upcoming visit to cuba next week. we will work to help colombia achieve peace and remove the deadly legacy of land mines there, and our scientists and public health officials will work with partners across the hemisphere to prevent the spread of the zika virus and work together actively for diagnostic and vaccines that can make a real difference. finally, our shared values, our commitment to human development and dignity of all people continue to guide our work as global partners. through the global health security agenda, we are stepping up our efforts to prevent outbreaks of diseases from becoming epidemics. we are urgently working to help ethiopia deal with the worst drought in half a century. today, our spouses, michelle and sophie, are reaffirming our commitment to the health and education of young women and girls around the world, and canada will be joining our power africa initiative to bring electricity, including renewable energy, to homes and businesses across the continent to help the people out of poverty. those are our values at work. so again, justin, i want to thank you for your partnership. i think we have laid the foundation for greater cooperation for our countries for years to come, and i'd like to think it is only the beginning. i look forward to welcoming you back for the nuclear security summit in a few weeks. i am pleased we were able to announce the next north american leaders summit in canada this summer. the prime minister has invited me to address the canadian parliament, and that is a great honor. i look forward to the opportunity to speak directly to the canadian people about the extraordinary future we can build together. prime minister trudeau? prime minister trudeau: thank you, mr. president. good morning, everyone. it's an honor to be here. as i have reflected on the storied relationship between our two great countries, i constantly return to president kennedy's wise words in our friendship, that what unites us is far greater than what divides us. and as president obama mentioned earlier, if geography made us neighbors, then shared values made us kindred spirits, and it is our choices, individually and collectively, that make us friends. that friendship, matched by much hard work, has allowed us to do great things throughout our history, from the beaches of normandy, to the free trade agreement, and now today, on climate change. the president and i share a common goal. we want a clean growth economy that continues to provide good jobs and great opportunities for all of our citizens. i am confident that by working together, we will get there, sooner than we think. let's take the paris agreement, for example. that agreement is both a symbolic declaration of global cooperation on climate change, as well as a practical guide for growing our economies a responsible and sustainable way. canada and the u.s. have committed to signing the agreement as soon as possible. we know that our international partners expect and, indeed, need leadership from us on this issue. the president and i have announced today that we will take ambitious action to reduce methane emissions nearly by half from the oil and gas sector, reduce use and emissions of hydrofluorocarbons, and align greenhouse gas initiative standards for heavy-duty vehicles amongst other plans, to fight climate change. [speaking in french] translator: new standards based on scientific data. from fishing in the high seas of the arctic, as well as set new standards to ensure maritime transport with less emissions. the partnership will also promote sustainable development in the region in addition to putting the bar higher in terms of preserving the biodiversity in the arctic. we have also decided to make our borders both more open and more safe by agreeing, pre-clearing at airports in toronto and in quebec, as well as the railroad stations in montreal and vancouver. moreover, we are creating a u.s.-canada working group in the next 60 days on the recourses to access how we will resolve errors of identity on the no-fly list. prime minister trudeau: finally, the president and i acknowledge the unique relationship between canada and the united states. we have historically been each other's largest trading partners. each and every day, over $2.4 billion worth of goods and services cross the border. today, we reaffirmed our commitment to streamlining trade between our countries. overall, the president and i agree on many things, including, of paramount importance, the direction we want to take our countries to ensure a clean and prosperous future. we have made tremendous progress on many issues. unfortunately, i will leave town with my beloved expos still here in washington. you cannot have everything. i would like to conclude by extending my deepest thanks to barack for his leadership on the climate change file to date. i want to assure the american people that they have a real partner in canada. canada and the u.s. will stand side by side to confront the pressing needs that face not only our two countries, but the entire planet. i am very much looking forward to the remainder of my time here in washington, so thank you again for your leadership and your friendship. i know that our two countries can achieve great things by working together as allies and as friends, as we have done so many times before. merci beaucoup. president obama: all right, a few questions. julie davis. >> thank you, mr. president. i want to ask about the supreme court. you have already said you're looking for a highly qualified nominee with impeccable credentials. can you give us a sense of what other factors you are considering? so much of it comes down to a gut feeling for you. does it affect you to know that your nominee will hang out in the public eye without hearing a vote for a long time and maybe ever, and shouldn't that be driving your decision, if you are asking someone to put themselves forward for this position at this point? for prime mr. trudeau, i know you have been following our presidential campaign. you even made a joke about welcoming americans who might be frightened of a donald trump presidency to your country. what do you think the stakes are for you and for the relationship between canada and the u.s., if donald trump or ted cruz were to win the presidency and to succeed president obama? you see eye to eye on a lot of issues with him. how would that affect the relationship if one of them are to succeed president obama? president obama: even though it was not directed at me -- [laughter] president obama: i want to point out, i'm absolutely certain, in 2012, when there was the possibility that i might be reelected, there were folks who were threatening to go to canada as well. one of the great things about a relationship like canada's and the united states' is it transcends party. it is bipartisan, in terms of the interest we share. with respect to the supreme court, i have told you what i'm looking for. i want somebody who is an outstanding jurist, who has impeccable legal credentials, who, by historical standards, would not even be questioned as qualified for the court. obviously, it is somebody who i want to make sure follows the constitution, cares about things like stare decisis and precedent, understands the necessary humility of a judge at any level in looking at the statute, with the elected branches are doing, is not viewing themselves as making law, or, in some ways, standing above elected representatives, but also recognizes the critical role that that branch plays in protecting minorities, ensuring that the political system does not skew in ways that systematically leaves people out, that are mindful of the traditions that are embedded in our cherished documents, like the bill of rights. so in terms of who i select, i am going to do my job, and then my expectation will be, will the senate do its job, as outlined in the constitution? i have said this before. i find it ironic that people who are constantly citing the constitution would suddenly read into the constitution requirements, norms, procedures, that are nowhere to be found there. that is precisely the kind of interpretive approach that they have vehemently rejected and have accused liberals of all the time. well, you cannot abandon your principles, if, in fact, these are your principles, simply for the sake of political expediency. we will see how they operate once a nomination has been made. i am confident that whoever i select, among fair-minded people, will be viewed as an eminently-qualified person. and then it will be up to senate republicans to decide whether they want to follow the constitution and abide by the rules of fair play that ultimately undergird our democracy and that ensure the supreme court does not just become one more extension of our polarized politics. if and when that happens, our system is not going to work. it is not that the supreme court or any of the courts can be hermetically sealed from the rest of our society. these are human beings, they read the newspapers, they have opinions, values. but our goal is to have them be objective and be able to execute their duties in a way that gives everybody, both the winning party and losing party in any given case, a sense that they were treated fairly. that depends on a process of selecting and confirming judges that is perceived as fair. and my hope is that cooler heads will prevail and people will reflect on what is at stake here once a nomination is made. prime minister trudeau: one of the things that is abundantly clear whenever a president and prime minister sit down to engage on important issues of relevance to our peoples is that the relationship, the friendship between our two countries goes far beyond any two individuals or any ideologies. i have tremendous confidence in the american people and look forward to working with whomever they choose to send to this white house later this year. alex? reporter: good morning. this meeting is happening at a unique point in the canada-u.s. relationship. president obama, you have very little time left here. prime minister trudeau, you have several years left to think about canada's most important relationship. so i would like to ask you a longer-term question about laying down some markers for big ideas that you think the two countries could achieve, and whether those could include a common market that would allow goods and services and workers to flow more freely across our border. and on a more personal note, you have had a chance to observe each other's election campaigns. i would like to ask your impression about president obama and his potential legacy, and about prime minister trudeau's potential. if you could answer in french, bonus points to either of you, but we are especially keen to hear prime minister trudeau do so. thank you. prime minister trudeau: thank you. we did engage in big conversations this morning and over the months leading up to this meeting today. issues that are important not just to all of our citizens, but to the entire world, whether it is how we ensure that there is no contradiction between a strong economy and a protected environment, understand how we need to work together as individual countries and indeed as a planet to address the concerns of climate change, how we continue to seek to ensure security for citizens at home, but also create stability and opportunity and health security for people around the world facing pandemics, violence, and issues. these are big issues that canada and the u.s. have always been engaged on in various ways over the past decades and century, and we will continue to. one of the things we highlight is the fact that we have different scales, different perspectives on similar issues and on shared values is actually a benefit in that we can complement each other in our engagement with the world and our approach to different issues. i look forward to many years of friendship and collaboration between our two countries. [speaking in french] translator: climate change, security in the world, our commitment to the most vulnerable populations. canada and the united states are lucky countries in many ways. we will always have a lot to do in order to be together in the world. this is what we are going to keep on doing in the years and decades to come, and we hope in the centuries to come. president obama, i have learned a lot from him. he is somebody who is a deep thinker with a big heart and a big brain. for me to be able to count on a friend who has lived through many of the things i am about to encounter on the political stage and the international stage is a good comfort to me. it is always great to have people that you can trust, people you can count on personally, especially when you are facing very big challenges, such as we are now in the united states and canada. prime minister trudeau: i am always pleased to hear from president obama how he has engaged in difficult issues in the past because he is a man of tremendous heart and tremendous intellect. and being able to draw on his experience and wisdom as i face the very real challenges that our countries and our world will be facing in the coming years is something i appreciate deeply about my friend barack. president obama: alex, let me just note first of all that the tenor of your question seems to imply that i am old and creaky. prime minister trudeau: not the tenor of my answer, i hope. president obama: you have managed it well, but don't think i didn't catch that. i indicated that if in fact you plan to keep your dark hair, you have to start dying it early. you hit a certain point and it's too late. you will be caught. but look, i think justin and his delegation -- because one of the things we learn very rapidly in these jobs is that this is a team effort, not a solo act -- they are bringing the right values, enormous energy, enormous passion and commitment to their work, and perhaps most importantly, it is clear they are keenly interested in engaging canadian citizens in the process of solving problems. and i think that is how the democracies are supposed to work, and their instincts are sound. that is reflected to the positive response in the work that they have done so far, and i think that will carry them very far, as justin's talent, his concern for the canadian people and his appreciation of the vital role that canada can play in the larger world is self-apparent. i think he is going to do a great job. we are looking forward to partnering with him and we are glad to have him and his team as a partner. with respect to big ideas, to some degree, you don't fix what is not broken. and the relationship is extraordinary and doesn't, i don't think, need some set of revolutionary concepts. what it does require is not taking the relationship for granted. it does require steady effort, and perhaps most importantly, it requires, because we have so much in common, that we recognize on the big, looming issues on the horizon, it is vital for us to work together because the more aligned we are, the more we can shape the international agenda to meet these challenges. climate change is such an example. this is going to be a big problem for everybody. there are countries that will be hit worse by it. in some ways, canada and the united states, as wealthier countries, can probably adapt and manage better. on the other hand, we are also those responsible for a lot of the carbon pollution that is causing climate change. if we don't agree, if we are not aggressive, if we are not farsighted, if we don't pool our resources around the research and development energy agenda that is required to solve this problem, then other countries won't step up and it won't get solved. that's a big idea. that's a really important effort. with respect to the economy, one of the things that canada and the united states share is a commitment to a free market. i believe, and i know justin does as well, that a market- based economy not only has proven to be the greatest engine for prosperity the world has ever known, but also underwrites our individual freedoms in many ways, and we value our business sector and we value entrepreneurship. but what we are seeing across the developed world -- and this will have manifestations in the developing world -- is the need for more inclusion in growth, making sure it is broad-based, making sure people are not left behind in a globalized economy, and that is an area -- that is a big idea for the united states and canada to work together on, along with our other partners. if we don't get this right, if we do not make sure that the average canadian or average american has confidence that the fruits of their labor -- the opportunities for their children are going to continue to expand over time, if they see societies in which a very few are doing better and better and the middle class and working people are falling further and further behind, that destabilizes the economy, it makes it less efficient, it makes it less rapid in its growth, but it also starts destabilizing our politics and our democracies. and so, working together to find effective ways -- not to close off borders, not to pretend that somehow we can shut off trade, not to forget that we are ourselves nations of immigrants and that diversity is our strength -- but rather to say, yes, the world is big, and we are going to help shape it, and we are going to value our openness and our diversity and the fact that we are leaders in a global supply chain, but we're going to do so in ways that make sure everybody benefits. that is important work we have to do together, and i know justin shares that commitment just as i do. margaret brennan. reporter: some of your critics have pointed to the incredibly polarized political climate under your administration as contributing to the rise of someone as provocative as donald trump. do you feel responsibility for that or some of the protectionist rhetoric from some democratic candidates? do you have a timeline for when you might make a presidential endorsement? do you feel political heat is constraining your pool of viable supreme court nominees? thank you. president obama: i think it's important for me to nominate a supreme court nominee quickly because i think it is important for the supreme court to have its full complement of justices. i don't feel constrained in terms of the pool to draw from or that i am having to take shortcuts in terms of the selection and vetting process. with respect to your first question, i have actually heard this argument a number of times. i have been blamed by republicans for a lot of things, but being blamed for their primaries and who they are selecting for their party is novel. [laughter] president obama: look, i have said and i said at the state of the union that one of my regrets is the degree to which polarization and the nasty tone of our politics has accelerated rather than waned over the course of the last 7 1/2 years. and i could do all kinds of soul-searching in terms of things i could do better to make sure we are unifying the country, but i also have to say, margaret, that objectively, it is fair to say that the republican political elites and many of the information outlets, social media, news outlets, talk radio, television stations have been feeding the republican base for the last seven years a notion that everything i do is to be opposed, that cooperation or compromise somehow is a betrayal, that maximalist, absolutist positions on issues are politically advantageous, that there is a them out there and an us, and them are the folks who are causing whatever problems you are experiencing. and the tone of that politics, which i certainly have not contributed to -- i don't think that i was the one to prompt questions about my birth certificate, for example. i don't remember saying, hey, why don't you ask me about that? why don't you question whether i am american, whether i am loyal, whether i have america's best interests at heart? those are not things that were prompted by any actions of mine. and so what you are seeing within the republican party is, to some degree, all those efforts over a course of time, creating an environment where somebody like a donald trump can thrive. he is just doing more of what has been done for the last 7 1/2 years, and in fact, in terms of his position on a range of issues, they are not a whole lot different between any of the other candidates. it is not as if there is a massive difference between mr. trump's position on immigration and mr. cruz's position on immigration. mr. trump is just different in the way he says it. they are not a big difference between mr. trump's position and mr. rubio's position on immigration, despite the fact that mr. cruz and mr. rubio are both products of immigration and the openness of our society.

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