Barack Obama will welcome his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau to Washington on Thursday for an official state visit likely to stoke comparisons between two leaders who came to power as fresh, charismatic liberal darlings with star power.  The president and prime minister will hold talks on issues including energy and climate change, security, and trade.  A glimpse of them together at the White House may provide fleeting solace to those in North America fearful of the rise of Donald Trump and fellow climate change naysayers.  “I think there is a developing special relationship between this president and the prime minister,” said Mark Feierstein, the White House National Security Council’s senior director for the western hemisphere. “Both young leaders with similar visions. Both have a progressive vision of governing. Both are very much committed to the appropriate use of multilateral tools. Both are committed to diversity.  “And I think there is a coincidence very much in terms of the agendas that both administrations have. And I think we’re seeing that reflected, for example, on the issues of climate change and refugees and other issues. So this will be a good opportunity for the president and prime minister to expand that relationship and build on that.”  Like the Obamas, Trudeau and his equally telegenic wife, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, have captured the public imagination and earned comparisons with the Kennedys. “Justin Fever hits Washington,” said a headline this week on the Politico website, nodding to the 44-year-old’s pop-star looks.  After years in which Canadians were fascinated by Obama, the tables have finally been turned, observed Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, which borders Canada. “Obviously they both came in on platforms of change and they came in at a time when the countries wanted to see something different and a new approach,” she said at a Politico event in Washington on Tuesday.  “But there is one thing that’s different beside the fact the president notes that his hair is a little greyer now. President Obama came in at a time of crisis: we were in the worst economic freefall since the depression. Trudeau is coming in at a time where at least the economy is stable, giving him this moment where he can do some of the things Obama wishes he had done at the beginning.”  Yet not so long ago, Trudeau, a former teacher, was better known for his famous father Pierre, also prime minister, and beating Conservative senator Patrick Brazeau in a charity boxing match in 2012. He also posed topless for photos showing off his trim figure and upper-arm tattoo.  He entered politics with a bang and last year his Liberal party defeated Canada’s long-ruling Conservatives by promising a new era of “sunny ways”. He swiftly gave half the seats in his cabinet to women “because it’s 2015” and named a defense minister who is a leading member of Canada’s Sikh community.  Trudeau also kept some of his more contentious promises, including welcoming 25,000 Syrian refugees when other nations were closing their borders. Senate Republicans have raised concerns that refugees reaching Canada could cross the “porous border” and put Americans at risk, even holding a committee hearing on Capitol Hill about the issue.  Alan Bersin, assistant secretary for international affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, told the Politico event: “Entry-exit, pre-clearance, enhanced information sharing – I think all of those we should expect will be the subject of announcements during the course of the visit.”  Although the countries share innumerable family and cultural ties, this will be the first Canadian state visit to the US for 19 years. When Trudeau’s outspoken mother, Margaret, attended a White House state dinner in 1977, she ruffled fashion critics by wearing a dress that ended above the knee.  Relations between Obama and Trudeau’s predecessor, Stephen Harper of the Conservatives, were strained over Washington’s unwillingness to support the Keystone XL pipeline. But Obama and Trudeau, who have met once before and spoken twice by phone, are expected to announce common climate measures including a 45% cut in methane emissions from the oil and gas industry and protections for the Arctic.  Canada is America’s biggest trade partner, with almost 400,000 people and $2bn worth of goods and services crossing the border every day. About 75% of Canada’s total exports go to the US, and Canada is the top export destination for 33 US states.  The leaders are likely to discuss two longstanding trade disputes over softwood lumber and meat labelling. A deal governing Canadian softwood lumber exports expired last year, and the two nations are talking about a new arrangement, Feierstein said. “We’re open to exploring all options with Canada at this point.”  Another possible bone of contention has been Trudeau’s decision to pull his country’s fighter jets out of the US-led coalition’s bombing campaign against Isis earlier this year.  Some American liberals might also keep a close on eye on Trudeau out of naked self-interest: Trump’s march towards the Republican nomination has coincided with a a sharp rise in Google searches for how to move to Canada.
Comparisons between the two leaders likely to be plenty as Obama prepares to welcome the Canadian prime minister for first official state visit