Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he and President Trump discussed the Black Lives Matter movement during a phone call Monday.
“This morning I spoke to President Trump about the new NAFTA, about the aluminum tariffs, about the Black Lives Matter and also about the issue of China and the two Canadians detained,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.
The Canadian leader is a cultural progressive, but has recently been criticized for wearing “brown face” three times, including a costume party in 2001, and for alleged “cultural appropriation” during a trip to India.
Trudeau briefed reporters in English and French. According to a translation of his comments in French, Trudeau said he discussed “systemic racism” with Trump.
The White House did not immediately release a reading of the call.
Trudeau declined an invitation to visit the White House last week amid the coronavirus pandemic. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador visited the White House to mark the implementation of the new three-country trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Trudeau repeatedly referred to the new trade deal as “NAFTA” instead of Trump’s preferred acronym, “USMCA.”
The prime minister said he implored Trump not to impose new aluminum tariffs to curb Canadian exports.
“I stressed to the president that the pandemic has disrupted customary manufacturing processes and supply chains, and that has caused some disruption in the aluminum sector that is beginning to realign,” said Trudeau. “I was impressed with him that it would be a shame to see tariffs between our two countries at a time when we celebrate NAFTA, at a time when we want our companies or manufacturers to get up and running as quickly as possible.”
Trudeau said it is unclear how long the border between the United States and Canada will be closed to non-essential travel due to the coronavirus.
“We recognize that the situation remains complex in the United States with respect to COVID-19,” said Trudeau. “We have been able to extend border closings to all goods and services except essentials every month, and those talks are continuing with the United States at this time, as we are one week from the next closing deadline. We will continue to work hard to keep Canadians safe and to keep our economies flowing. ”
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