OTTAWA -- P.R.E.S.I.D.E.N.T. B.I.D.E.N: That鈥檚 how you spell relief to most Canadians as adult supervision seems set to return to the White House.
This will end four years of tiptoeing through a diplomatic minefield, where every utterance by our political leaders risked unleashing volcanic fury on U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 Twitter feed and retaliation within his administration.
It should transform our cross-border relationship for the better. We hope.
For starters, president-elect Joe Biden can find Ottawa on a map. Not only are the parents of his first wife Canadian but, as Vice President, he saw up close the warm connection President Barack Obama had with our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
True, thousands might not crowd Parliament Hill hoping for a glimpse of Biden waving from behind bulletproof glass when he visits, like the collective swoon that greeted Obama, but they鈥檒l be throwing bouquets not bricks at this president.
Biden鈥檚 trade policies will at least bring stability, if not satisfaction, to the relationship. While undeniably America-first, they are comprehensive yet comprehensible protectionism.
He鈥檒l shield American industry, but he鈥檚 not going to pull a Trump and weaponize tariffs against Canadian steel on the inexplicable grounds of national security, for example.
But, but, but, 鈥淲hat about the Keystone XL pipeline?鈥� Alberta frets. It鈥檚 an obvious concern given that construction in Alberta is proceeding rapidly toward the U.S. border. If the new president indeed revokes the go-ahead permit as promised, Keystone XL will be money for nothing to build a pipeline to nowhere.
But let鈥檚 face it. Biden has MUCH bigger concerns in a fractured America and a divided Congress than to stop a neighbour鈥檚 modest pipeline. And if he wants to fortify his working-class allegiences, he鈥檚 not going to deny unionized U.S. pipeline workers the lucrative jobs that come with Keystone鈥檚 completion.
Besides, U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast want a lot more heavy crude now that Venezuela has been cut off. They need Keystone to feed their furnaces almost as much as Alberta needs it to keep the oilsands flowing.
So view Biden鈥檚 Keystone-killing vow in the same light as Trudeau鈥檚 2015 pledge to reform elections 鈥� a promise that looked great while campaigning in opposition but inconvenient to implement once in power.
You can, however, expect Trudeau to find a welcome ally in the fight against climate change. If Biden can get any traction on his trillion-dollar push to create a green economy, it gives Trudeau crucial support to move in tandem against carbon.
Aggressive action against emissions was a tough sell in Canada while Donald Trump was relaxing environmental regulations, opening up oil drilling in sensitive areas and pulling out of the Paris Accord.
Speaking of Trump, it鈥檚 hard to resist wondering what鈥檚 next for him as America comes to grips with this long and winding election result.
The soon-to-be-former president is already the most destabilizing force in American democracy.
Noted, a wise friend of mine, what if Fox News gave Trump his own show? It would be a ratings smash unleashing a daily blitzkrieg of fury from a former president with a massive audience of Americans who inexplicably believe he personifies The Rapture.
Trump鈥檚 non-stop aggravation on TV or Twitter will enhance America鈥檚 sharp polarization and make Biden鈥檚 already-daunting task as president tilt toward mission impossible.
Of course, that assumes Trump can escape his legal troubles where, if New York state prosecutors indeed indict him, the next Trump Tower could be ringed in high walls, barbed wire and sharp-shooting security guards.
But I digress into fantasy.
With Trump gone, albeit hovering around the political realm seeking a vengeance, Canada again has a friendly ear in the White House and a Senate no longer held hostage to the shambolic whims of an often-unhinged president.
鈥淗armonious鈥� may prove to be too strong a word to describe the renewed relationship in the longer run.
We鈥檙e still the mouse. They鈥檙e still the elephant. That means we鈥檙e easily crushed if the U.S. merely rolls over in its sleep.
But for now, it鈥檚 welcome news for Canadians to believe the new American elephant isn鈥檛 mad -- and won鈥檛 rampage over us without a reason.
That's the bottom line.
