Fact Sheet: The United States–Canada Partnership

by Joseph Robinette Biden

The United States and Canada share a unique bond. As friends, neighbors, NATO Allies and partners, this relationship is deeply rooted in our shared values, our shared history and our shared vision for the future.

From national security to global affairs to environmental protection to free trade, our two countries work closely together. Our bilateral trade totals nearly $2 billion every day in goods and services, and our people-to-people ties in education, small business, the arts and culture are unparalleled.

Today, President Biden will jointly unveil a new initiative with our Canadian partners and friends: The U.S.–Canada Partnership Roadmap.

The Roadmap is a blueprint for our whole-of-government relationship, based on our shared values and commitment to work in partnership on areas of mutual concern, such as the recovery from COVID-19 and global health security, efforts to combat climate change and shared priorities in defense and security. Through the Roadmap, we will also advance our shared vision of prosperity, diversity, equity, and justice for all our citizens.

Today, President Biden will outline the Roadmap, which will prioritize:

Combating COVID-19: The President and the Prime Minister’s top priority is to end the COVID-19 pandemic. The Roadmap will highlight our nations’ support for the multilateral institutions that are on the front lines of COVID-19 response, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN development agencies.

Building Back Better: The President and Prime Minister share a vision for a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery that strengthens the middle class and creates more opportunities for hard working people to join it, and ensuring people have good jobs and careers on both sides of the border. The Roadmap highlights cooperation to strengthen supply chain resilience as well as clean growth driven by workers, communities, and businesses in both the United States and Canada.

Accelerating Climate Ambitions: Through the Roadmap, President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau will launch a High Level Climate Ministerial to align our policies and our goals to increase ambition to tackle the climate crisis. They will commit to strengthened implementation of the Paris Agreement by working jointly and with others to increase the scale and speed of action toward the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Advancing Diversity and Inclusion: The President and the Prime Minister share a commitment for each of their countries to address systemic racism, gender-based discrimination, barriers for persons with disabilities, and all other forms of discrimination and exclusion. The Roadmap highlights our shared determination to implement more effective, equitable, and inclusive approaches to community safety, criminal justice, and law enforcement.

Bolstering Security and Defense: As NATO Allies, and with a deep bilateral defense relationship, the United States and Canada have a shared interest in Transatlantic security. Our collective security is underpinned by investments in modern, ready, and capable forces in line with each Ally’s NATO commitments under the 2014 Wales Defense Investment Pledge. The Roadmap also underscores the importance of continued contributions to security in the context of the United Nations and other global missions. Through the framework of the Roadmap, the President and the Prime Minister will agree to expand cooperation on continental defense and in the Arctic, including by modernizing the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), as well as enhancing law enforcement collaboration by reestablishing the Cross-Border Crime Forum.

Building Global Alliances: The President and Prime Minister will affirm their shared commitment to addressing global challenges through the Roadmap through multilateral institutions, including the United Nations, G7 and G20, the WTO, NATO, and the Five Eyes community. Finally, the leaders will agree to work towards reviving the North American Leaders’ Summit as a recommitment of solidarity among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.