Prime Minister Stephen Harper takes part in a briefing during the 2011 APEC Summit in Honolulu, Hawaii on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama will hold bilateral talks on Sunday after the APEC summit winds down, CTV News has learned.
CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife, who is in Hawaii for the APEC summit, tweeted early afternoon local time Saturday that Harper and Obama will hold one-on-one talks.
Harper had been pressing Obama for a meeting after their summit with Mexican President Felipe Calderon was cancelled after the death of Mexican Interior Minister Francisco Blake Mora in a helicopter crash on Friday.
Fife reported earlier Saturday that Harper had been pushing Obama for a bilateral meeting to discuss two key issues: the possible cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline; and the long-awaited border security deal.
The U.S. president also has meetings scheduled with the prime minister of Japan and the presidents of China and Russia.
A meeting with Obama will give Harper a boost in the face of what might have otherwise been a lacklustre few days in Hawaii.
While Canada and the other 20 members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum are expected to outline a series of steps to move forward with a trade agenda, Harper can only watch as negotiations continue for the formation of a new economic bloc.
Doors to the Trans Pacific Partnership remain closed to Canada, and Japan's recent addition to the countries involved in the TPP is likely to have Canadian officials asking pointed questions over the next two days.
Membership in the TPP is coveted because the deal is being led by the U.S., and because it links together hotly sought-after markets in the Asia Pacific region.
Japan has announced no timetable for joining the group, only its intention to join, a senior Japanese government official said Friday.
But the inclusion of the world's third-largest economy would vastly expand the reach of the trade pact, which now includes the smaller economies of Chile, New Zealand, Brunei and Singapore. The U.S., Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Peru are negotiating to join.
Publicly, the Canadian government has expressed uncertainty about being part of the deal.
"Looking at Canada's interests, we'll have to consider whether membership in the TPP would align with our broader agenda of jobs and growth," said Sara MacIntyre, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, at a briefing in advance of the trip.
"We'll only pursue opportunities that are in the best interests of Canadian businesses and workers."
While Obama was to lead TPP negotiations Saturday morning, Harper, International Trade Minister Ed Fast and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird were to hold their own series of bilateral meetings with Asia Pacific leaders to keep the ball rolling on current deals.
"Harper and Obama will be pushing the Chinese in particular for more trade, which could mean millions of jobs in the U.S. and Canada," Fife reported.
"The global economy is slowing down so the way to kickstart our economy is to get them to buy more from us," he added.
Kudos to some of you who realize that the US is not the super power it once was. Heavens Obama is not really in charge anyways - it's Hollywood!
less trade with the US, and focus more trade with Asia,will give Obama something to remember. Don't throw stones at glass houses.( the delay is for his poltical gain )
Obama is showing the world that he's more interested in the health of his people than he is with winning the next election. Only a tiny number of Americans don't want this pipe line, the majority would rather have the jobs. Harper shouldn't be wasting our tax dollars flying there to harass Obama he already said no. Harper must have something important he can do, there must be a floor somewhere for him to mop.
Hey James... I couldn't agree with you more, there seems to be more summits than peaks on mountains, and by God they seem to be in the most exotic of locations the hosts can offer don't they? Why can't these "leaders" (who can never seem to agree on much during a costly summit), given today's miraculous technologies just sit in their governmental boardrooms and communicate with each other via satellite, secure internet, or some other advanced method? I applaud your comments I really do! They think that they are so above the rest of us that they've conjured up this impression that the average citizen is a complete moron. We're not. We just elected morons into office.
I'm all for working together with our allies and other major powers but it really seems like there's another summit every time I read the news. Isn't this getting a little silly?
So the illegal Prime Minister just keeps on rolling along. Steal elections and get away with it. Fraudulently spend $50 million in Tony Clements riding get away with it. This guy should be held accountable for his crimes not doing business as usual.
Increased trade with China means more jobs lost here. Every time this country gets involved with trade, Canada seems to come up with the short end of the stick, and if I'm wrong then please provide me with concrete examples to demonstrate where it is exactly that we benefit. Sometimes I believe that Canada is nothing more than this huge chunk of land North of the United States that get's humoured by nations who are more secure in how they govern their nations. We will fight in Afghanistan under the guise of helping them with a host of issues that we completely ignore from China as long as we can import their silly little plastic trinkets and cheap brick-a-brack that continue to fill our landfill sites. I'm scratching my head on this wondering if I'm all alone thinking that we're not taking care of our own.
Criticize Harper and the con-puppets will tell you that you should leave Canada. I think that says it all really. They can't stand the thought of a nation with people who think differently from them. They want this whole country to be just like them. Ain't gonna happen. They are in the minority everywhere except Parliament (and that's only a matter of time) - Canadians proved that by voting overwhelmingly for something other than Harper.
The left is dying. Just look at the occupy movement. As for Obama, he just made the biggest political mistep of his career. This will be career ending for him. We all know the left is very whiney and vocal and do not represent the mainstream. The backlash has started and will crush the leftist / socialist / bleeding heart nutjobs in there tracks!!The oil will flow one way or another, and you ncan bet your bottom dollar that the canadian governemnt is in secret Negotiations with the soon to be new administration (Republicans) over the keystone pipeline. Doesnt everyone just wish the left wing moonbats all move to Cuba where they can spew there whiney drivel
Obama is a joke - the only reason he shelved the Keystone decision was because he didn’t want to deal with it until AFTER the election campaign because his left-wing base somehow doesn’t understand the idea of energy security or job creation (for some reason they are content to shoot themselves in the foot and buy oil from their enemies and not their friends). If it was Harper making the decision, you can damn well be sure he would have approved the project based on merit and not on the whims of his base. I say it again - Obama’s presidency is a big joke.
Wow!! We need to laugh people. What is going on in commentators heads here. l am a little shocked that l too add to the jumble of comments. Harper is our Prime Minister. Elected democratically. He is on the world stage working on behalf of Canadians. Lighten up people. Give him a cheer. Bravo Harper. At the end of the day if he doesn't do a good job. Vote him and his party out. Don't be Losers EH.
@Marg O.......Really? In case you hadn't noticed, the US is next door to us. We're not (as you're implying) some insignificant country on the other side of the planet with little or no ties to them. We are and they are our largest trading partner, so that would put us at the top 20. Dirty oil? I don't know where you get your oil, but the stuff I use is not dirty. Nice way of putting a spin on things.
Know some writers here profess this but selling our oil to the Chinese would be a serious and grave error. Got to work with the States and stop the braggadoccio that our government is doing and professing.
Obama is fighting for his political life, and will do anything to get the money and votes he thinks he deserves. If putting off the pipeline accomplishes this, then that is what he will do. The jobs that the US needs will apparently go on the back burner for now. If he doesn't agree to meet with PM Harper, then that tells us that he doesn't want to confront the issue and will remain "wishy washy" until the US elections where he hopes to hang on to the Presidency. Meanwhile Canada should continue having negotiations with China and India and let the US sit on the sidelines while the oil gets shipped off to other countries. Sooner or later the US which is highly dependant on oil, will come begging.
If Harper wants to get anything done,he should be meeting with Hillary.Obama doesnt have the guts to decide anything.And if he offends the tree huggers,he'll be out of a job next November. That"s what 's driving the Whitehouse.If you can't see that,you're not paying attention.Obama will not say anything that hasn't first been approved by Hillary,and a bunch of back room people we don't even know. As badly as we all want to get off of oil,the truth is that we need it now,and for the next few decades.People in the USA know this too.Just watch the talking heads on CNN,and you will see that what I am saying is true.It's just that Obama can't find a politcal way out of the mess he built for himself. I would love to be a fly on the wall if they do actually meet.On the substance of the issue Harper will eat Obama alive.But Obama has all the political cards,and the might of American power on his side.A formidable challenge to over come. The USA wants "exclusive" access to oil from Alberta.They talk about it as if it's a resource on American soil. Build a pipeline to China,and Canada now holds the best hand.If you want to continue to be a puppet to the USA,then just give them the "exclusive" access that they want.But action like that is as close to treason as you can get without actually going to jail.
Whoa yourself James. We didn't loose fairly as the resent results showed. Harpers Conservatives cheated their way to power and spent all the money Mr. Martin had in reserve and then some. We are no better off than the rest of the world who is mired in debt.The USA would like to blame Mr. Obama for their troubles but they started long before he arrived. They spent all their money on wars, now we are heading to the same end.Mr. Martin was and still is a very respected business man and some countries still ask his opinion.Harper is a buffoon period.The worst person to ask about your finances is a person who 'studied' Economics. Ask someone who has a business degree.
The USA is no longer the super power in the world they once were. They like to think they are, but now the world knows that they attacked and went to war with middle east countrys for the Bushites, Cheneys and a select few friends and not for the safety of the people of the US but for thier own gain of more wealth. The USA is now hated by the rest of the world. That is why they would rather buy blood oil then trade with thier friends and neighbors. The Bushites would loose money.
I think Harper needs to play it smart and leave Obama alone until the US elections are over.The US is going through one of those isolationist phases, and the image of Canada and Mexico in the US is full of negatives.In that environment down south, the Republicans could spin any major agreements with Canada in a negative way and cause Obama problems.If you want to win him over as an ally and friend, leave him alone until after 2012, he has bigger problems to deal with right now.
Hey Steven, pick up the phone, would prefer my tax dollars pay your long distance charges over your plane ticket, oh wait you don't fly Westjet, do you. Hope you get air miles for all that traveling you do.
Relationship building is not a competency Mr. Harper seems to possess with his "if you are not for me you are against me' approach. We are excluded in the Pacific Rim free trade negotiations for example. It is time for Canada to start repairing our reputation abroad. Let's hope Mr Harper can put ego and ideology aside and really listen to what other leaders have to say. Relationship building, after all, is a two way street.
I often wonder who the moderator is on this CTV blog. It seems that any kind of drivel qualifies to be included but sensible comments are kept to a minimum. Today we have the Stephen Harper haters out in force spewing invectives and hatred ad infinitum. It's too bad that we basically only have a choice in Canada between listening to CTV or the CBC both of whom lean left but in different degrees. CTV should heed it's own policies on their blogs, brevity,clarity, proper spelling and grammar and comments that add to the debate. Not a lot of these factors exhibited on a regular basis.
I agree with Margo, the Conservative Govt are just wasting our time and money by trying to persuade President Obama to reverse the decisions on these 2 key issues. The pipeline has became unpopular. Yeah!Instead, our govt should be focusing on job creation in different sectors, and dealing with the debt crisis, and coming up with a better energy policy , etc
Obama is not the most powerful man on earth if anything he is an arrogant, self centred, egotistical, maniac all you Harper bashers seems to me I didn't see your name on the ballet while we were voting for a new PM. Maybe its time you put your mouth to rest and get on the ballet for the next election.
World leaders would rather deal with someone like PM Harper than a two faced, person bashing (as he said about PM of Israel) president. I for one would tell obama that putting the pipeline on hold is not an option and Canada has now decided to go to countries that want our oil. It is time the USA is told put up or shutup.
PM Harper don't have the one on one with obama, in a press conference tell the world Canada has decided to talk to China about our oil.
All you Harper bashers including the media (lets see if this gets posted) you are all like the liberals bash...
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