Obama passes progressive torch to Trudeau in speech to Parliament

Full speech: President Obama addresses Parliament

U.S. President Barack Obama handed the torch of progressive politics to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today in a warm, rousing speech to Parliament, where he also bluntly urged Canada to spend more on defence to meet international obligations.

He praised the extraordinary alliance and deep friendship between Canada and the United States, but reserved heartfelt mention for Trudeau, who he said has brought "new energy and hope" to the cross-border relationship. 

"My time in office may be nearing an end, but I know that Canada and the world will benefit from your leadership in the years to come."

But he also included pointed comments on a perennial sore spot, one that has taken fresh urgency in the face of a resurgent Russia and rising Islamic extremism.

"As your NATO ally and your friend, let me say, we'll be more secure when every NATO member, including Canada, contributes its full share to our common security," Obama said to sustained applause from both Liberals and Conservative MPs and senators, who returned from summer break for the historic event.

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"Because the Canadian Armed Forces are really good. And if I can borrow a phrase, the world needs more Canada. NATO needs more Canada. We need you."

Obama was greeted at the beginning of his address in the House of Commons with a thunderous ovation.

"It tempts me to shut up and leave. It can't get any better than this," he said, as usual decorum was abandoned and MPs snapped photos with their phones.

But the American leader, noted for his eloquence, did not disappoint.

Obama warned the two nations are facing an "increasingly strained" international order, instability that is being driven by inequality and globalization.

The results are almost to be expected, he said.

"People will push back out of anger; out of fear."

But Obama said the values of market-based liberal economies are stronger than one event, such as the exit of Britain from the European Union.

Provinces in the House

The speech was watched closely by Canada's resident political and even entertainment establishment.

MPs, senators and even singer Nelly Furtado were among the invited guests.

Premiers from Alberta, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories were there.

That's not surprising, since those provinces and the territory are likely among the most affected by Obama's signature environmental initiative.

There were light-hearted moments.

"This House gets to see a bromance up close," Prime Minister JustinTrudeau said while introducing Obama.

Earlier, the president gave a discreet thumbs-up to reporters at the closing news conference when Trudeau ribbed him about the president's repeated references to his impending "retirement" from public office.

Earlier, as photographers snapped the family photo-op outside the National Gallery, the trio, including Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, turned an awkward three-way handshake into a light and breezy moment.

Many — especially small crowds gathered on the security-screened lawn of Parliament Hill and in front of large screens set up for Canada Day — watched for more signs of that "bromance" between Obama and Trudeau.

The personal view some spectators had eargerly expected was partially obstructed by a stage that had already been erected for the July 1 holiday celebrations.

Obama's motorcade also ducked behind Parliament's East Block building.

Rich tradition

Friendships between leaders may come and go, but speeches to Parliament by American leaders have, over the decades, developed their own groove.

They hit all of the important symbolic points in the relationship between the two countries and may never have been as elegantly expressed as they were in John F. Kennedy's May 17, 1961, address.

"Geography has made us neighbours. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man tear asunder."

It was a theme that Justin Trudeau's father picked up 20 years later when he introduced the newly elected Ronald Reagan to the House of Commons.

"Our being neighbours is not simply a matter of geography, it is a state of mind," said Pierre Trudeau on March 11, 1981.