Canada has finally elected a new prime minister after three long months.

The country had been run by arguably one of the most conservative leaders in the nation’s history, Stephen Harper, until last week. During his time in office, Harper and President Barack Obama had many political differences, which created some tension between the United States and Canada.

The new prime minister is Justin Trudeau, who is the opposite of Harper in many ways. The two differ in opinions on climate change, immigration and whether relations with the U.S. should hinge on the future of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, according to the Associated Press.

Trudeau’s promise to alleviate tensions between the U.S. and Canada is a step in the right direction. However, they could be short-lived if the U.S. doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain.

With the U.S. on the cusp of the next presidential election, disputes could flare up again. But regardless of if the 2016 election shifts the White House on the political spectrum, the new commander in chief should do their part to preserve positive relations with our neighbors to the north.

If the next elected president is Republican, there is potential for a poor relationship to emerge between the U.S. and Trudeau’s liberal policies. Because this dynamic would leave the countries right where they started, the next U.S. leader must learn from the mistakes of Harper and Obama’s relationship. They must work to maintain a positive, collaborative relationship between the two countries absent of polarization despite differing views.

With a new leader for both countries and new ideas, old policies will resurface for further debate and discussion.

The Keystone XL pipeline is one of these issues. Under Harper, arrogance was a major reason why the pipeline failed to gain the support of the Obama administration. Harper called the pipeline a “no-brainer” in 2011 and cited the “peculiar politics” of the U.S. as a reason for the failure of the project.

This can be reversed under Trudeau when it comes to shared legislation between the two countries. According to Fortune magazine, Trudeau has argued that the main problem with the policy was not the pipeline itself, but was rooted in the way in which the former Canadian prime minister approached the matter.

The two nations also have common, ecosystems which, in order to be preserved, need to be equally protected by both countries. The current U.S. administration felt that by Canada supporting the pipeline, it was largely neglecting its responsibility to keep the shared environment clean.

In order to rectify the ill feelings this has spurred, Trudeau has said while he and his party still support the pipeline, they do not share Harper’s belief that they have to choose between the economy and the environment.

If the leaders of these two countries are not on collaborative terms, the overall relationship between the countries will suffer as well. They do not by any means need to be united on every front, but a productive relationship still needs to exist for the common good, and will ultimately strengthen both countries.

Victoria Razzi is a sophomore advertising major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at vcrazzi@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @vrazzi.

Published on October 25, 2015 at 11:26 pm