(Halifax) U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan remains hopeful of avoiding an escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, despite Israeli strikes early Sunday in southern Lebanon and Lebanese Hezbollah firing into Israeli territory. Sullivan attended a working dinner as part of Justin Trudeau’s cabinet retreat that began Sunday night in Halifax, N.S.
“We continue to work to avoid this outcome, and we hope that the events of last night will not turn into an escalation leading to a regional war,” he said upon his arrival.
“It is incumbent on all parties in the region to work toward de-escalation and stability, which is why we are working feverishly in Cairo as we engage with our team, the teams of other mediators, and the Israelis to reach a ceasefire and a hostage agreement within the framework that President Biden has established,” he added.
A new round of talks was launched in the Egyptian capital on Thursday and brought together the heads of Israeli foreign and domestic intelligence, David Barnea and Ronen Bar, CIA Director William Burns, White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk, as well as the heads of Egyptian and Qatari intelligence.
Mr. Sullivan would not say whether the United States had been notified by Israel of its preemptive strike in southern Lebanon aimed at thwarting Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that Israel had not said “its last word.”
The Middle East conflict was inevitably among the topics discussed during the discussions Sunday evening. Mr. Sullivan, however, avoided commenting on Canada’s approach.
PHOTO JALAA MAREY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows an Israeli Air Force fighter jet firing flares as it flies to intercept a hostile aircraft launched from Lebanon on Sunday.
“I didn’t come here with a specific request,” he answered a reporter’s question. “I came because it’s too rare that we have the opportunity to step back from strategic conversations at critical moments, and we’re at such a critical moment.”
He spoke about tensions in the Middle East, “Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine,” and the challenges posed by China in the global economy as Canada prepares to host the G7, which brings together the world’s seven advanced economies – Germany, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union, plus Canada.
While avoiding dictating the trade policy that Canada should adopt in the face of “massive subsidies” from China for the manufacture of electric vehicles, Mr. Sullivan still hopes that the Trudeau government will impose customs tariffs in turn.
US President Joe Biden raised the tariff on these Chinese vehicles from 25% to 100% in May to counter “China’s unfair trade practices in technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation.”
“Canada will make its own decisions, but the United States believes that a united front for a coordinated approach on these issues benefits everyone,” Sullivan said, noting that the European Union had also taken action.
Climate change, energy transition and artificial intelligence were also expected to be part of the discussions on Sunday evening.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ministerial team are meeting until Tuesday to take stock of the situation ahead of the resumption of Parliament in September. Canada-U.S. relations will be a major focus of the discussions at the retreat, which comes just months before the U.S. presidential election, which will see Republican Donald Trump face off against Democrat Kamala Harris.
Former President Trump promised to impose 10% tariffs on imports. During his first term, from 2016 to 2021, he forced the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), now known as the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
Canadian Ambassador to the United States Kirsten Hillman will participate in a discussion session Tuesday with her predecessors David MacNaughton and Frank McKenna. Ambassador Hillman is part of the new Team Canada established by Prime Minister Trudeau in January to advance the country’s interests ahead of the U.S. presidential election. The team is led by Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne and International Trade Minister Mary Ng.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Canadian Ambassador to the United States Kirsten Hillman
Discussions on intergenerational equity, housing and the reality of the middle class are also scheduled to take place at the meeting. Housing Minister Sean Fraser and Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced Sunday that the federal government is adding 56 properties to a new bank of public land for the construction of affordable housing.
The cabinet retreat is taking place in one of the four Atlantic provinces, a region where the Liberals are trailing Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives. A recent poll by Narrative Research shows 43 per cent support for the Conservative Party, compared to 32 per cent for the Liberal Party and 16 per cent for the New Democratic Party in the region. Six in 10 voters are dissatisfied with the federal government.
The firm surveyed 1,450 people by telephone in the four Atlantic provinces from July 31 to Aug. 18. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.6%, 95 times out of 100.
With Agence France-Presse and The Canadian Press