A delegate wearing an American flag themed hat checks a mobile device during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.Bloomberg
By Chris Hannay (@channay)
PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION
Today is inauguration day, the time every four or eight years where the U.S. showcases its democracy through the peaceful transition of power.
At noon, Donald John Trump, the real estate mogul, reality TV star and unlikely politician, will put his hand on two bibles (one from his mother, one from Abraham Lincoln) and take the oath of office.
Then, after a parade in the afternoon, he will assume occupancy of the White House.
Here's our guide to how the day will unfold.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be watching from Ottawa, but he's sent a squad of cabinet ministers to observe from Washington: Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, and Andrew Leslie, the parliamentary secretary to Ms. Freeland, with a special focus on Canada-U.S. relations.
Mr. Trump's cabinet, however, will take longer to come together, with Senate Democrats holding up most nominees. Steven Mnuchin, the president-elect's pick for treasury secretary, said at his confirmation hearing yesterday that Canada doesn't have to fear an across-the-board border tax.
THE VIEW FROM WASHINGTON
By Laura Stone (@l_stone)
They came to Washington, D.C., from Ohio, Tennessee, Queens, Texas, and only about an hour away in Maryland.
They wanted to celebrate president-elect Donald Trump for a variety of reasons -- his immigration policy, his support for Israel, his promise to bring back jobs, his lack of political connections and mostly, his pledge to Make America Great Again: the trademark term emblazoned on screens and red hats all across town.
But where does that leave Canada?
Mr. Trump's promise to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement has made many in this country nervous -- including cabinet ministers in the Trudeau government, who arrive for an inauguration party at the Canadian embassy on Friday.
But Mr. Trump's supporters say there is nothing to fear.
"I'm fine with Canada," said Wendy Boles, who travelled from Knoxville, Tenn., to watch Mr. Trump's inauguration concert at the Lincoln Memorial.
"I think they're just an extension of the United States," she added.
She said Mr. Trump's decision to secure American borders from illegal immigrants is different than welcoming visitors through exchange programs and visa programs.
"You're here," she said, addressing a Canadian reporter. "We don't care."
Claire Kwiatkowski, who came from nearby Westminster, Md., said she thinks a renegotiation could benefit Canadians too.
"We've always had such a good relationship with Canada and there's always been free trade back and forth between the two. I don't think that's a threat. I think more of it is going to Asia and China," she said.
"I think it's going to be a good thing. I'm hopeful."
Chuck Lawson, a Trump supporter who travelled from Ohio with his wife Cyndi, said he trusted Mr. Trump to do what's best for the country when it comes to NAFTA.
"I see Trump as a businessman and he would know more about it than I'm guessing previous presidents," he said.
"I think it's probably different, and better."
At his inauguration concert, which featured multiple performances from a percussionist named RaviDrums, and songs such as Made in America from country music star Toby Keith, Mr. Trump briefly addressed the audience.
"We're going to turn it around," the president-elect told the well-behaved crowd of thousands along the Capitol Reflecting Pool.
"We're not going to let other countries take our jobs any longer."
It was among the loudest applause of the night.
MEANWHILE, IN CANADA
> The RCMP has investigated other shipbuilding leaks.
> The wife of long-time Ottawa-Vanier MP Mauril Belanger has endorsed a Liberal running in the crowded nomination field to replace him.
> The Liberals say they've paid off all their election debt.
> And a Canadian scientist who named a moth after Donald Trump is exasperated from all the attention.
WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT:
THE NEW PRESIDENT
Campbell Clark (Globe and Mail): "For 70 years, the United States has been the architect of a system of rules for global commerce. On Friday, with Donald Trump's inauguration, it becomes the Middle Kingdom of trade: a country that sees itself as the most important market in the world, able to demand that others bow and give ground to do business there."
Adam Radwanski (Globe and Mail): "The Prime Minister's aim, one of his advisers said on Thursday, is for Canada to lead by example on matters such as diplomacy and human rights without ramming its views down its neighbour's throat. But even that has its limits."
Sarah Kendzior (Globe and Mail): "I knew Donald Trump would betray his country, and betray the citizens who voted from him, which includes most of the voters in my state. He would betray America by doing what he has always done: abandoning principle for the pursuit of profit."
Thomas Walkom (Toronto Star): "Few Americans talk of invading Canada any more. But there is still potential for a new president to cause damage. Will volatile, thin-skinned Trump drag Canada and the world into unnecessary conflicts? Perhaps. But if so, that too is not new."
Neil Macdonald (CBC): "As of today, the real-life Archie Bunker is president, the most powerful man in the world, immune to shaming or schooling. He actually feeds on it."
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