G20 gets taste of Trudeaumania



He took the time to greet business executives who gave him a
rock-star welcome and wanted selfies with him as he made his debut on
the world stage.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's unexpected baptism of fire in international statesmanship began Saturday when he arrived at the G20 summit in Turkey, less than a day after the deadly Paris attacks.

Friday's co-ordinated strikes in the French capital, which left at least 129 dead and many more wounded, was bound to overshadow the G20's economic agenda, as well as the growth and infrastructure initiatives that Trudeau planned to emphasize in his first meetings with world leaders.

It immediately shone a spotlight on two of Trudeau's key foreign policy decisions related to the war against Islamic militants and the mass migration of innocent civilians that has spawned.

Trudeau expected to face many questions from key allies, including the Americans, over his decision to withdraw Canada's CF-18 fighter jets from the U.S.-led coalition that is bombing militants in Iraq and Syria. This decision was made long before the attacks on Paris.

And despite his promise that Canada will accept 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year, and will give $100 million to the United Nations refugee agency, there are calls from various quarters — including G20 host, Turkey — for Canada and the international community to do more on that front. It is already under discussion with Trudeau and cabinet to accept more refugees in the new year.

The newly installed Prime Minister focused on economic growth and climate change at the summit on Sunday, while reaffirming his pledge to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees  and delivering a pointed message that Canada is a country that defines itself by its shared values, not its cultural differences.   In his main remarks, Trudeau told a G20 top-tier business audience that long-term investments in infrastructure and youth are the keys to growth, not a preoccupation with short-term profits.

"Climate change is a very real challenge, and how we prepare for the increasing pressures on our ecosystems and our resources and our climate will be something that we will be judged on in coming decades and generations," Trudeau said, delivering a message global audiences have not heard from a Canadian prime minister in about a decade.

Trudeau is to meet Monday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has placed the refugee crisis on the G20 agenda because of the ongoing carnage in neighbouring Syria, which has sent more than two million asylum seekers to Turkey.

Turkey planned to push its fellow G20 members, including Canada, to offer more assistance to help it cope with the influx of refugees.
"We will talk about more burden sharing for the Syrian case," Selcuk Unal, Turkey's ambassador to Canada, said in a recent interview.
"The international and regional developments now taking place compel everybody to talk about these issues."
So far, Turkey has spent $8 billion dealing with the refugee crisis but has received $471 million in bilateral assistance, he said.
"The increase in humanitarian assistance is very important for Turkey (and) for all neighbours of Syria," Unal added, citing Jordan and Lebanon, which have also been flooded with refugees.
French President Francois Hollande cancelled his G20 travels, after declaring a state of emergency following Friday's attacks. Hollande's absence underscored the urgency compelling his G20 fellow leaders, to address the persistent terrorist threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which was born out of the ongoing Syrian carnage.

The prime minister was mobbed for selfies at the G20 business and labour panel discussion by dozens of smiling delegates shortly after his arrival. Trudeau posed for several minutes, allowing personal photos as well as group photos at the foot of the stage, prior to his speech.

Many others approached Trudeau for introductions as he held court and received

warm greetings from a variety of leaders and executives, including Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund.  He also met with President Obama and had a warm conversation with the U.S. president, Trudeau's aides said. Not a bad start after a baptism of fire.