KEYSTONE NOT PUSHED IN TRUDEAU, BIDEN PHONE CALL

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone Friday, Biden's first foreign call since his inauguration on Wednesday. The 30-minute conversation was warm, friendly and collegial, a senior government official told the CBC. “Many of the priorities are aligned. He's got a good rapport with us and wants to work with us, as we do with him,” the official told CBC. The two leaders spoke about the COVID-19 crisis, the economy, climate change, cyber security and foreign relations. Biden's swift decision to cancel the Keystone pipeline on his first day in office was also raised. Trudeau told him he was disappointed but did not raise Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's call for retaliatory sanctions against the U.S., the official said. Biden told Trudeau he was aware of the importance of cross-border trade and the potential impact of his `Buy America' pledge and said he would work with Canada on the issue. There was no word about Kenney's other request: that Trudeau push for a meeting with Biden to make the case for Keystone.