OTTAWA – On Thursday morning, their faces basking in the bright blue lights of the Hilton International Ballroom in Washington D.C., House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus, Green Party leader Elizabeth May, three Alberta ministers and a handful of other Canadian envoys will bow their heads in prayer.
They represent the small delegation of Canadians attending the annual National Prayer Breakfast, a decades-old bipartisan event that attracts up to 4,000 people, many of whom are influential Republican power brokers.
Among them will be President Donald Trump, who just days ago temporarily suspended his threat to implement 25-per-cent tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican imported goods, originally set to kick in on Feb. 1.
That will be top of mind as the mixed federal and Albertan delegation enter the room Thursday hoping — and praying — to remind the Trump administration that Canada is an ally and should be treated as such.
It’s not unusual for Canadian officials to attend the annual American prayer breakfast. But the return of a Republican U.S. administration brings new importance to the event and the idea that in unusual times, diplomacy can be conducted in unusual places.
May, a practicing Anglican who has been to the breakfast many times already, says she’s setting aside her usual climate-centric messaging in favour of an “elevator pitch” promoting the Canada-U.S. relationship that she can use on any and all political influencers she encounters.
The pitch is simple: “We’re not going to back down. We don’t want to be in a trade war with our single largest trading partner. It is not going to be good for either country” and “thank you for the 30-day pause on tariffs.”
“I’m just trying to be a good team player and use the opportunity I have to see as many congressmen, senators and their staffs as I possibly can. If I see Donald Trump and have a chance to speak with him, I will speak with him,” she added.
In an interview, Canadian Senator Peter Boehm said the prayer breakfast is a unique opportunity for politicians here to bond with their American counterparts.
“It is an opportunity, not necessarily to go in there with talking points, but to say, ‘Hey, remember me?’ or ‘How are you doing? We’re going through an interesting period right now’,” said the retired top Global Affairs Canada diplomat and G7 sherpa.
Elsewhere in the room will be Greg Fergus, likely marking the first time a Canadian Speaker of the House has attended the prayer event.
Fergus declined an interview, but his office said in a statement that the Speaker would attend the breakfast and also meet in Washington with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“As a person of faith, I value the opportunity to also attend the U.S. National Prayer Breakfast and join with other national and international leaders in a moment of spiritual reflection and community,” Fergus said in a statement.
Also in the room will be three Alberta ministers, the province’s Affordability and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange and Mental Health and Addiction Minister Dan Williams.
In response to questions about the value for the taxpayer expense, Neudorf told reporters Tuesday that its part of the province’s ongoing efforts to repair its relationship with the U.S.
Another goal is to ensure American legislators are “well-informed” about the country’s relationship with Canada.
“The National Prayer Breakfast is an opportunity for Alberta’s delegation to meet with U.S. leaders to strengthen cultural ties between our two countries and underscore the importance of Alberta’s energy sector in the pursuit of North American energy dominance,” Dan Williams’ press secretary Hunter Baril added in a statement.
Much of the delegation is typically composed of Conservative MPs. This time last year, New Brunswick MP Richard Bragdon wrote on social media that he attended the breakfast and also met with over 15 members of Congress and Senate around the event to discuss the Canada-U.S. relationship.
But this year, no Conservative MPs will attend, which Boehm called a “rather unfortunate” decision.
May said she was surprised more MPs of all parties weren’t attending, particularly the Conservatives.
She also said she hoped for a significant portion of prayer at this year’s breakfast because her Anglican faith is an important part of her life.
It’s also what fuels her belief that anyone can change, including Donald Trump.
— With additional reporting from Matthew Black.
National Post
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