'Our Prime Minister Doesn't Like Barack Obama': Canada-US Relations Go Under the Microscope

In one of the liveliest exchanges of the last English-language debate in the Canadian federal election, both opposition leaders blasted Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his handling of Canada's relationship with the US.

The Monday night Munk debate on foreign policy, which touched on issues like the Syrian refugee crisis, Canada's involvement in the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants and a controversial anti-terror law, was, at times, heated and emotional.

A question on what Harper's failure to convince Obama to build the Keystone XL Pipeline meant for the future of US-Canada relations prompted fiery responses from all three party leaders.

Harper said Obama would make the decision based on his own assessment of America's interests, and attempted to shift the discussion to the other ways the Canadian government was working with the US. He brought up the fight against IS, the Ebola crisis, and the development of joint regulations in response to climate change, as examples.

But NDP leader Thomas Mulcair and Liberal party leader Justin Trudeau seized the opportunity to criticize Harper's approach.

Mulcair recalled Harper telling a reporter in 2011 that the pipeline should be "no-brainer" and in 2013 that he wouldn't "take no for an answer."

"Well, guess what? The answer was no, and you weren't able to do anything about it," said Mulcair, to laughs from the audience.

"It's an old saying, Mr. Harper, that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, and I think you were pouring vinegar by the gallon on the Americans, and it's not a surprise that they were saying no," said Mulcair.

Harper stood firm, saying he believed the pipeline would be adopted eventually.

"When the logic of something is overwhelming, its adoption is inevitable, so we'll continue to make the case," he said. "We far more often than not agree with our American friends, but when we do not, we have to stand up for our interests, and we have to be very aggressive and vocal in pushing for Canada's best interests."

Trudeau, meanwhile, railed against Harper for "criticizing and haranguing" Obama on Keystone.

"Canadians are sitting around worried about their jobs because we have a prime minister who doesn't like Barack Obama," said Trudeau.

Harper, in turn, claimed to have a "great relationship" with the US administration and with Obama — prompting another bout of laughter from listeners.

He called the notion of bad blood between the two leaders "just an invention", adding that what would be truly damaging to Canada's relationship with the US would be to pull out of the joint military mission against IS because it was built on the policies of former President George W. Bush.

Related: Canada's Prime Minister Reminds Hillary Clinton That Americans Support Keystone

"Seriously, if you want to poison the relationship, that would be the way to do it," Harper said.

Donald E. Abelson, director of The Canada-US Institute at Ontario's Western University, says it's important to remember that "most of what takes place between the two countries takes place at other levels of government," far beneath the executive branch.

He also points out that what happens with the Keystone pipeline will depend greatly on who takes over the American presidency next year.

"Things could move forward or slow to a halt. There are a lot of factors involved," he says. "At the end of the day, Mulcair or Trudeau could conceivably act the same way. At this point in an election, it's all about posturing and finding Harper's Achilles' heel."

Abelson also believes the perception that the relationship between Harper and Obama has deteriorated is "overblown."

"I think the two leaders have a mutual respect for each other," he says. "It's understandable why, during an election, Trudeau and Mulcair would criticize Harper — I mean, they're not going to praise him."

Follow Tamara Khandaker on Twitter: @anima_tk