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Three Obama administration heavy-hitters talked to reporters Tuesday about policy areas where progress might be made.

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None wanted to scoop the president by giving away the “deliverables,” but in the words of Mark Feierstein, senior director for the western hemisphere on the National Security Council, we are witnessing a “developing special relationship.”

Reading between the lines, Obama wants Trudeau to say something unequivocally positive about the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. “That will be very, very high (on the agenda) – at the top – it’s very important for President Obama,” said Feierstein. “We are respectful of the [consultation] process Canada is undergoing and we defer to (Trudeau) on what he might say during the visit.”

The Americans are also keen to gain agreement on entry/exit provisions, in the form of shared information between customs authorities about who is entering and exiting the two countries. At the moment, border officials know when people enter, but there are no formal records of their departure, mainly for privacy reasons. “We are hopeful with regard to that,” said Feierstein.

In return, Trudeau may secure concessions in negotiating a new softwood lumber deal. The American officials would not be drawn on the prospect of an agreement extension, beyond saying they welcome that the Trudeau government is open to exploring all possible options to settle the dispute.

It is all a remarkable shift from the bad blood that marked the latter Harper years

The other area where the two leaders may break into a chorus of Kumbaya is climate change. Todd Stern, the U.S. special envoy for climate change, said there are hopes the two countries can agree to cut emission on methane in the energy sector by 40 to 45 per cent from 2012 levels and embrace an initiative to stop routine flaring from oil- and gas fields. There are likely to be further initiatives on carbon emissions from the aviation sector and the phasing out of hydrocarbon industrial gases.