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Among those who eagerly made the trip to Washington for Donald Trump’s inauguration Friday is Jim Carr, Canada’s Natural Resources Minister, who is responsible for some of the hottest files between Canada and the United States.

With the priorities of the energy infrastructure-linked neighbours heading in opposite directions, Carr is stepping up efforts to build relationships and find “points of intersection.”

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“The U.S. receives 98 to 99 per cent of Canada’s exports of oil and gas,” Carr said. “We have very deep relationships which we shared for a very long time. And I am sure it’s in the interest of both countries to make sure that … those (links) continue to be in the interest of both countries, and I am confident we will find ways to ensure that those points of intersection and of convergence are well understood.”

In an interview late Thursday before heading for the U.S. capital, Carr said he would watch inauguration events from the Canadian embassy on Pennsylvania Avenue, one of the most in-demand venues among Washington’s political elites.