FLASHBACK: Biden tells Trudeau climate change is ‘the most consequential issue of our generation’

Then-Vice President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Trudeau during a 2016 visit that climate change remained "the most consequential issue of our generation," also calling for Trudeau to be a leader on international issues.

"Vive le Canada, because we need you very, very badly," said Biden.

The Keystone XL pipeline, which was supposed to deliver 830,000 barrels of oil from the Alberta oil sands to Nebraska, was originally proposed in 2008, faced fierce opposition from President Barack Obama's administration due to concerns around climate, and allegations that most of the benefit would go Canada's way, rather than to the United States. Environmentalist groups had also placed high degrees of pressure on the Obama administration to ensure the project does not go through.

Over 200 kilometers of pipeline have already been constructed on the project, despite political and legal challenges.

TC Energy, the company responsible for building the pipeline, has attempted to appease the incoming Biden administration by proposing a plan for the pipeline to meet net-zero emissions by 2023.