US President Joe Biden will pay an official visit to Canada on March 23-24 to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and his trip to the nation’s capital will include a speech before Parliament.
Details of the upcoming trip, Biden’s first to Canada since he became president in January 2021, were confirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the White House on Thursday.
“President Biden will reaffirm America’s commitment to the US-Canada partnership and advance our shared security, shared prosperity, and shared values,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Among the pressing cross-border issues that will be on the agenda: Norad’s role in defending North America, including the Arctic, in light of the recent downing of unidentified aerial objects, including a Chinese spy balloon that traversed Canadian airspace and the United States, and the modernization of the Safe Third Country Agreement amid tensions over irregular crossings.
Other issues both sides say will come up: continued allied support for Ukraine and desire to hold Russia to account, Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), critical mineral supply chains, climate change that drives the need to pivot towards clean energy. , the current instability in Haiti and the opioid crisis
“Canada and the United States are allies, neighbors, and most importantly, friends. As we face increasing global uncertainty, we will continue to work together as we defend our continent and our shared values, create more opportunities for people and businesses on both sides of the border, and build strong economies as trusted providers as we move toward a network . world zero,” Trudeau said in a statement.
“I look forward to welcoming President Biden to Canada.”
According to Jean-Pierre, Biden will use his speech before Parliament to “highlight the importance of the bilateral relationship between the United States and Canada.”
Trudeau and Biden have met several times in recent years on the sidelines of various international summits, including recently at the North American Leaders Summit in Mexico City, where plans for a visit were first confirmed.
On this visit to Canada, Biden will join US First Lady Jill Biden, who is able to host her own events, though a detailed itinerary for the two-day trip has yet to be provided.
According to a statement from the PMO, the visit will allow the two leaders to “continue to work closely together to strengthen business ties, create good jobs, grow the middle class, and drive economic growth that benefits everyone on both sides of the border.” “.
While Biden’s visit has been delayed in part by COVID-19 travel restrictions, the trip marks a return to standard practice for newly elected US presidents to visit the North early in their terms.
Former US President Donald Trump did not pay an official visit to Canada during his time in the White House, however he did come for a brief but memorable G7 Summit in Charlevoix, Quebec. in 2018.
Biden was last in Ottawa on official business when he was the guest of honor at a state dinner in December 2016, just weeks before Trump took office, where he exclaimed, “Vive le Canada.”
In 2020, immediately after his election, MPs unanimously agreed to invite Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to visit Canada as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic was under control in both countries.
At that time, MPs invited Biden to address Parliament. The last president of the United States to address Canadian parliamentarians was Barack Obama in June 2016.
With files from CTV News Ottawa Bureau Chief Joyce Napier