Joe Biden’s Canada visit set for March 23 to 24

US President Joe Biden will be on an official visit to Canada from March 23 to 24, and his visit to the country’s capital will include a speech to the parliament.

Details of the upcoming visit, Biden’s first to Canada since becoming president in January 2021, were confirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the White House on Thursday.

“President Biden will reaffirm the United States’ commitment to the US-Canada partnership and advance our shared security, shared prosperity and shared values,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

Among the urgent cross-border issues that should be on the agenda: NORAD’s role in the defense of North America, including the Arctic, in light of the recent destruction of unidentified aerial objects, and the modernization of the Safe Third Country Agreement amid tensions over irregular crossings.

Other topics that both sides say will be discussed. the continued support of allies to Ukraine and the desire to hold Russia accountable, the Canada United States Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), mineral supply chains, climate change suggesting the need to shift to clean energy. , the ongoing instability and opioid crisis in Haiti

“Canada and the United States are allies, neighbors and most importantly, friends. As we face growing global uncertainty, we will continue to work together as we protect our continent and our shared values, create more opportunities for people and businesses on both sides of the border, and build strong economies as reliable suppliers as we move toward network. zero world,” Trudeau said in a statement.

“I look forward to welcoming President Biden to Canada.”

According to Jean-Pierre, Biden will use his speech in parliament to “underline the importance of the US-Canada bilateral relationship.”

Trudeau and Biden have met several times in recent years at various international summits, including most recently at the North American Leaders Summit in Mexico City, where plans for the visit were first confirmed.

During this visit to Canada, Biden will be joined by the first lady of the United States, Jill Biden, who can hold events on her own.

According to a PMO statement, the visit will allow the two leaders to “continue to work closely together to strengthen trade ties, create good jobs, grow the middle class and deliver economic growth that benefits everyone on both sides of the border.”

Although Biden’s visit has been delayed in part due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the trip marks a return to the usual practice of US presidents-elect visiting the North early in their terms.

Former US President Donald Trump did not make an official visit to Canada during his stay in the White House, but he did come. short but memorable The G7 summit in Charlevoix, Que. in 2018.

Biden was last in Ottawa on official business when he was the guest of honor at a state dinner in December 2016, weeks before Trump took office, where he shouted, “Enjoy Canada.”

Back in 2020, after their elections, MPs unanimously agreed to invite Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to visit Canada as soon as the COVID-19 epidemic in both countries is under control.

At that time, the deputies invited Biden to address the parliament. The last US president to address Canadian parliamentarians was Barack Obama in June 2016.

With files from CTV News Ottawa Bureau Chief Joyce Napier