President Biden Arrives in Ottawa on First Official Visit to Canada
Biden to Highlight US-Canada Unity on First Presidential Trip to Ottawa
President Joe Biden arrived in Ottawa this Thursday along with First Lady Jill Biden on their first official visit to Canada , during which he will meet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Canada is usually one of the first trips abroad for a new president, but Biden's visit has been delayed, partly due to Covid. Biden will be in Ottawa until Friday.
The Bidens were received at the Ottawa airport at the foot of the Air Force One steps by a delegation led by the country's Governor General, Mary Simon, who is Canada's head of state on behalf of King Charles III from England.
Following the reception at the airport, the President and First Lady are scheduled to meet Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire, at the Prime Minister's official residence before taking part in an official dinner.
On Friday, Biden and Trudeau will hold a bilateral meeting in which the two leaders will discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Haiti crisis, and the flow of migrants between Canada and the United States.
In this In this sense, the White House spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, refused to confirm reports that appeared Thursday according to which Ottawa and Washington have reached an agreement to close the door on irregular arrivals in Canada of migrants from the United States.
Jean-Pierre told a news conference aboard Air Force One on the route to Ottawa that Biden and Trudeau will offer details on a potential immigration deal on Friday that would also include Ottawa's commitment to admit more immigrants through official channels.
Trudeau told reporters Wednesday that the two will discuss many issues. “Of course, we will talk about China, but the focus of our talks will be jobs and growth, critical minerals and fighting climate change, and continuing to build a continent-wide economy that works for all of our citizens,” he said.
Biden's visit to Canada is considered by analysts as a normalization of bilateral relations, after the turbulent years of the presidency of Donald Trump, who never officially visited the country.
Biden will spend a night in Ottawa, which is Unusual for this type of visit, and the Canadian government has decided that the Democrat will deliver a speech in Parliament on Friday, an honor that is not granted to all US presidents.
Biden visited Canada for the last time in December 2016,when he was vice president of the Obama administration.