U.S. President Joe Biden will be making his first presidential visit to Canada this March, which has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic since he was first elected in 2020.
The announcement of Biden’s visit comes shortly after Trudeau and the U.S. president held a bilateral meeting on Jan. 10 during the ongoing “Three Amigos” summit in Mexico City.
U.S. presidents typically make a visit to Canada shortly after being inaugurated, but MPs in the House of Commons voted unanimously in November 2020 to call upon the government to postpone Biden’s visit until after the pandemic had subsided.
Included in the motion was also a request that the government invites Biden to visit and address Parliament.
An itinerary detailing Biden’s upcoming trip to Canada is yet to be released, along with the exact dates and locations he will visit.
Summit Meeting
A White House readout of Biden and Trudeau’s Jan. 10 meeting in Mexico City said the leaders discussed joint economic efforts and “climate commitments,” along with strengthening cooperation on national defence and security.Biden and Trudeau also discussed critical mineral supply chains, electric vehicles, and semiconductors, and touched upon their military involvement in NATO.
“[Biden and Trudeau] discussed defense and security cooperation to meet 21st century challenges, promote collective security and prosperity, and uphold a rules-based international system,” it said.
The readout added that the pair discussed the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), but did not provide details beyond the leaders’ mutual acknowledgment of its “importance” and “continued defense.”
