CMEDIA: U.S. President Joe Biden arrived Thursday in Ottawa for his first official visit to Canada since winning the presidency more than two years ago.
Biden’s two-day visit began with a meeting with the King’s representative in Canada, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, who greeted the president as he stepped off his Air Force One jet.
Biden and Simon talked about the devastation caused by recent forest fires in the American West.
Simon told Biden how climate change has scarred her home region, the Arctic.
A statement from Simon’s office said the two also discussed reconciliation, the war in Ukraine and the ongoing crisis in Haiti.
“Canada’s true history is interwoven with that of our closest neighbour — as partners and allies in the face of a world filled with challenges, complexities and pressing global concerns,” Simon said in her statement. “What endures is a relationship of trust, support and resilience.”
After his time with Simon and Fraser, Biden and his wife, Jill, travelled to Rideau Cottage, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s residence, for what the White House is calling an “intimate gathering” away from cameras and officials.
Other events planned for the trip include Biden’s address to Parliament on Friday and a series of meetings with Trudeau and other high-level Canadian officials.
The two leaders discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine, the deteriorating situation in Haiti, the state of Canada’s military at a time of rising global threats, the Safe Third Country Agreement and the influx of refugees at Quebec’s Roxham Road crossing.
It was reported Thursday by the media that the Trudeau government has reached a long-discussed deal with the United States on irregular migration which will allow Ottawa to close the Roxham Road irregular crossing at the Canada-U.S. border.
A series of commitments on semiconductor production and critical minerals, part of a coordinated attempt to challenge China’s hegemony in these areas have also been signed by Canada and the U.S.
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