President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are scheduled to hold a joint press conference in Ottawa on Friday to mark Mr. Biden’s first visit to the country as president.
Trudeau welcomed Mr. Biden outside Canada’s parliament in the capital, where the two leaders are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting before Mr. Biden addresses Canadian lawmakers. After their press conference, Trudeau will host the president and first lady for a gala dinner.
In his remarks to the Canadian Parliament, “the president will underscore how the partnership between the United States and Canada benefits not only our two countries but the entire world, and that by working together, we can tackle some of the biggest challenges we face,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said earlier. from this week.
Canada is one of the closest allies of the United States, and the shared border makes it an important economic and trade partner. The two leaders are expected She announces a deal on immigration It would allow both countries to remove detained immigrants between official entry points along the US-Canada border, a change Canada has long sought.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
The 2004 agreement allowed US and Canadian border officials to send some asylum seekers across the border on the grounds that both countries are safe countries where migrants can seek humanitarian asylum. But the agreement only applies to official border crossings, which means that US and Canadian authorities have been unable to turn away asylum seekers who cross into each country illegally. Canada is dealing with an influx of tens of thousands of asylum seekers who have crossed into the country from the United States between official checkpoints.
National security issues are also likely to be the focus of the president’s visit. Canada, a NATO ally, has joined the United States and European allies in supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, welcoming Ukrainian refugees, providing humanitarian and military aid and issuing sanctions targeting the Kremlin.
Kirby said the two men “will talk about our democracy moving forward to meet the challenges of our time,” including “taking concrete steps to increase defense spending, driving a global race to the top in clean energy and building prosperous and inclusive economies.”
Intrusions into US and Canadian airspace are also likely to be a topic of discussion. Trudeau announced last month It was ordered removed Unknown object Canadian airspace was violated, and an American fighter jet eventually succeeded in shooting down the object. The move came after the United States shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon after it passed over the country.
The visit is a quick trip for the president, who arrived in Ottawa on Thursday night and visited the Trudeau family at their official residence. Mr. Biden leaves later Friday night for the weekend in Delaware.
How to watch the Biden-Trudeau press conference
- What: President Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hold a press conference in Ottawa, Canada
- date: March 24, 2023
- time: 3:45 p.m. ET
- location: Ottawa
- online stream: Live on CBS News in the player above and on your mobile phone or streaming device.
Camilo Montoya-Galvez contributed reporting.
Catherine Watson
[ad_2]
