Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau were locked in private bilateral talks early Friday afternoon, hours before a news conference that promises to be news-packed.
• Also read: Biden’s visit to Ottawa: $100 million more to stabilize Haiti
• Also read: [EN IMAGES] Joe Biden arrived in Canada for his first official visit
After an initial tete-a-tete in the prime minister’s office, a bilateral meeting is scheduled to take place with a number of Canadian ministers, including Mélanie Joly, foreign minister, and Anita Anand, defense minister.
At around 11:40 a.m., the American President entered Parliament for the traditional signing of the books of honour.
Opposition leaders in the House and Senate donned their 31 to shake hands and exchange a few words with the world’s most powerful man in a room decorated with American and Canadian flags.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh liked the small exchange.
“I told him I appreciated the fact that he was taking action to help the unions and the workers,” he confided to the QMI agency. He said yes, we need to help the working class and the average, not the ultra-rich.”
Mr Biden left the room with a “Peace for Chocolate” candy bar made by Syrian refugees resettled in Halifax and donated by Green Party leader Elizabeth May.
Arriving in Ottawa late Thursday afternoon, Mr Biden spent part of the evening at Rideau Cottage with his counterpart and Governor General Mary Simon.
Parliament Hill has been transformed into an ultra safe zone in the last 36 hours. Fences and barricades characterize the heart of the federal capital.
On the occasion of his first official visit since taking office, Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver a speech in the House of Commons in the late afternoon, a few hours before a reception at the Ottawa Aviation Museum, in which he must attend. the two Michaels,” Canadian diplomats jailed in China in 2019 and released in 2021.
After the bilateral meetings, the President must make an official address to the House of Commons, followed by a joint press conference.
The meetings should allow a significant number of dossiers of common interest to be advanced.
Among other things, we expect the unveiling of a new version of the Safe Third Countries Agreement, announcements on green energy trade, and a $100 million investment to strengthen law enforcement and stabilize Haiti.
Joe Biden will return to Washington Friday night. He came to Ottawa in 2016 as Vice President of Barack Obama.
More details to come…