Joe Biden concluded his first official visit as President of the United States to Canada this Friday afternoon. The president stayed just over 27 hours in Ottawa, where he held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, members of the government and parliamentarians. Biden noted that the United States and Canada “are two peoples who share the same heart.” Along with signing an immigration deal and a tech trade plan, the North American neighbors have displayed parallel global visions, primarily regarding the war in Ukraine and the threats of climate change.

The last US president to make an official visit to Canada was Barack Obama, in June 2016. Joe Biden traveled to the neighboring country with his wife, Jill Biden. The couple landed this Thursday afternoon – around 6 a.m. local time – at McDonald-Cartier International Airport in Ottawa, where they were received by a delegation led by Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada. Later, the couple took part in a private meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau.

This Friday, the American president and the Canadian prime minister held a meeting, in addition to working meetings with their respective teams. The two governments have reached an agreement to return immigrants who cross the border at irregular points. In return, Canada will welcome an additional 15,000 migrants each year for humanitarian reasons. Ottawa and Washington also announced an agreement to launch a cross-border corridor for semiconductor manufacturing. They also expressed concern for Haiti, a country heavily affected by gangs. Canada has announced an additional aid package of over US$72 million for Haitian police forces.

Addressing Canadian lawmakers, Trudeau said the United States and Canada are closely linked “in seeking common solutions to great challenges.” For his part, Biden said in a speech to lawmakers that “Canada can always count on the support of the United States.”

Trudeau and Biden both emphasized in their speeches support for Ukraine, criticism of Moscow, responsibilities to NATO members, and the modernization of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD for its acronym in English). They also expressed their commitment to the fight against climate change and economic development from an environmental perspective.

In a joint statement, the two leaders said China posed “a serious long-term challenge to the world order”. The US leaders’ speech in parliament was attended by Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, the two Canadians who were detained in China in retaliation for the December 2018 arrest of Meng Wanzhou, vice president of Huawei, in Vancouver. After a dinner given in their honor, Joe and Jill Biden boarded Air Force One for the weekend in Wilmington, Delaware.

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