Biden to Address Canadian Parliament During Late March Visit

US President Joe Biden will address the Canadian Parliament and meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss Ukraine, Haiti, and protecting North American airspace after the incursion by an alleged Chinese spy balloon during a visit later this month.

(Bloomberg) — US President Joe Biden will address the Canadian Parliament and meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss Ukraine, Haiti, and protecting North American airspace after the incursion by an alleged Chinese spy balloon during a visit later this month.

Biden will travel to Ottawa from March 23-24, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. US presidents typically make a visit to Canada one of their first international trips, but Biden has not visited the northern neighbor yet, in part due to a scaled-back travel schedule during the pandemic.

The two leaders will “discuss defense cooperation and modernizing the North American Aerospace Defense Command, strengthening supply chain resilience, taking bold action to combat climate change and accelerate the clean energy transition, and working together on regional challenges, including instability in Haiti,” she said.

The pair also expect to discuss improving collaboration to address migration patterns in North America, as well as the synthetic opioid crisis.

Trudeau has promised to raise the issue of irregular migration with Biden during the visit, as thousands of asylum seekers each month have been using a dirt road to cross from New York into Quebec. Canada wants to renegotiate a border deal that creates a loophole for migrants if they use an irregular border crossing instead of an official port of entry.

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