President Joe Biden to visit Canada in March

U.S. President Joe Biden will make his first official visit to Canada in March, the White House has confirmed.

The announcement comes after Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sat down this morning for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 'Three Amigos' summit in Mexico City.

Canada is normally one of the first foreign trips for a new president but Biden’s visit has been delayed, in part due to COVID-19.

Despite the delay, Bruce Heyman, former U.S. ambassador to Canada, believes the relationship between the longstanding allies has recovered since the days of President Donald Trump.

“We went through the dark period of the Trump years in which Donald Trump personally threw insults and accusations directly at the Canadian people,” said Heyman on The Sam Laprade Show. “But here we are today with, at least, a refreshing dialogue.”

The White House says Biden and Trudeau talked about a range of issues, from trade and the security situation in Haiti to critical mineral supply chains and green energy.

They also discussed the trusted-traveller program known as Nexus, which has been partially shut down since the start of the pandemic due to a dispute with U.S. Customs and Border Protection over the legal protections they have at centres in Canada.

The exact dates and locations for the presidential visit have not yet been announced.

Listen to the full interview with Bruce Heyman on The Sam Laprade Show below. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2023.

With files from CityNews Ottawa.