Long list of topics
US President Biden visits Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau
Joe Biden (right), President of the United States, and First Lady Jill Biden (second from left) are greeted by Justin Trudeau (second from right), Prime Minister of Canada, and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa.
© Credit: Andrew Harnik/AP
Ottawa. US President Joe Biden arrived in Ottawa on Thursday for talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The list of topics is long: Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, climate change, trade, migration and how to deal with an increasingly self-confident China.
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Learn more after the announcement
Two deals would have seemed within reach before Biden left Washington. Canada wants to accelerate the schedule of multi-billion dollar military upgrades from the jointly run North American Air Defense Command (Norad), officials from both countries have said. There was also agreement on changes to the asylum policy.
This latest agreement will close a loophole in existing rules that has allowed thousands of migrants to enter Canada each year from the United States through an unofficial border crossing. They could then stay there and apply for asylum instead of having to wait for the procedure in the United States.
Learn more after the announcement
Learn more after the announcement
National security and defense talks on Friday
The new agreement should allow both countries to reject asylum seekers at their respective borders. At the same time, the Canadian government is expected to announce that 15,000 migrants from certain countries will be granted entry permits. Trudeau and Biden did not respond to reporters’ questions about the deal when the US president and first lady Jill Biden arrived for a private meeting at the Canadian prime minister’s residence on Thursday.
National security and defense issues are also likely to be high on their agenda after a suspected spy balloon from China flew through the airspace over North America in February and was eventually shot down. Consequently, Canada wishes to modernize its Norad radar systems.
RND/PA
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