(CNN) President Joe Biden will make his first visit to Canada since taking office later this month for talks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and an address to the country’s legislature, the White House said Thursday.
Traditionally, a stay in the country neighboring the United States to the north is common in the first months of a presidency. But Covid-19 restrictions and the all-consuming war in Ukraine delayed Biden’s first visit to Ottawa by more than two years into his tenure.
The delay does not appear to have dampened ties with Trudeau, a liberal closely associated with Biden on many policy areas. Still, there are some disagreements over trade and immigration that will be settled during the visit, which is scheduled to take place on March 23-24.
The White House said First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will accompany her husband to Ottawa.
Biden will “reaffirm the United States’ commitment to the US-Canada partnership and advance our common security, common prosperity, and shared values,” spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre wrote in a statement.
Biden and Trudeau recently coordinated when a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew through parts of Canada and the United States. US fighter planes later shot down other unidentified objects over both countries.
Amid these incidents, Trudeau said he would speak with Biden about protecting North American airspace during his expected visit. The White House said the conversation will center on “modernizing the North American Aerospace Defense Command.”
Jean-Pierre said the two men would also discuss Ukraine. Trudeau, the longest-serving leader of the G7, was a Biden ally in providing military and financial support to the country during the Russian invasion.
Climate change, the opioid crisis and supply chain issues are also on the agenda, according to the White House.
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, only visited Canada once for a Group 7 summit, held in a forested resort town north of Quebec City. His acrimony against Trudeau was later shown when he withdrew his signature from a joint statement, calling the Canadian prime minister “very dishonest and weak”.
Biden, meanwhile, has met Trudeau several times since taking office, most recently during a North American Leaders Summit in Mexico City in January.
The two men have known each other for years. One of Biden’s last trips as vice president was to attend a state dinner held in his honor in Ottawa. During his toast, Biden recounted the call he received from Trudeau’s father, Pierre, who was then prime minister himself, when his first wife and daughter died in a car accident.