us presidential visits to canada

Main Container

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau

Search form Mobile

• President of the United States Joe Biden to visit Canada

Subscribe to email updates

Search form

Main content.

This website is not compatible with Internet Explorer or older version of Microsoft Edge(version 78 and older).

For full functionality please use a supported browser .

• news releases

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that the President of the United States, Joe Biden, will visit Canada on March 23 to 24, 2023 to continue working closely together to strengthen trade ties, create good jobs, grow the middle class, and drive economic growth that benefits everyone on both sides of the border. They will also continue to increase collaboration on defence and security, climate action, and immigration.

With the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement as the foundation, Prime Minister Trudeau and President Biden will underscore the importance of our mutually beneficial economic relationship to bolster competitiveness and build resilient supply chains, including on critical minerals – the building blocks for the clean economy. They will also discuss the progress made under the February 2021 Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership to advance bilateral cooperation on shared priorities including taking ambitious climate action and advancing countries where no one is left behind.

Keeping North Americans safe from new and emerging threats requires a coordinated response. During the visit, the Prime Minister and the President will highlight ongoing cooperation on continental defence, including NORAD’s key role in defending North America. They will also advance cooperation in the Arctic.

Prime Minister Trudeau and President Biden will also continue to cooperate on global issues of mutual interest including continuing their unwavering support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s war of aggression and advancing solutions to the broader global impacts of the war like food and energy security. They will also continue to support the people of Haiti and Haitian-led efforts to address the ongoing crisis. The leaders will further commit to advancing our countries’ shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific region, including national security, economic prosperity, respect for international law and human rights, democratic values, public health, and protecting our environment.

Canada and the United States are steadfast partners in upholding democracy, human rights, and respect for the rule of law, and we will always work together to defend these shared values in our countries and beyond.

“Canada and the United States are allies, neighbours, and most importantly, friends. As we face increasing global uncertainty, we will continue working together as we defend our continent and our shared values, create more opportunities for people and businesses on both sides of the border, and build strong economies as reliable suppliers as we move toward a net-zero world. I look forward to welcoming President Biden to Canada.” The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Quick Facts

• This will be President Biden’s first in-person visit since becoming president.
• Prime Minister Trudeau and President Biden have met on numerous occasions since the President’s inauguration in January 2021, including the first bilateral (virtual) meeting in February 2021, and again in November 2021, in Washington DC, in June 2022, in Los Angeles and in January 2023, at the North American Leaders Summit in Mexico City. They have also met on the margins of several international summits and meetings. 
• He will be joined by the First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden.
• During his visit, the President will make an address to Parliament.
• Canada and the U.S. share the longest land border in the world, which is close to 9,000 km in length.
• It is estimated that around 400,000 people crossed the Canada-United States border every day (pre-pandemic) and that there were about 800,000 Canadian citizens living in the United States in 2021.
• Canada and the U.S. share one of the largest trading relationships in the world, with over $1 trillion in bilateral trade in goods and services in 2021, making Canada the largest U.S. trading partner in goods and services.
• Canada and the U.S. are each other’s top sources of imported energy.
• In February 2021, Prime Minister Trudeau and U.S. President Biden launched the Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership, which lays out an ambitious framework to grow our economies, strengthen the middle class, and build a healthier future.
• In 2021, Prime Minister Trudeau and U.S. President Biden established the Canada-U.S. Supply Chain Working Group which strengthens bilateral supply chain security and resilience and reinforces our deeply interconnected and mutually beneficial economic relationship.
• The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is one of the largest free trade regions in the world, generating economic growth and helping to raise the standard of living for the people of all the member countries.
• Canada and the United States work closely in multilateral fora, such as: Arctic Council, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), G20, G7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Organization of American States (OAS), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), United Nations (UN) and World Trade Organization (WTO).

Associated Links

• Canada and United States Relations
• Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement
• Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership

• International

Joe Biden addresses Parliament during first visit to Canada as U.S. president

United States President Joe Biden poses with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau upon his arrival at Parliament.

Photo: Reuters / PATRICK DOYLE

Biden is travelling with a high-powered entourage of officials and advisers

U.S. President Joe Biden is on Parliament Hill today as part of his official visit to Canada — a whirlwind trip that includes a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, an address to Parliament and a gala dinner at the city's Aviation Museum.

Around 11:45 a.m., Biden was escorted by Trudeau into the West Block where he briefly greeted dignitaries, including Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, other party leaders, senators, the House of Commons Speaker and parliamentary clerks.

Poilievre introduced himself as the leader of his His Majesty's Loyal Opposition, which prompted Biden to quip, Loyal, huh?

Meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Joe Biden at Rideau Cottage.

Photo: Bureau du premier ministre

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May then handed a bemused Biden a chocolate bar made by a Syrian refugee before he was whisked away for a one-on-one meeting with Trudeau.

It's been too long between meetings. I think it was 2016 I was here, Biden said as he sat down to talk with Trudeau.

"I tell other world leaders I meet with — we're lucky we have Canada to our north. All our values are the same. We agree and disagree on things occasionally but there's no fundamental difference in the democratic values we share and it really makes a big difference.

It's an honour to be here and there's a lot to talk about and I think we'll get a lot done today.

The busy day follows an intimate gathering last night at Trudeau's Ottawa home, Rideau Cottage. Trudeau, with his wife Sophie and their three kids, hosted the president and his wife, Jill.

This is the first non-summit overnight visit by a U.S. president in nearly two decades. It's a chance for Biden and Trudeau to continue their efforts to renew the bilateral relationship, which was marked by some tension in recent years.

U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden pose for members of the media as they arrive to visit with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau at Rideau Cottage, Thursday, March 23, 2023, in Ottawa. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)

Photo: Associated Press / Andrew Harnik

The Trump years were a trying time for Canadian officials. But Biden's decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, promote protectionist policies like Buy American and withhold some vaccine supplies were also irritants in the early days of his presidency.

• ANALYSISKind words, tough talk: What to expect when President Joe Biden comes to Ottawa   (new window)

Since then, there's been meaningful progress on key files: a deal to protect the  NEXUS trusted traveller program   (new window)  and a plan to include Canadian-made vehicles in a U.S.  electric vehicle tax credit   (new window)  program.

U.S. President Joe Biden's schedule for Friday

• 11:20 a.m.: Meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
• 11:45 a.m.: Trudeau and Biden participate in expanded bilateral meeting
• 2:00 p.m.: Biden addresses Parliament
• 3:45 p.m.: Biden and Trudeau speak to the press
• 6:30 p.m.: Biden, Trudeau and dignitaries attend a gala dinner at Ottawa's Aviation Museum

Watch and listen to U.S. President Joe Biden's first official visit to Canada on CBC News: Special live coverage starts Friday at 1 p.m. ET on CBC TV, CBC News Network,   CBC Gem   (new window) , the CBC News App and   YouTube   (new window) , and at 1:30 p.m. ET on   CBC Radio   (new window)   and the CBC Listen app.

And according to sources who spoke to Radio-Canada/CBC News on the condition of anonymity, there is a deal in hand that will allow Canada to close the Roxham Road site, where tens of thousands of refugee claimants have crossed the border irregularly in recent years — a political headache for Trudeau.

• After years of stalled talks, Canada and U.S. reach border deal on irregular migrants: sources   (new window)

Diplomats on both sides of the border are hoping more deals will be announced during the visit.

Biden's entourage may suggest some details of what's to come.

Accompanying the president are: Jennifer Granholm, the energy secretary; Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan; Liz Sherwood-Randall, the homeland security adviser; and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the top U.S. diplomat.

That list suggests there could be action on natural resources, the border and foreign threats.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks as he and First Lady Jill Biden, left, meet with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, second from right, and her husband Whit Fraser, right, at Ottawa International Airport on Thursday in Ottawa. (Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press)

U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen has said he wants Trudeau and his cabinet to spend more on defence. The United States also want a deeper commitment from Canada to continental air defence through NORAD.

The U.S. is also eager to see Canada take a leadership role in efforts to restore order in Haiti, which has descended into chaos in recent months as gangs have tightened their grip on some parts of the Caribbean country. So far, Canada has  resisted deploying troops   (new window) .

Canada, in turn, wants to seal the deal on Roxham Road and secure some sort of fix to the Safe Third Country Agreement, which has allowed migrants to cross at irregular sites to claim asylum.

An extension of the agreement to cover the whole Canada-U.S. border could discourage that sort of activity.

WATCH   | U.S. and Canada reach deal on closing Roxham Road border crossing:  

Biden arrives in Ottawa as Roxham Road deal reached

Joe Biden arrived in Ottawa on Thursday for his first official visit to Canada as U.S. president, and already, sources say the two countries have reached an agreement to allow for the Roxham Road border crossing to close.

Sources say that's what Trudeau and Biden are  expected to announce   (new window)  at their press conference later today.

Canada also has the economy on its mind.

Biden's Inflation Reduction Act — which was really a climate-change bill, despite its name — includes major tax breaks for companies that pursue green-friendly projects.

U.S. President Joe Biden, shown driving an all-electric Ford F-150 pickup truck in Dearborn, Mich., in May 2021.

Photo: (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

Canada is racing to compete — and there may be a role for Canadian businesses to play as the U.S. retools its economy to make it cleaner and greener.

The countries will use the visit to identify concrete ways to make each other strong, more resilient, more prosperous, more environmentally conscious, safer, secure and equitable societies, said Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the U.S.

In an interview with CBC's  Power & Politics , Hillman said the two countries have taken stock and they want to set the bar really high for how we're going to be working to mutually support each other.

The Biden trip comes just after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited with another authoritarian leader in Moscow — Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow, March, 21 2023.

Photo: Getty Images / AFP / Mikhail Tereshchenko

That symbolism is not lost on Bruce Heyman, the former U.S. ambassador to Canada.

While China cozies up to Russia, he said, Biden is here in Ottawa to bolster relations with its best friend and closest ally, a democratic Canada.

The differences and the contrasts are stark. There is a very strong message that is being sent as a result, Heyman said in an interview.

Undoubtedly, China's increasing belligerence and Russia's war crimes will be topics of conversation when Trudeau and Biden sit down Friday, Heyman said.

Canada and the U.S. will want to draw even closer together as the world becomes increasingly uncertain, he said.

One area of potential cooperation is the U.S.-supported development of Canada's critical minerals sector — an industry that currently is dominated by China, an unreliable business partner, Heyman said.

There's another thing Biden will have to consider while in Ottawa: what to have for dinner.

The National Arts Centre catering team, led by chef Kenton Leier, has prepared braised Alberta beef short rib and east coast Yellowfin tuna for diners at tonight's gala.

Dessert will be a wild blueberry and Quebec maple mousse cake topped with a screech rum caramel.

John Paul Tasker   (new window)  · CBC News · 

RCMP’s ability to defend national security is eroding, report warns   RCMP’s ability to defend national security is eroding, report warns. Posted: a day ago.

Federal policing is 'stretched thin' and it's putting Canadians at risk, Management Advisory Board says

Was the Liberal budget a bust with Canadians?   Was the Liberal budget a bust with Canadians?. Posted: a day ago.

At Issue this week: Early polling suggests the Liberals didn’t get the bump from the budget the party wanted. …

EV sales have slowed. Do massive subsidies still make sense?   EV sales have slowed. Do massive subsidies still make sense?. Posted: a day ago.

Tesla's earnings drop as Ford and GM scale back EV production due to less demand than expected

Ottawa says pharmacare is coming — here’s what you need to know   Ottawa says pharmacare is coming — here’s what you need to know. Posted: a day ago.

The new federal budget includes $1.5B to cover diabetes, contraception drugs

Government hits Canada Life with financial sanctions   Government hits Canada Life with financial sanctions. Posted: 2 days ago.

Public servants living, travelling abroad criticize 'enormous' delays with health plan

U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Canada: What you need to know

This article was published more than 1 year ago. Some information may no longer be current.

U.S. President Joe Biden , along with first lady Jill Biden, arrived in Ottawa for his first official visit to Canada this week. Mr. Biden made an address to Parliament on Friday. Throughout his address, he underscored the far-reaching ties between Canada and the U.S.

During his visit, Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Biden announced the renegotiated Safe Third Country Agreement that will take effect at midnight Friday. That means police will begin turning away migrants crossing into Canada at unofficial points of entry early Saturday.

Every president since Franklin Roosevelt, apart from Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, has visited Canada during their time in office. Traditionally, the visit happens within the first few months of the president taking office. But COVID-19 restrictions and the war in Ukraine has delayed Mr. Biden’s Canadian visit until more than two years into his term.

Here’s what you need to know about Mr. Biden’s two-day visit.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden as they arrive to visit with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau. Andrew Harnik

When is Joe Biden set to visit Canada?

Joe Biden is in Ottawa until Friday. It is his first official visit to Canada since becoming president in January, 2021.

What is the schedule for his two-day visit?

• The Bidens and their delegation landed in Ottawa on Air Force One on Thursday evening and were greeted by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, the American ambassador to Canada, David Cohen, and Canada’s envoy in the U.S., Kirsten Hillman.
• Mr. Biden held his first meeting with Governor-General Mary Simon upon arriving at the Ottawa airport.
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau hosted the Bidens at Rideau Cottage for a private gathering at their residence.
• A welcoming ceremony was held for the Bidens in the West Block of Parliament Hill. Dignitaries from the House of Commons and Senate, including the Speakers from each chamber and the leaders of each elected party, joined.
• Mr. Biden and Mr. Trudeau held a bilateral meeting in the Prime Minister’s Office.
• The visit extended to a wider meeting between Mr. Biden, his delegation, Mr. Trudeau and Canadian ministers, including Ms. Freeland, Ms. Joly, Defence Minister Anita Anand and Trade Minister Mary Ng.
• Mr. Biden addressed Parliament by mid-afternoon, approx. 1:50 p.m. ET.
• Mr. Biden and Mr. Trudeau answered questions from the parliamentary press gallery and White House reporters for a joint media availability.
• The First Lady had a separate program alongside Ms. Trudeau, including a discussion with youth at the Rideau Curling Club and a visit to the National Gallery of Canada.
• A formal dinner was held for the President and First Lady at the Aviation and Space Museum, where hundreds of dignitaries, including Canadian ministers, MPs, ambassadors, Indigenous representatives and actors were invited. Mr. Trudeau cracked jokes about Canadian celebrities in the room who became famous after working in the United States, including actors Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara.

Key issues on the agenda

Mr. Biden and Mr. Trudeau were expected to hold informal and formal discussions on a number of pressing issues, including:

• climate change;
• irregular immigration into Canada by the Roxham Road crossing;
• Arctic security;
• the humanitarian and political crisis in Haiti;
• the war in Ukraine;
• Chinese and foreign interference;
• the recent turmoil in the banking world, such as the recent failure of Silicon Valley Bank.

The Parliament address

Mr. Biden says his country and Canada will defend NATO territories and continue to stand with Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion.

In a speech to the House of Commons, Biden says that “an attack against one is an attack against all.”

Biden also discussed the importance of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as Norad.

He announced that the U.S. and Canada plan to update the Safe Third Country Agreement, a statement that earned a standing ovation.

The U.S. president used part of his speech to draw attention to the transition to green technology.

Trade Minister Mary Ng, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne shared fist bumps when he mentioned that the U.S. and Canada have the most prosperous nations when it comes to diversifying their economies.

The federal NDP caucus, along with some Liberals, erupted into cheers when Biden called himself a “pro-union man.”

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien, former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty and Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrog, two Canadians whom China imprisoned for more than 1,000 days, are among notable guests in the House of Commons.

The key themes

Migration, roxham road and the safe third country agreement.

A family of asylum seekers from Colombia is met by RCMP officers after crossing the border at Roxham Road. Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press

Canada and the United States reached a deal to stem the flow of asylum seekers into this country by closing unofficial crossings such as Quebec’s Roxham Road as of midnight on Saturday.

Mr. Trudeau has been under increased pressure from the Quebec government to end the irregular migration at Roxham Road , an unofficial border crossing between New York and Quebec. Last year, almost 40,000 people arrived through the unofficial entry point.

Canada’s defence spending on NORAD and security

A suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the U.S. coast on Feb. 4. RANDALL HILL/Reuters

Canada will speed up deployment of a new high-tech radar system to upgrade North American air defences and retrofit military bases to accommodate the new American-made warplane that Ottawa is buying, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced during Mr. Biden’s visit to Canada on Friday.

The Globe reports that the White House wants Canada to spend more and act faster to modernize NORAD , but Canada’s position is that Ottawa has already announced significant investments in defence spending.

Last year, Defence Minister Anita Anand announced a $4.9-billion commitment over six years to upgrade air defences to address the growing threat posed by hypersonic missiles and advanced cruise missile technology developed by China and Russia. However, it has not yet disclosed how quickly that money will roll out.

The U.S. also wants to ensure that the upgrades are made in time for the delivery of Canada’s newly purchased F-35s . The first of those fighter jets are scheduled to arrive in 2026.

The impact of Bills C-11 and C-18 on U.S. companies

U.S. trade associations say that Canada’s online news and online streaming bills will disproportionately target U.S. companies like Google and Facebook. Ng Han Guan/The Associated Press

During his visit Mr. Biden   was urged to escalate U.S. concerns  about the impact of two Canadian bills –  C-18  and  C-11  – on Google, Facebook, Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime.

U.S. trade associations say that Canada’s online news and online streaming bills will disproportionately target U.S. companies. Meanwhile, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai has expressed disquiet about the bills’ financial implications for U.S. companies in meetings with Canada’s Trade Minister Mary Ng.

• Bill C-18, or the online news bill, now being discussed in the Senate, would make Facebook and Google compensate Canadian news outlets for publishing and linking to their work.
• Bill C-11 , the online streaming bill, would make streaming platforms such as Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube promote Canadian films, TV and music, and contribute financially to Canada’s cultural industries.

Officials from the Prime Minister’s Office have confirmed that the disputes would be among the issues discussed during the visit.

The implications of Buy America policies on Canada

President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address on Feb. 7, in Washington. Alex Brandon/The Associated Press

Another key focus of Biden’s visit in Canada was his emphasis on Buy America and how that will affect the Canadian trade market.

In his address, Mr. Biden tried to repeatedly reassure Canadians that his government’s vast subsidies for American companies to spur clean energy will not disadvantage those north of the border.

In the first few months of his presidency, Mr. Biden announced stronger Buy American provisions that would require goods bought by the U.S. federal government – from vehicles to construction materials – to contain 75 per cent U.S.-made content by 2029.

In his 2023 State of the Union address, Mr. Biden strengthened the policy by requiring the use of American-made manufacturing products such as lumber, glass, drywall and fibre optic cable in all government infrastructure projects.

The Globe and Mail reports that Canada will seek to ensure domestic businesses are not affected by Mr. Biden’s latest push to advance Buy America policies, which could block Canadian businesses from accessing certain sectors of the American market.

Instead, Ottawa is hoping that Canada can be included in renewed Buy America provisions to ensure Canadian exporters still have access to the U.S. market.

Inflation Reduction Act and spurring a clean economy

Ms. Freeland has said Ottawa will roll out more initiatives to spur a clean economy in next week’s federal budget. NICK IWANYSHYN/The Canadian Press

Another key question for Canada is how it will respond to the Inflation Reduction Act, a US$369-billion spending package brought in by the Biden administration, to spur the transition to the clean economy.

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law last August by Mr. Biden, invests in everything from critical minerals to battery manufacturing, electric vehicles, and clean electricity, including hydrogen.

Canadian climate groups have been urging Ottawa to pursue a “made-in-Canada” response to U.S. clean energy incentives.

On Monday, Mr. Freeland signalled that the March 28 budget will include ways to keep Canada competitive as countries transition their economies to cleaner energy and technologies. She also highlighted the role Canada can play with the U.S. economy in a pre-budget speech.

“Our allies are moving quickly to friendshore their economies and build their critical supply chains through democracies like Canada’s,” she said. “From energy to critical minerals, Canadian workers can be the ones to provide our allies with the resources they need.”

With reports from Adrian Morrow, Marieke Walsh, Bill Curry and The Canadian Press.

For subscribers: Get exclusive political news and analysis by signing up for the Politics Briefing .

Report an editorial error

Report a technical issue

Editorial code of conduct

Interact with The Globe

All the U.S. presidents who have crossed the 49th before Joe Biden

Highlights from the presidents and PMs over the decades as they addressed our Parliament, and history, from the floor of the House

You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account.

Article content

When Joe Biden took his turn at the podium in Canada’s House of Commons, it marked the 11th time an American president has addressed a joint session of Parliament.

In 1943, Franklin Roosevelt became the first American chief executive to speak before MPs and senators, while the last such presidential address in Ottawa was delivered by President Barack Obama in 2016. Along the way, Republicans Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan each spoke to Parliament twice.

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

• Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay, Rex Murphy and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
• Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.
• National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
• Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
• Support local journalism.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

• Access articles from across Canada with one account.
• Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
• Enjoy additional articles per month.
• Get email updates from your favourite authors.

Don't have an account? Create Account

These rare events put speechwriters in both the White House and the Prime Minister’s Office, along with their principals, to the test as the addresses delivered by the visiting presidents and the introductions of the distinguished visitors to Canada by prime ministers, are in many ways the rhetorical crown jewel of Canadian-American bilateral relations.

In preparing their speeches, all presidents and prime ministers stand in the bright shadow of John F. Kennedy, who famously said in his speech to Parliament in May of 1961, “Geography has made us neighbours. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies. Those whom God has so joined together, let no man put asunder.”

Below are highlights from the presidents and the prime ministers over the decades as they addressed our Parliament, and history, from the floor of the House of Commons.

Franklin Roosevelt, Aug. 25, 1943:

“The evil characteristic that makes a Nazi is his utter inability to understand, and therefore to respect, the qualities or the rights of his fellow men. His only method of dealing with his neighbour is first to delude him with lies, then to attack him treacherously, then to beat him down and step on him, and then either to kill him or enslave him. And the same thing is true of the fanatical militarists of Japan. Because their own instincts and impulses are essentially inhuman, our enemies simply cannot comprehend how it is that decent, sensible, individual human beings manage to get along together and to live together as good neighbours.”

Harry S. Truman, June 11, 1947:

“We seek a peaceful world, a prosperous world, a free world, a world of good neighbours, living on terms of equality and mutual respect, as Canada and the United States have lived for generations … We intend to uphold those who respect the dignity of the individual, who guarantee to him equal treatment under the law, and who allow him the widest possible liberty to work out his own destiny and achieve success to the limit of his capacity. We intend to co-operate actively and loyally with all who honestly seek, as we do, to build a better world in which mankind can live in peace and prosperity. We count Canada in the forefront of those who share these objectives and ideals. With such friends we face the future unafraid.”

Dwight Eisenhower, Nov. 14, 1953:

“More than friendship and partnership is signified in the relations between our countries. These relations that today enrich our peoples justify the faith of our fathers that men, given self-government, can dwell at peace among themselves, progressive in the development of their material wealth, quick to join in the defence of their spiritual community, ready to arbitrate differences that may arise to divide them. This Parliament is an illustrious symbol of human craving, a human search, a human right to self-government.”

Dwight Eisenhower, July 9, 1958:

“We both recognize a design of aggressive Communist imperialism which threatens every free nation. Both of us face a military threat and political attack. Our system of free enterprise is challenged throughout the world by a state-directed, state-controlled economic system. This could well be the area in which the competition will be most bitter and most decisive between the free world and Communist imperialism. We must never allow ourselves to become so preoccupied with any differences between our two nations that we lose sight of the transcendent importance of free world co-operation in the winning of the global struggle.”

John F. Kennedy, May 17, 1961:

“At the conference table and in the minds of men, the free world’s cause is strengthened because it is just. But it is strengthened even more by the dedicated efforts of free men and free nations. As the great parliamentarian Edmund Burke said: ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’  And that, in essence, is why I am here today. This trip is more than a consultation — more than a goodwill visit. It is an act of faith — faith in your country, in your leaders — faith in the capacity of two great neighbours to meet their common problems — and faith in the cause of freedom, in which we are so intimately associated.”

Richard Nixon, April 14, 1972:

“Through the years, our speeches on such occasions have often centred on the decades of unbroken friendship that we have enjoyed, and on our 4,000 miles of unfortified boundary. In focusing on our peaceful borders and our peaceful history, they have tended to gloss over the fact that there are real problems between us. They have tended to create the false impression that our countries are essentially alike. It is time for Canadians and Americans to move beyond the sentimental rhetoric of the past. It is time for us to recognize that we have very separate identities; that we have significant differences; and that nobody’s interests are furthered when these realities are obscured.”

Ronald Reagan, March 11, 1981:

“If you will forgive me, you know someone has once likened government to a baby. It is an alimentary canal with an appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other. But our citizens were being thrown into higher tax brackets for simply trying to keep pace with inflation. In the just the last five years, federal personal taxes for the average American household have increased 58 per cent. The results: crippling inflation, interest rates which went above 20 per cent, a national debit approaching a trillion dollars, nearly eight million people out of work, and a steady three-year decline in productivity. We decided not just to complain, but to act.”

Ronald Reagan, April 6, 1987:

“I was struck recently by the words of a Canadian — a Hungarian-Canadian, you might call him — who came to this country, as so many before him, to escape oppression. ‘I wanted to stretch,’ he said. ‘I needed a place where I could move mountains or carry larger stones than Sisyphus, and here was the place for it. Nobody telling me what I’m supposed to believe, as a Canadian, gave me a kind of freedom for my mind and my spirit and my creative energies that I had never experienced before in life. And I found that for me anyhow, anything could be possible here.’ This is your Canada, and our continent. This is the chosen place in history our two nations occupy: a land where the mind and heart of man is free, a land of peace, a land where indeed anything is possible.”

Bill Clinton, Feb. 23, 1995:

“We are two nations blessed with great resources and great histories. And we have great responsibilities. We were built, after all, by men and women who fled the tyranny and intolerance of the Old World for the new. We are the nations of pioneers, people who were armed with the confidence they needed to strike out on their own and to have the talents that God gave them shape their dreams in a new and different land. Culture and tradition, to be sure, distinguish us from one another in many ways that all of us are still learning about every day. But we share core values, and that is more important, a devotion to hard work, an ardent belief in democracy, a commitment to giving each and every citizen the right to live up to his or her God-given potential, and an understanding of what we owe to the world for the gifts we have been given.”

Barack Obama, June 29, 2016:

“In a world where too many borders are a source of conflict, our two countries are joined by the longest border of peace on Earth. And what makes our relationship so unique is not just proximity. It’s our enduring commitment to a set of values a spirit, alluded to by Justin, that says no matter who we are, where we come from, what our last names are, what faith we practise, here we can make of our lives what we will. It was the grit of pioneers and prospectors who pushed West across a forbidding frontier. The dreams of generations — immigrants, refugees — that we’ve welcomed to these shores. The hope of runaway slaves who went north on an underground railroad. ‘Deep in our history of struggle,’ said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., ‘Canada was the North Star … The freedom road links us together.’ ”

Welcome, Mr. President …

“We have Iong known that your services to the cause of freedom far exceed limits of race and bounds of nationality. We honour you as an undaunted champion of the rights of free men and a mighty leader of the forces of freedom in a world at war. We feel, too, a special affection for a lifelong friend of our country.”

— Prime Minister Mackenzie King, welcoming President Franklin Roosevelt to Parliament, Aug. 25, 1943

“Far be it from me to introduce any note of party polities into words of official welcome, much less to say anything that, even to appearances, might be considered interference in the domestic affairs of another country. At the same time, I think that all of us in public life would agree that to be faced with a legislature of which the majority may be disinclined to accept the government’s policies is not the most comfortable position in which to find oneself as head of an administration. Because of a considerable experience in such matters, I may perhaps be allowed, in an aside to the President, to express a personal word of sympathy and understanding.”

— Prime Minister Mackenzie King, welcoming President Harry S. Truman to Parliament, June 11, 1947

“By positive and unselfish actions, which are unique in history, the American people have recognized that threats to the safety and well-being of liberty-laving peoples anywhere are threats to all peoples everywhere who believe in the dignity and freedom of the individual. Your nation’s contributions to the restoration of war-devastated lands have been generous to an extent unprecedented in international relations.”

— Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent, welcoming President Dwight Eisenhower to Parliament, Nov. 13, 1953

“In visiting us unaccompanied by pomp and circumstance the president is following an old and precious precedent in the relations of our two nations. Although you come to us, sir, as the head of a powerful state, the intelligence service informs me after diligent inquiry that you come bearing no arms and carry no armour other than a brassie and a putter. May I, sir, as an aside express the wish that under clear skies and on fairways not too narrow you will be able, while here, to use this armour and add to your list of victories.”

— Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, welcoming President Dwight Eisenhower to Parliament, July 9, 1958

“I express the wish, not only on behalf of my fellow Canadians but of all people who love freedom everywhere that you may be richly endowed — in thought with faith, in words with wisdom, in deed with courage, and always in service. In these qualities is greatness. These qualities I have in mind when I present to the Senate and the House of Commons the President of the United States.”

— Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, welcoming President John F. Kennedy to Parliament, May 17, 1961

“Our relationship with you is too complex to be described, too involved to be understood fully, too deeply entrenched to be disregarded. We are no more capable of living in isolation from you than we are desirous of doing so. For those reasons, the basic friendship of Canada in the past several decades has been taken for granted by the United States, as we have accepted yours. I assure you that that friendship will continue for it is a permanent feature of our relationship with you. It will adjust to circumstance and be made mare articulate in the process, but it is not regarded by us as negotiable.”

— Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, welcoming President Richard Nixon to Parliament, April 14, 1972

“Mr. President, you are visiting Canada at a particularly turbulent time in our history. We are in the process of completing the construction of our country. As an American you will appreciate the challenge which we must face. We are attempting to improve our democratic system and to cement our unity. Undoubtedly the din of our labour will reach your ears. However, I can assure you that our stormy but productive discussions will pave the way for a stronger Canada. Indeed, if I may recall a humorist’s description of a megalopolis, we have decided that at the close of our current debates we will be “‘more than a confederation of “shopping centres.’ ”

— Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, welcoming President Ronald Reagan to Parliament, March 11, 1981

“Canadians view with increasing concern the effects of acid rain upon our environment. But this is more than a Canadian problem. It is a transboundary problem which requires a transboundary response. I urgently invite the United States administration and the American Congress to join with this Parliament, and the Government of Canada in concluding a firm bilateral accord which will provide a North American solution to acid rain. In this matter, time is not our ally but our enemy. The longer we delay, the greater the cost. For what would be said of a generation that sought the stars but permitted its lakes and streams to languish and die?”

— Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, welcoming President Ronald Reagan to Parliament, April 6, 1987

“Mr. President, you may not know it, but among your predecessors who have addressed the Parliament of Canada during your lifetime are Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. They all had one thing in common. They were all elected for a second term. Now, that might not seem like such a remarkable coincidence. But look at the recent presidents who have not addressed the Canadian Parliament: Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George Bush. I will, however, refrain from drawing any conclusions from that, Mr. President. Some hon. members: Hear, hear. As you know, Canada adheres strictly to a policy of non-interference and non-intervention.”

— Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, introducing President Bill Clinton to Parliament, Feb. 23, 1995

“Canadians and Americans are united in our understanding that diversity is a source of strength, not weakness. Generation after generation, our countries have welcomed newcomers seeking liberty and the promise of a better life. And generation after generation, our identities and our economies have been enriched by these new perspectives, not threatened by them. The North American idea that diversity is strength is our great gift to the world. No matter where you’re from or the faith you profess, or the colour of your skin, nor whom you love, you belong here. This is home.”

— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, introducing President Barack Obama to Parliament, June 29, 2016

Complied by Kingston’s Arthur Milnes, a past speechwriter to then Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper, and the memoirs’ assistant to the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney. Milnes is the author of 98 Reasons to Thank Jimmy Carter and the editor of In Roosevelt’s Bright Shadow: Presidential Addresses and Stories About Canada from Taft to Obama. He is also co-editor (with Scotty Greenwood and Scott Reid) of the Canadian-American Business Council’s With Faith and Goodwill: Chronicling the Canada-U.S. Friendship.

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Chris Selley: Canada's Supreme Court justices gone wild

Np view: loblaw is a true canadian success story — no wonder trudeau wants to destroy it, b.c. government asks health canada to 'urgently' make drug use in public illegal again, four-litre jug of vodka not enough the 19-litre 'saskatchewan mickey' may be for you, planning a summer trip to quebec’s iles-de-la-madeleine you’ll have to pay up., badgley mischka founders bring celebrity-approved designs to vancouver.

Fashion brand Badgley Mischka has been worn by Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Helen Mirren and many more.

Phil Rosenthal of Netflix's "Somebody Feed Phil" on his love of travel, food, discovering the unknown

Plus his can't-live-without travel essentials

Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Walmart makes patio furniture from recycled materials

Stylish and affordable sets for your outdoor space

Breathe easy with our favourite air purifiers

A reliable air purifier can effectively remove airborne particles and improve air quality

The best online deals in the Canadian retail space right now

Good American, Brooklinen and Our Place, to name a few

This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here . By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy .

You've reached the 20 article limit.

You can manage saved articles in your account.

and save up to 100 articles!

Looks like you've reached your saved article limit!

You can manage your saved articles in your account and clicking the X located at the bottom right of the article.

We’re sorry, this site is currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again in a few moments. Exception: request blocked

Language selection

• Français fr

Visit to Canada of the President and First Lady of the United States of America – Media Accreditation Process

From: Global Affairs Canada

Media advisory

March 9, 2023 –  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today that the President and First Lady of the United States, Joe and Jill Biden, will visit Canada from March 23 to 24, 2023.

Media representatives who wish to cover the visit must obtain media accreditation.

The media accreditation process is open to journalists (print, radio, television, news agencies and online media) who are on assignment with a bona fide media organization.

Individuals performing journalistic functions who do not work for a media organization and are unable to provide a letter of assignment will have to provide proof of recent publications under the applicant’s by-line that can be readily found in the public realm.

Government officials, representatives or observers will not be accredited as media.

To apply, please complete the form here and include all requested documentation. The application code for media is: zpRtkwN#?DqT. Only applications that include all requested information will be considered. Due to expected volumes, we will not follow up on incomplete applications.

The application period will close on March 17, 2023 at 12:00 PM ET. Once the application process is closed, there will be no further opportunity to apply for accreditation. Please note that accreditation does not guarantee access to events during the visit.

Applications will be processed prior to the start of the Presidential Visit. Accreditation confirmation and information on badge pick-up will be issued only after a security screening performed by Government of Canada authorities.

For information related to the accreditation process only , please contact:

Media Relations Office Global Affairs Canada [email protected]

Page details

Editorials | Editorial: Want to move to Canada? Think…

Share this:.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on X (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Clarence Page

Editorials | Editorial: Want to move to Canada? Think carefully, Americans.

Over the years, we’ve all heard fellow Americans grousing about moving to Canada if an upcoming election doesn’t go their way. It’s not a bad idea, as Canada is known for friendly people and as a safe place to live and work.

But leaving aside immigration issues, would it be worth it to move? If you ask Canadians these days, you might be surprised to hear them urging you to stay put.

Canadians are in an atypical funk, fed up with longtime Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and hurting from a much weaker economy than the U.S. has experienced in recent years. If you think inflation, interest rates, uneven economic growth rates and the high cost of housing are problems in the U.S., don’t bother looking north for salvation. Canada, arguably, has it a lot worse.

And while their youthful leader has a better head of hair than either President Joe Biden or Republican challenger Donald Trump, Trudeau is probably tearing it out right now as his approval numbers sink. A restless nation is on track to oust him during a federal election widely expected to be held next year.

Trudeau started life as the Canadian version of a Kennedy, part of a bilingual political clan blessed with movie-star looks and sunny optimism. His brand appealed to an audience stretching from French-speaking Quebec to the flinty maritime provinces and across the country’s lightly populated west to tony Vancouver.

He won election as prime minister in 2015 as much on star power as a coherent platform, with his wife, Sophie, a telegenic former TV host, at his side.

Trudeau established his feminist cred by appointing a cabinet balanced between men and women and faced up to Canada’s awful past treatment of its indigenous population. He championed a successful national child-care program, marijuana legalization and a wide-open immigration policy. And he seemed informal and unpretentious: He even showed up at Second City in Chicago in 2019, watching a Mother’s Day show created and performed by his ever-colorful mother, Margaret, and sitting with the regular audience.

Trudeau’s popularity stayed strong for several years, as Canadians watched Americans elect the divisive Trump and then battle over the politics of grievance. Turned out, America’s internal turmoil foreshadowed trouble ahead for Trudeau.

A series of nagging scandals dented his image, and then COVID-19 upended Canadian life, as Trudeau shut down the economy and ramped up government spending. The budget soared as the country borrowed heavily for pandemic relief. Unlike in the U.S. under Trump, partisanship gave way to a unified spirit of shared sacrifice in Canada, and Trudeau’s Liberal Party enjoyed a brief resurgence.

It didn’t last. Lockdowns and vaccine mandates prompted a backlash, culminating in a truck blockade of downtown Ottawa in 2022. Meanwhile, Trudeau took heat for waffling on controversial rules approved in Quebec to protect the French language and ban public servants from wearing hijabs and other religious symbols. Like most western politicians, he’s getting beaten up for his no-win response to the Israel-Hamas war: “Mr. Trudeau has struggled to clearly explain Canada’s position on the ongoing war,” the BBC reported earlier this year, “frustrating allies and opening himself up to criticism.”

Along the way, his storybook marriage fell apart.

By far his most difficult challenge, however, is reversing his poor stewardship of the economy. Canada has a wealth of energy and mineral resources, as well as world-class centers of commerce in Toronto and Vancouver. But the soaring cost of living has punished many Canadians, none worse than the Gen Z voters who were among the most pro-Trudeau.

Runaway grocery prices, rising mortgage rates, anemic economic growth and an acute shortage of affordable housing has made life miserable for young adults, who increasingly see the standard of living their parents enjoyed as far out of reach. In a public opinion poll earlier this year, 70% of Canadians agreed with the statement, “It feels like everything is broken in this country right now.”

Instead of pushing pro-business policies that would restore growth, Trudeau is doubling down on the same ideas that haven’t worked. In the name of battling climate change, he’s put handcuffs on the energy sector, echoing a mistake of the Biden administration.

He’s come up with no good answer for the housing crisis. Partly to accommodate immigration, Canada needs to build an estimated 800,000 housing units annually over the next five or six years just to meet demand. Last year, it built only 230,000. And instead of encouraging new investment, Trudeau has proposed taxing certain capital gains at a confiscatory top rate of 67%. (The top rate for long-term capital gains in the U.S. is 20%.)

No wonder Canadian companies spend less on training, technology and capital investment than their more innovative U.S. counterparts.

Trudeau’s principal political opponent, the conservative populist Pierre Poilievre, likes to repeat the phrase, “Canada is broken,” echoing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. Similar to Trump, he has stoked division by focusing on wedge issues like Quebec separatism and culture wars around energy. Canadian voters have rarely been so angry.

So far, Trudeau has offered little to voters upset about the unaffordable price of food and rent, except to raise taxes and promise subsidies, which will continue to stymie economic growth. Canadian law requires an election to be held by the fall of 2025, and Trudeau needs to gain back a lot of ground, or he’s going down like the loonie, worth just 73 cents to the U.S. dollar at the time of writing, even though it achieved near parity in and around 2012.

Americans, whether it’s Trump, Biden or someone else who wins on Nov. 5, better hold off on calling the movers.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected] .

More in Editorials

Editorials | Editorial: For the DNC, Kim Foxx is scrapping do-not-prosecute rules for ‘peaceful’ protesters. She should do so permanently.

Editorials | Editorial: The Bears may stir Chicago’s blood with splashy pitch for a lakefront stadium. We’re not convinced.

Editorials | Editorial: Amid the chaos, America’s elite campuses can’t educate. University presidents have to turn that around.

Editorials | Editorial: A victory both for Ukraine and functional American governance

Trending nationally.

• A woman had a hysterectomy. She claims her co-workers harassed her about a ‘sex change’
• 20 least-affordable US cities to buy a home are all in California
• High school athletic director used AI to fake racist recording of principal, police say
• Disneyland adds another potential themed land to the mix: Encanto
• Barbra Streisand drops first new song in 6 years in response to rise in antisemitism

Thorny issues on the table as Biden makes presidential visit to Canada this week

Haiti, roxham road, defence spending expected to be discussed.

Social Sharing

The ambassadors for both Canada and the United States sought to downplay differences between the two countries on key issues Sunday, ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden's first official in-person visit to Canada this week.

Talks during the visit are expected to focus on a series of thorny issues, including defence, migration, economic development and the situation in Haiti.

But in separate interviews airing Sunday on  Rosemary Barton Live , both Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman and American ambassador to Canada David Cohen sought to put forward a more sunny view of the relationship.  

"[Biden] likes Canada, he cares about Canada, and the United States cares about Canada," Cohen told CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton.

Biden will make first official visit to Ottawa on Thursday

Hillman said the conversation would inevitably turn to global issues of concern, but "we'll also focus on how we're sources of strength for each other."

"I think that's going to be the theme of this visit, that we are there making each other stronger and better," she said.

Biden made a virtual visit to Canada in February 2021, speaking with Trudeau via video conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden will become the eighth U.S. president to make an address to Parliament on Friday.

Migration a major issue

One area where Hillman did acknowledge some tension was the area of migration, which has become once more a major concern with increased irregular crossings in places like Roxham Road, Que. Meanwhile, the United States has its own ongoing concerns about travel over its southern border with Mexico.

"It's a crisis of very significant proportions and it's a crisis of important proportions for us too in Canada with Roxham Road," Hillman said.

But the ambassador said she has faith that the United States would take Canadian concerns seriously.

Migration and NORAD top priorities for Trudeau during Biden's first official visit on Thursday

"I've been ambassador for three years, and there isn't a single topic with the Biden administration that we have said, 'Look, this is really important to us, they need to work on this' where they've said, 'Look, it's not a priority for us, sorry.' Not once."

Canada has pushed the United States to start negotiations on revamping the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA). The STCA compels people to make refugee claims in the first safe country they enter — in this case, the U.S. — unless they cross into Canada via an unofficial port of entry like Roxham Road. 

Cohen left the door open to a "revised" agreement but reiterated the American view that work should be done to address the root causes of migration.

• Haiti's sudden turn for the worse puts Trudeau on the spot
• Analysis U.S. Republicans are now warning: Migration from Canada is a problem

"I think the Safe Third Country Agreement can can easily be a part of that discussion, and how a revised Safe Third Country Agreement could help bring under control some of the underlying root causes of irregular migration," he said.

Cohen also noted the ongoing discussion about a potential force to help stabilize Haiti — with Biden officials reportedly pushing for Canada to take a leading role — but also kept the door open Sunday around other options such as sanctions or additional aid to Haitian police.

Hillman pushed back on the idea that Canada was feeling the heat from Washington on the issue of Haiti.

"Pressure's not a word I would use here," she said, framing it more as a constructive dialogue to look for solutions that worked for both sides of the border and Haitians themselves.

Defence spending and continental security

Cohen similarly downplayed any tensions around defence spending, with the federal government set to unveil a budget later this month.

"There won't necessarily be contention around these issues because I think Canada and the United States agree on the need for enhanced spending in the defence space," he said.

Hillman also focused on the accomplishments of joint institutions like NORAD — recently in the news due to the downing of unidentified objects over North American airspace.

• Freeland's budget has to tread a narrow path between competing demands for cash: sources
• Video U.S. 'remains hopeful' Canada will hit NATO defence spending target: ambassador

"I think the U.S. is very pleased with the announcements we made so far with respect to NORAD modernization" and with the decision to buy 88 F-35 fighters , Hillman said.

Asked about the visit during a health-care announcement Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Trudeau's approach to the bilateral relationship as weak, saying "Canadians are getting ripped off by the United States."

He noted three main areas of contention — trade, Buy American provisions and border control — where he said Canada needs to act more forcefully. He said Trudeau lacked respect on the world stage from leaders like Joe Biden and Xi Jinping of China.

"They believe they can walk all over him, that they can hit us with tariffs and discriminatory Buy American policy and Trudeau won't do anything about it."

Chrétien reflects on decision to keep Canada out of Iraq war

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien also reflected in an interview on  Rosemary Barton Live  airing Sunday about his experience managing Canada's most important bilateral relations, saying it was "always very complicated."

But almost 20 years after the American invasion of Iraq, he said it was good Canada had asserted itself.

"It was a great indication that we were a very independent nation, that we were not a 51st state of America that too often some people think we were."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christian Paas-Lang covers federal politics for CBC News in Ottawa as an associate producer with The House and a digital writer with CBC Politics. You can reach him at [email protected].

With files from Rosemary Barton and Stephen Hoff

Main Container

Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Chrystia Freeland

Search form Mobile

• Deputy Prime Minister’s itinerary for Friday, April 26, 2024

Subscribe to email updates

Search form

Main content.

This website is not compatible with Internet Explorer or older version of Microsoft Edge(version 78 and older).

For full functionality please use a supported browser .

• itineraries

Note: All times local.

Mississauga, Ontario

12:00 p.m. The Deputy Prime Minister will tour a clean energy manufacturer and discuss Budget 2024’s plan to attract investment and create good middle-class jobs. A media availability will follow.

Notes for media:

The media availability will begin at approximately 12:40 p.m.

Media wishing to film the tour are asked to arrive no later than 11:30 a.m.

Media wishing to cover the media availability only are asked to arrive no later than 12:10 p.m.

Media must register by contacting [email protected] .

As it happened: U.S. President Joe Biden's trip to Canada

After a day of meetings on Parliament Hill, U.S President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced updates on various cross-border issues . These include plans to bolster Norad and expand the Safe Third Country Agreement.

CTVNews.ca breaks down Biden’s first presidential visit to Canada, as it happened. Scroll down for our reporters’ real-time coverage of the second day of Biden’s trip to Canada as it unfolded.

Canadians can also access the latest stories on Biden's trip via CTV News’ social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter .

• Capital Dispatch: Sign up for in-depth political coverage of Parliament Hill

MORE POLITICS NEWS

'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons

Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom

'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid

Canada allocates millions for drone production, ammunition to support Ukraine

AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled

Cap on plastic production may be too complicated for global treaty: Guilbeault

Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code

Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight

Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B

In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.

'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral

Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.

'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.

As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'

Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.

Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024

When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.

opinion | Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

opinion | Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care

Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.

opinion | Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create

While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.

opinion | Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds

It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.

opinion | Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner

An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.

What is a 'halal mortgage'? Does it make housing more accessible?

The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.

Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report

A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.

Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident

One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.

Opinion | I just don't get Taylor Swift

It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.

Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario

Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.

Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison

Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.

Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.

Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus

A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.

B.C. breweries take home awards at World Beer Cup

Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.

'Divest now': Students launch encampment at McGill University

Several students have launched an encampment at McGill University as they call on the institution to cut financial ties with Israel.

Haida Elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'

The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.

Iraqi authorities are investigating the killing of a social media influencer

Iraqi authorities on Saturday were investigating the killing of a well-known social media influencer, who was shot by an armed motorcyclist in front of her home in central Baghdad.

Anti-war protesters dig in as some schools close encampments after reports of antisemitic activity

As students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at universities across U.S. dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, some universities shut down encampments after reports of antisemitic activity among the protesters.

As Charles announces a return to public-facing duties, a look at recent events involving the royals

The 75-year-old British monarch will slowly ease back into public life after a three-month break to focus on his treatment and recuperation after he was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer.

From New York to Arizona: Inside the head-spinning week of Trump's legal drama

The first criminal prosecution of a former president began in earnest with opening statements and testimony in a lower Manhattan courtroom. But the action quickly spread to involve more than half a dozen cases in four states and the nation's capital. Twice during the week, lawyers for Trump were simultaneously appearing in different courtrooms.

Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.

Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.

Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality

A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.

'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising

Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).

More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse

More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.

Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign

State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.

These are the countries where TikTok is already banned

TikTok is in the crosshairs of authorities in the U.S., where a new law threatens a nationwide ban unless its China-based parent ByteDance divests. Here are the places that have partial or total bans on TikTok.

Hubble Space Telescope marks 34 years with new portrait of a 'cosmic dumbbell'

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning new image of the glowing gas ejected from a dying star, which in this case happens to resemble a 'cosmic dumbbell.'

Entertainment

From pop to politics, what to know as sweden prepares for the 2024 eurovision song contest.

Taking place in May in Malmo, Sweden, the 68th annual competition will see acts from 37 countries vie for the continent’s pop crown in a feelgood extravaganza that strives — not always successfully – to banish international strife and division. And you don’t have to be in Europe to watch, or to help pick the winner.

Ottawa, Quebec commit $100M for semiconductor capacity in Bromont, Que., 280 jobs

The federal and Quebec governments are spending close to $100 million to boost the country's manufacturing capacity for semiconductors, which are vital in technologies ranging from artificial intelligence to quantum computing.

Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: Jobs report

The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.

Dishing out history: A look back at defunct restaurants in Winnipeg

Take an illustrated look back at the culinary history of Winnipeg.

Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million

An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.

$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months

During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.

Mookie Betts leads Dodgers past Blue Jays 4-2; Toronto drops fifth consecutive game

Mookie Betts went 3 for 5, including a triple and an RBI single, as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Saturday.

Offensive lineman Giovanni Manu selected by Detroit Lions, becomes 1st UBC player ever taken in NFL draft

Canadian football observers thought it could happen, and on Saturday, it did. Towering offensive lineman Giovanni Manu – who was born in Tonga and grew up in Pitt Meadows, B.C. – became the first player from the University of British Columbia ever to be selected in the NFL draft.

William Nylander returns to Maple Leafs lineup for Game 4 against Bruins

William Nylander has joined the Stanley Cup chase.

'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments

An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.

Ford just reported a massive loss on every electric vehicle it sold

Ford’s electric vehicle unit reported that losses soared in the first quarter to US $1.3 billion, or US$132,000 for each of the 10,000 vehicles it sold in the first three months of the year.

Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants

Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.

Local Spotlight

DonAir force takes over at Oilers playoff games

As if a 4-0 Edmonton Oilers lead in Game 1 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings wasn't good enough, what was announced at Rogers Place during the next TV timeout nearly blew the roof off the downtown arena.

'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.

Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.

Fergus, Ont. man feels nickel-and-dimed for $0.05 property tax bill

A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.

Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon

When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.

Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues

The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.

'I'm committed': Oilers fan skips haircuts for 10 years waiting for Stanley Cup win

A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.

'It's not my father's body!' Wrong man sent home after death on family vacation in Cuba

A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.

'Once is too many times': Education assistants facing rising violence in classrooms

A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.

What is capital gains tax? How is it going to affect the economy and the younger generations?

The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”

Vancouver is one step closer to getting a Filipino cultural centre, society says

As the Lower Mainland's Filipino community gathered in South Vancouver for Lapu-Lapu Day on Saturday, one of the festival's organizers set its sights on creating a future focal point for such gatherings.

Powerful penalty kill a big part of playoff success for Vancouver Canucks

The special teams unit has become a strength for the Canucks, particularly in the first-round playoff series against the Nashville Predators which the Canucks lead 2-1 heading into Sunday's Game 4.

BOS LEADS TOR 3-1 | Marchand stars again, Swayman solid as Bruins push frustrated Leafs to the brink

Brad Marchand became the Bruins' all-time leading playoff goal-scorer and added an assist as Boston suffocated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Saturday to take a 3-1 lead in the teams' first-round playoff series.

Murder charge laid after man falls to death from Toronto apartment balcony

One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.

Family arrives safely in Calgary after escaping the war in Gaza

It was a long-awaited reunion at the Calgary International Airport Saturday as Ossama Zaqqout hugged his parents, who had just arrived after fleeing the war in Gaza.

Beltline collision between SUV and motorbike sends driver ‘cartwheeling through the air’

A blue SUV and a motorbike collided Saturday afternoon in the Beltline.

2 suspects face charges in April 24 Gleichen homicide

One Siksika Nation resident has been charged and an arrest warrant for a second man has been issued in relation to an April 24 homicide in Gleichen.

Ottawa woman, 47, facing charges following downtown hate crimes

The Ottawa Police Service says a 47-year-old woman is facing charges following a series of hate crimes in the downtown area last week.

No injuries reported following single-vehicle collision on Highway 15 in eastern Ontario

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) asked drivers to expect delays after a single-vehicle collision on Highway 15 near Brewers Mills Road Saturday morning.

Transit trips up among seniors since Montreal introduced free fare program, city says

Montreal says public transit trips were up between 15 and 20 per cent among people age 65 and over in the six months after it made the service free for local seniors.

Driver arrested after woman, 51, dies in head-on collision in Lachute

Quebec provincial police say a 51-year-old woman has died after a head-on collision in the town of Lachute, roughly 50 kilometres west of Montreal, early this morning.

Oilers coach calls McDavid and Draisaitl’s playoff performances remarkable

Kris Knoblauch is five months into watching Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl go to work.

'It's been a godsend': Free store for Ukrainian newcomers to close Sunday

Two years and $8 million worth of beds, couches, dishes and dressers later, the Ukrainian Newcomer Free Furniture Warehouse is closing its doors.

Bidders express interest in buying all or part of SaltWire newspaper business

A Toronto-based restructuring firm says several bidders have offered to buy all or part of SaltWire Network and The Halifax Herald, the two insolvent companies that operate Atlantic Canada's largest newspaper enterprise.

Halifax Wanderers kick off season with home opener against Ottawa

Halifax’s professional soccer team kicks off its sixth season against Ottawa on Saturday with a sold-out crowd of 6,500 fans on the Wanderers Grounds.

New Brunswick strongest men and women compete in Saint John for title of strongest in the province

“This is the largest year we’ve had”: annual provincial strongman competition sees record levels of participation and support with 55 athletes taking part

A timeline of the Jeremy Skibicki case

The trial for the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg is set to get underway on April 29.

Canadian history sizes down in small scale model competition

A Winnipeg scale model builder is using his craft to showcase a large piece of Canadian history in miniature form.

Ice pileup warnings for Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg this weekend

With heavy wind gusts expected along Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg this weekend, the provincial government is warning residents and property owners about potential ice pileups.

Regina's Dunlop Art Gallery welcomes new installation

'Feel through the Deepness to see,' an art installation by artist Rita McKeough, will be calling the Dunlop Art Gallery home for the next two months.

Annual model train showcase rolls into Regina

Regina's annual model train showcase rolled into town this weekend at the Caledonian Curling Club.

Commissionaires at RPL Central Branch named regional team of the year

The team of Commissionaires at The Regina Public Library’s downtown branch have received one of the organization’s top honours.

Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000

Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.

Pedestrian seriously hurt following hit-and-run crash in Cambridge, driver arrested

A driver has been arrested and a pedestrian has been seriously injured following a hit-and-run crash in Cambridge.

Cambridge Moves for Mental Health draws dozens in spite of weather

Rainy weather for the second year in a row once again did not deter attendees from a special fundraising event.

Saskatoon care home workers escalating strike action

Workers at group homes run by LutherCare Communities in Saskatoon are escalating their strike action.

Saskatoon Indigenous and Palestinian communities gather in collective prayer for Gaza

On Saturday, in a display of cross-cultural solidarity, members of the Indigenous and Palestinian communities gathered in Saskatoon for an event steeped in prayer and dance.

Saskatoon police investigating after body found at recycling facility

The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) and Saskatchewan Coroners Service are investigating after a woman’s body was found at a recycling facility Friday morning.

Northern Ontario

Severe thunderstorm watch in effect for Sudbury, West Nipissing

Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch for several communities in northeastern Ontario on Saturday afternoon – primarily the Greater Sudbury area and West Nipissing.

French River area preparing for more flooding with weekend rain expected

The Municipality of French River has been under a flood watch since Thursday evening and many residents told CTV News that they fear the already high water levels combined with the rain forecasted in the coming days may cause more widespread flooding.

Fatal crash victim identified as 24-year-old Western University graduate

A 24-year-old man who died Friday in a car crash on Highway 401 has been identified as Omar Barzak from London, Ont.

'Beneath all these colours we are all one': Thousands attend Hindu Holi Festival at Victoria Park

London’s Victoria Park was filled with colours Saturday afternoon as those attending Holi threw coloured water and powders into the air in a celebration of spring and unity.

'I felt disappointed': Local women’s advocates lament MP Karen Vecchio’s ouster as Status of Women Committee chair

At an event in which she was celebrated for her advocacy of women’s issues, Karen Vecchio was in no mood to speak about her removal from her role of chair of Federal Parliament’s Status of Women Committee.

Police investigating after senior drowns in Meaford

Police in Meaford are investigating after a senior drowned Saturday morning.

All things maple syrup celebrated at annual Elmvale festival

Despite the poor weather, a festival celebrating all things maple syrup drew thousands of people to Elmvale on Saturday.

VIDEO | From Windsor high school grad to New York Giant: Theo Johnson selected in NFL Draft

A former graduate of Holy Names Catholic High School in Windsor will soon be moving to New York after being selected during the 2024 NFL Draft.

'It’s just life changing': No need to sell home after Windsorite wins 100K

Playing bingo in April made a local resident $100,000 richer -- and will keep him in his home.

Alleged hate crimes reported at University of Windsor campus

Campus police are investigating after homophobic slurs were carved into the door of the University of Windsor’s Campus Pride Centre earlier this month.

Vancouver Island

Canucks defeat predators in game 3, take 2-1 series lead.

J.T. Miller had a goal and assist and the Vancouver Canucks edged the Nashville Predators 2-1 to re-take the lead in their first-round playoff series.

B.C. man rescues starving dachshund trapped in carrier: BC SPCA

An emaciated dachshund is now recovering thanks to a Good Samaritan who found the pup near a biking trail in Kelowna, according to the BC SPCA.

Search crews called in after missing Kelowna senior's truck found

Search and rescue crews have been called in after a vehicle belonging to a missing senior was located near a rural intersection outside of Kelowna Tuesday.

Bandits get hat trick from Logan Sawyer en route to 8-2 win over Okotoks

The Brooks Bandits got down to business Friday, defeating the Okotoks Oilers 8-2.

'No real winner' following first Alberta NDP leadership debate: political scientist

An Alberta political scientist said the NDP leadership hopefuls remained fairly even following the first of the party’s debates.

Multiple grass fires sparked near Kipp rail yard

It was a busy Wednesday evening for fire crews in Lethbridge County after multiple grass fires were sparked near the Kipp rail yard.

Sault Ste. Marie

Elliot Lake hospital moving towards ‘normalcy’ with mask-friendly policy

St. Joseph’s General Hospital Elliot Lake says it is moving towards “normalcy” by transitioning to a mask-friendly policy.

Ontario Chamber of Commerce delegates sew up quilt blocks for residential school survivors

About 100 delegates from around the province travelled to Timmins, Ont., for its annual general meeting and convention at Cedar Meadows Resort and Spa.

Voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada' Bob Cole never considered moving out of St. John's

Legendary sportscaster Bob Cole was a Newfoundlander through and through, and his daughter says his connection to the province was 'everything' to him.

Cenovus fined $2.5 million for biggest oil spill in Newfoundland and Labrador history

Cenovus Energy has been ordered to pay a $2.5-million fine for its role in the largest offshore oil spill ever recorded in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Canada recognizes housing as a human right. Few provinces have followed suit

As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.

Stay Connected

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Biden blames Trump for Florida’s 6-week abortion ban, says women nationwide face health crisis

President Joe Biden traveled to Florida Tuesday to condemn the state’s upcoming 6-week abortion ban and blame rival Donald Trump for that law as well as other restrictions across the country that have imperiled access to care for pregnant women.

People listen as President Joe Biden speaks about reproductive freedom on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla. Biden is in Florida planning to assail the state’s upcoming six-week abortion ban and similar restrictions nationwide. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

• Copy Link copied

President Joe Biden speaks about reproductive freedom on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla. Biden is in Florida planning to assail the state’s upcoming six-week abortion ban and similar restrictions nationwide. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

President Joe Biden greets Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., as he arrives at Tampa International Airport, in Tampa, Fla., Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Supporters wear shirts with the message “Flip Florida Blue” while waiting in line to see President Joe Biden speak during a reproductive freedom campaign event at Hillsborough Community College, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting in the White House, Jan. 22, 2024, in Washington. Biden is traveling to Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, April 23, just days before the state’s six-week abortion ban goes into effect, to make his case against abortion restrictions nationwide. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried makes a selfie photo with attendees waiting to hear President Joe Biden speak during a reproductive freedom campaign event at Hillsborough Community College, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

President Joe Biden arrives at Tampa International Airport, in Tampa, Fla., Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Supporters wear shirts with the message “Men 4 Choice” while waiting in line to see President Joe Biden speak during a reproductive freedom campaign event at Hillsborough Community College, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

President Joe Biden speaks about reproductive freedom on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla. Biden is in Florida planning to assail the state’s upcoming six-week abortion ban and similar restrictions nationwide. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

President Joe Biden speaks about reproductive freedom during an organizing event Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla. Biden is in Florida planning to assail the state’s upcoming six-week abortion ban and similar restrictions nationwide. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Supporters cheer as President Joe Biden speaks about reproductive freedom on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla. Biden is in Florida planning to assail the state’s upcoming six-week abortion ban and similar restrictions nationwide. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday blamed Donald Trump for Florida’s upcoming abortion ban and other restrictions across the country that have imperiled access to care for pregnant women, arguing Trump has created a “healthcare crisis for women all over this country.”

Biden’s campaign events at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa placed the president in the epicenter of the latest battle over abortion restrictions . The state’s six-week abortion ban is poised to go into effect May 1 at the same time that Florida voters are gearing up for a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution. Biden said that millions of women are facing “pain and cruelty.”

“But it’s not inevitable. We can stop it. When you vote, we can stop it,” he said.

The president is seeking to capitalize on the unceasing momentum against abortion restrictions nationwide to not only buoy his reelection bid in battleground states he won in 2020, but also to go on the offensive against Trump in states that the presumptive Republican nominee won four years ago. One of those states is Florida , where Biden lost to Trump by 3.3 percentage points.

On Tuesday, he chronicled increasing medical concerns for women in the two years since the Supreme Court ended federal abortion protections.

“There was one person who was responsible for this nightmare,” Biden said. “And he’s acknowledged it and he brags about it — Donald Trump .”

Biden said Trump, who has publicly waffled on his abortion views, and of late has said abortion is a matter for states to decide , is concerned voters will now hold him accountable.

“Folks, the bad news for Trump is that we are going to hold him accountable,” Biden said.

At the same time, advocates on the ground say support for abortion access cuts across parties. They’re intent on making the issue as nonpartisan as possible as they work to scrounge up at least 60% support from voters for the ballot initiative.

That could mean in some cases, Florida voters would split their tickets, backing GOP candidates while supporting the abortion measure.

“I think that normal people are aware that a candidate campaign is really different than a ballot initiative,” said Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for Floridians Protecting Freedom, which gathered signatures to put the abortion question before voters. “You can vote for your preferred candidate of any political party and still not agree with them on every single issue.”

Brenzel continued, “This gives voters an opportunity to have their message heard on one policy platform.”

On the same day the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the ballot measure could go before voters, it also upheld the state’s 15-week abortion ban. That subsequently cleared the way for the new ban on the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy, which is often before women know they are pregnant, to go into effect next week.

Organizers of the abortion ballot measure say they collected nearly 1.5 million signatures to put the issue before voters, although the state stopped counting at just under a million. Roughly 891,500 signatures were required. Of the total number of signatures, about 35% were from either registered Republican voters or those not affiliated with a party, organizers said.

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat, said if the abortion ballot initiative becomes branded as a partisan effort, “it just makes it more challenging to reach 60%.” Eskamani, who worked at Planned Parenthood before running for political office, said she is encouraging the Biden administration to focus broadly on the impact of a six-week ban and let the ballot measure speak for itself.

“At the end of the day, the ballot initiative is going to be a multimillion-dollar campaign that stands very strongly on its own,” Eskamani said.

Trump’s campaign did not respond to a question on whether the former president, a Florida voter, would oppose or support the ballot measure. In an NBC interview last September, Trump called Florida’s six-week ban “terrible.” But he has repeatedly highlighted the three conservative-leaning justices he chose for the high court who cleared the way to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

Republicans were dismissive of the Biden campaign and the broader Democratic Party’s efforts to use abortion as a political cudgel, arguing that other issues will matter more with voters in November.

“Biden must have forgotten that thousands of Americans have fled from extremist Democrat policies to prosperous and pro-life states like Florida,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley.

Still, Trump and other Republicans are aware that voter backlash against increasing restrictions could be a serious liability this fall.

Abortion-rights supporters have won every time the issue has been put before voters, including in solidly conservative states such as Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio. Last month, a Democrat in a suburban state House district in Alabama flipped the seat from Republican control by campaigning on abortion rights, weeks after in vitro fertilization services had been paused in the state.

Nikki Fried, the chairwoman of the state Democratic Party, said Florida will be a competitive state on the presidential level “because of the extremism that has come out of Florida.” No Democrat has won the state on the presidential level since 2012, but state party officials have found some glimmers of political change in vastly smaller races, such as the open Jacksonville mayor’s race last May that saw a Democrat win in what was once a solidly Republican city.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said at a news conference before the visit that the abortion amendment was written in a way to deliberately mislead voters, an argument that the state Supreme Court disagreed with when it approved the ballot language.

“All I can tell you is Floridians are not buying what Joe Biden is selling and in November we’re going to play an instrumental role in sending him back to Delaware where he belongs,” he said.

Associated Press writers Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.