President Biden underscored the partnership between the U.S. and Canada in an address to the Canadian Parliament, saying the two nations are bound by shared prosperity and values.
The address, which at times sounded like a campaign speech as Mr. Biden touted his environmental and economic initiatives, came Friday on his first trip to Canada as president. But the majority of his remarks focused on the closeness of the relationship between the U.S. and Canada.
“Americans and Canadians are two people, two countries, in my view, sharing one heart,” Mr. Biden said. “No two nations on Earth are bound by such close ties, friendship, family, commerce and culture.”
Mr. Biden’s remarks were part of a whirlwind day in Ottawa, which included a private meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The two leaders were also to participate in a joint news conference later, and Mr. Trudeau and his wife will host a gala dinner for Mr. Biden and first lady Jill Biden before they return to the U.S.
While Messrs. Trudeau and Biden have sometimes disagreed in the past, the two have largely worked closely together on issues such as climate, the economy and the war in Ukraine.
In his lengthy remarks to Parliament, Mr. Biden repeatedly affirmed that the ties between the U.S. and Canada go beyond a shared border.
“The United States chooses to link our future to Canada because we know we’ll find no better partner, no more reliable ally, no more steady friend,” Mr. Biden said. “And, today, I say to all the people of Canada, that you will always be able to count on the United States.”
Mr. Biden doubled down on his promise to work with Canada on issues such as combating fentanyl trafficking, improving the supply chain, promoting electrical vehicles and advancing the economy. He said the U.S. and Canada will partner later this year to send astronauts to the moon.
The remarks were peppered with a string of jokes as Mr. Biden made fun of his struggle to learn French in high school and joked that he was responsible for Americans’ favorable opinion of Canada. He joked about Canada’s favorite sport, hockey.
“I like your teams, except the Leafs,” Mr. Biden said of the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I’ll tell you why — they beat the [Philadelphia] Flyers back in January!”
Mr. Biden often jokes that his wife is a fan of the Philadelphia sports teams and he must root for the same teams.
The bilateral talks earlier Friday were more serious as Mr. Biden and Mr. Trudeau hammered out an agreement to stem the flow of asylum-seekers at the countries’ border. They also discussed concerns about China’s aggressiveness in the Indo-Pacific region and the war in Ukraine.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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