Joe Biden was welcomed Friday as a “great friend” to Canada for his first official visit to the country, which resulted in an agreement on irregular immigration, a delicate subject at the moment between the two neighbors and allies.
“It’s a great pleasure to have a great friend here,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said as he opened a bilateral meeting in the precincts of Parliament in Ottawa. The American president was then applauded several times during his speech to Canadian parliamentarians, in particular when he praised the commitment of the two countries to support Ukraine. The United States and Canada, he said, are “two peoples” who share “one heart.” And “in case of disagreement”, they endeavor to solve their problems “with friendship and good will”.
Fight against illegal crossings
The 80-year-old Democrat, between two jokes about hockey and the failure of his few years of learning French, has also announced an agreement on one of these sticking points: irregular immigration. Washington and Ottawa will “work together to discourage illegal crossings” of their shared border, a hotly debated topic in Canadian politics right now.
The American president also “welcomed” a commitment by Canada to regularly welcome 15,000 additional migrants from across the American continent. In the background of this announcement, the question of the “Roxham road”: a makeshift route by which approximately 40,000 migrants arrived from the United States in Quebec last year, bypassing the official entry points. .
Its closure is already worrying migrant aid organizations. “The impact on refugees in extreme danger is devastating. The result will be to push people either to attempt even more dangerous crossings in remote areas, or to push them towards smugglers”, lamented Julia Sande, of Amnesty International. The large numbers of arrivals last year have sparked heated political debate in Canada.
Accusations of laxity
The subject is also topical in the United States, in quite different proportions. In January, US authorities made more than 128,000 arrests for attempts to illegally enter US territory from Mexico, and the right-wing opposition is not missing an opportunity to accuse Joe Biden of laxity in the matter .
Another topic of discussion was Haiti, in the throes of extreme violence and a serious humanitarian crisis. A Canadian government source says he is expecting a “significant funding” announcement on Friday, possibly during Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau’s upcoming press conference on humanitarian aid and training for Haitian law enforcement .
The United States would also welcome Canada playing a leading role in sending an international force to the Caribbean country. Military spending is also up for debate, as Washington pushes for an effort by NATO members amid war in Ukraine and rising tensions with China. Ottawa is far from devoting 2% of its gross domestic product to its defense budget, the threshold set for the countries of the transatlantic alliance.
Announcements expected on the economy
The United States also wants a modernization of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad). Finally, the economy is an essential subject for the two neighbours.
Justin Trudeau, whose country is the United States’ largest foreign trade client, told parliament on Friday: “We will continue to work together to create jobs, build healthier and more sustainable economies and societies. .” The Canadian government source said it expects the joint press conference to see announcements on semiconductors and strengthening supply chains in North America.
