President Biden Visits Canada

“Working together with the U.S., we will advance a cross-border semiconductor manufacturing corridor, beginning with the signing of an arrangement between Canada and IBM to expand domestic research and development and advanced packaging of semiconductors,” said Trudeau.

Semiconductors enable advances in clean energy, communication, computing, and more, and “Canada has a vital role to play in the North American semiconductor ecosystem,” declared Trudeau. Canada’s investment of up to $250 million in this sector will also improve North American competitiveness and supply chain resiliency, help cut pollution, foster economic and national security, and create good middle-class jobs.

 

No two nations on earth are bound by such close ties of friendship, of family, of commerce, or of culture as the United States and Canada.

It was a pleasure sitting down with Prime Minister Trudeau to discuss strengthening our nations' shared prosperity and security. pic.twitter.com/aVpZoU5CuV

— President Biden (@POTUS) March 24, 2023

Irregular Migration

To address irregular migration, Canada announced,

“We are expanding the Safe Third Country Agreement to apply not only at designated ports of entry, but across the entire land border, including internal waterways, ensuring fairness and more orderly migration between our two countries. This change will come into effect at 12:01 A.M (EDT) on Saturday, March 25, 2023.”

Reporting on the new immigration process, PBS stated that “the measure aims to shut down a process that has enabled tens of thousands of immigrants from across the world to move between the two countries along a back road between New York state and Quebec.”

PBS explains that “It’s unclear how Roxham Road became a favorite route, but it’s just a taxi ride from where Interstate 87 approaches the Canadian border, and for southbound migrants, it’s a relatively short distance to New York City.”

According to PBS, the new policy states that any asylum seekers who lack U.S. or Canadian citizenship and are caught within 14 days of crossing will be sent back across the border. “It was set to take effect a minute after midnight Saturday, a quick implementation aimed at avoiding a surge of refugee claimants trying to cross,” reported PBS, adding that the agreement was immediately criticized by asylum advocates who declared that this new measure endangers the safety of asylum seekers by preventing them from getting needed support from both governments.

The new agreement will allow Canada to send migrants who cross at unofficial ports of entry at America’s northern border back to the U.S.

The U.S. will also be able to turn back asylum seekers who travel across the border from Canada.

Welcoming Migrants from the Western Hemisphere

As part of the immigration agreement, Canada also declared,

“We will welcome 15,000 migrants on a humanitarian basis from the Western Hemisphere over the course of the year, with a path to economic opportunities to address forced displacement, as an alternative to irregular migration.”

Protecting the Great Lakes

In both Canada and the U.S.,

“We recognize that to continue growing our economies and making sure people have the best opportunities to succeed, we have to take bold, ambitious action to fight climate change and protect more nature,” stated Trudeau.

To further protect the Great Lakes, “a source of pride for Canadians and Americans alike, Canada is investing an additional, historic $420 million, as part of our renewed joint commitment to preserving and restoring these iconic waters and ensuring the resiliency of the communities and people that depend on them.”

This Canadian investment builds on the 50 years of collaboration and continues fighting pollution and “protecting our waters.”

Together, the leaders also agreed to renew and accelerate their climate and nature commitments including cutting pollution from their respective electricity grids.

They also committed to advancing the conservation and environmental protection of the Arctic, in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, and continuing to work together to deliver clean air.

Protecting North America

Canada is also investing in protecting North America through the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The Prime Minister announced a $7.3 billion project to upgrade and build new fighter infrastructure to support the arrival of Canada’s new fleet of F-35 fighter jets and ensure Canada’s troops have the best equipment to defend North America. He also announced that the early warning Arctic Over the Horizon Radar (OTHR) and threat tracking system will be located in Southern Ontario, complementing a future system based in the Canadian High Arctic.

These Canadian systems will complement planned U.S. systems, in order to significantly expand situational awareness of potential threats to our continent. Funding for these projects comes from Canada’s $38.6 billion plan to modernize continental defense.

Infrastructure & Cyber Threats

The leaders also committed to deepen cooperation “to protect our critical infrastructure against cyber threats, improve intelligence sharing on cross-border fentanyl and precursor chemical trafficking, and reducing firearms violence through the Cross-Border Crime Forum.”

Haiti

To promote peace and security around the world, Canada is investing an additional $100 million to provide enhanced policing support and equipment to the Haitian National Police, to bolster Haitian-led solutions to the crisis and support peace and security.

Canada is also imposing additional sanctions on two more members of the Haitian elite, bringing the total of individuals directly sanctioned by Canada to 19, in addition to coordinated sanctions with Canada’s international partners. These sanctions will freeze the assets of former senator Nenel Cassy and businessman and former presidential candidate Steeve Khawly, and make them inadmissible to Canada.

Ukraine

The Prime Minister and the President reiterated their support for Ukraine and “condemned Russia’s illegal, brutal, and unprovoked aggression and acknowledged the long-term challenge to the international order posed by the People’s Republic of China.”

The leaders discussed cooperation to promote a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific, including through the U.S.-Canada Indo-Pacific Strategic Dialogue, which took place on March 10, and the President expressed support for Canada joining the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).

Quick Facts Summary

Source: Government of Canada

The Prime Minister made a series of new funding announcements, including:

• • Increasing investments to up to $250 million in the Canadian semiconductor industry;
  • Addressing irregular migration by expanding the Safe Third Country Agreement to unofficial ports of entry;
  • Investing $420 million in protecting and restoring the iconic Great Lakes;
  • Investing $100 million in additional equipment and support for the Haitian National Police to support peace and security in Haiti; and
  • Investing $7.3 billion in infrastructure to support the arrival of our F-35 fighter jets, from our $38.6 billion NORAD modernization plan, and confirming Southern Ontario will be the location for one of Canada’s early warning and threat tracking systems.

Excerpt

In his Address to the Canadian Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada President Biden recalled that Prime Minister Trudeau, was his first meeting with a foreign leader, “just one month after my presidency during the hardest days of COVID-19. We had to make a visit virtual, but since then, we’ve been all over the world…I want to thank you for your partnership and for your personal friendship.  I thank you very much.”

President Biden expressed gratitude for the hospitality he and the First Lady received in Canada, adding that the close ties are felt by both nations:

“Americans and Canadians are two people, two countries, in my view, sharing one heart.  It’s a personal connection. No two nations on Earth are bound by such close ties — friendship, family, commerce, and culture. Our labor unions cross borders.  So do our sports leagues:  baseball, basketball, hockey.  Listen to this: hockey! When you stop and think about it, it’s really a wonder.  5,525-mile-long border — more than 8,800 kilometers — defined by peaceful commerce. Trading relationships that measure more than $2.5 billion a day,” described President Biden.

“Every day, hundreds of thousands of people cross the borders, going north and south, to work or just to visit, knowing they’ll find a warm welcome on the other side of the border,” the President added.

“Americans love Canadians, and that’s not hyperbole.  It’s a data-driven fact. Earlier this week, the Gallup poll did a new poll showing American opinions on different countries in the world.  This is a fact. Canada ranked at the very top.  Eighty-eight percent favorability rating among Americans, up from eighty-seven the year before.  I take credit for that one point,” he laughed.

The President stated there’s a reason for it: “The same fundamental aspirations reverberated across both our nations, from the Atlantic to the Pacific.  To live in freedom, not just freedom but live in freedom with dignity.  To relentlessly pursue the possibilities of tomorrow.  To leave — leave our children and our grandchildren a future that’s better because of our efforts — the people in this room and a similar room in the United States.”