OTTAWA—Canada will always be able to count on its neighbour to the south, said U.S. President Joe Biden in his address to a joint session of Parliament in the House of Commons on March 24.
The president was warmly received by parliamentarians and received a number of standing ovations as he spoke about the strength of the relationship between the two countries and the potential they have for working together.
“We can do anything,” Biden said near the end of his speech.
He emphasized that the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act—the “single largest investment in all of human history”—has enormous opportunities for Canada with items such as tax credits for electric vehicles built in Canada.
Biden said he’s a pro-union president and added that dealing with environmental-related issues creates thousands of union jobs.
He also welcomed Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor who were in attendance at the speech. Known as the “two Michaels,” they were arbitrarily detained in China for over 1,000 days in retaliatation for Canada’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou for fraud at the behest of Washington.
Biden did not address China specifically, though he did indicate it was on his mind when he accidentally said “China” instead of “Canada” at one point in the speech.
He recounted an anecdote about talking with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He told Xi that if he had to define America in one word, it would be “possibilities.”
Prior to Biden’s speech, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke about the Canada-U.S. relationship.
“You are a true friend to Canada,” he said to Biden.
Trudeau’s comments focused on his view of how the economy, climate, and security are all interwoven.
The March 23-24 visit marked Biden’s first in-person visit since becoming U.S. president.
Canada and the United States share the longest land border in the world, close to 9,000 kilometres. The two neighbours also have 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.
More to come