Blinken heads to Canada for his first official visit

His itinerary, confirmed by the State Department, will include a face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa and a visit to a community center for Ukrainian refugees with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

A stopover in Montreal, where his Canadian counterpart, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, is from, has also been scheduled on the program where the duo will visit a Quebec lithium recycling plant.

It’s been nearly a month since Blinken hosted Joly in Washington, DC, for her second visit to the US capital since she was sworn in as Foreign Secretary a year ago.

Since that visit, the United States has released its updated Arctic Strategy, shaped by goals to both tackle climate change and spur economic growth.

« We look forward to continuing to work closely with Canada to make this a reality, » Blinken said of the country’s ambitions in the region.

Canada is the latest G-7 country to be visited by Blinken, having made several trips to Italy, Japan, France, the United Kingdom and Germany during his 21 months in office.

President Joe Biden has yet to visit Canada during his presidency, despite « ongoing discussions » over timing.