Obama casually joked about Canada-U.S. differences in his welcoming speech, saying there are some things the two nations will never agree on, such as “whose beer is better”, and “who’s better at hockey”.
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The measures – nearly two years behind schedule – are meant to help stem the flow of foreign fighters to conflicts in the Middle East.
The first course at the White House state dinner Thursday for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, will feature vegetables from an OH farm.
The initiative was to be expanded by June 30, 2014, to include information-sharing on all travellers crossing the land border.
Obama said the U.S. and Canada are steadfast allies and the closest of friends, and he can’t remember the last time Americans were so excited about the visit of a Canadian prime minister. The leaders plan to take questions at a news conference later in the morning. Many Canadian travellers – including several youngsters -have experienced airport delays when the names of people on security lists that are similar to their own turned up during check-in procedures. Supporters of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), which was headed by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, are much less anxious about the consequences of climate change, as are Republicans in the U.S. Meanwhile, followers of Trudeau’s Liberal Party in Canada and members of the New Democratic Party (a social-democratic party led by Tom Mulcair), are more concerned about climate change, much like political independents and Democrats in the U.S.
Strong diplomatic ties. US President Barack Obama meets Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on March 10, 2016 in Washington, DC.
Mr. Trudeau will be feted with an elaborate arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House at 9 a.m. EST.
Vivid greens and whites chosen to evoke the coming of spring will welcome Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to a White House state dinner in his honor Thursday, the first one in almost 20 years to celebrate U.S.-Canada relations.
“Where’s the Stanley Cup right now?”
Dinner will be served on the Obama state china service, which is trimmed in a shade of blue and was unveiled just previous year.
Trudeau points out that some of the top players on the team come from Canada.
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Trudeau will then have lunch hosted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the State Department before meeting with lawmakers from both parties later in the afternoon.
