Justin Trudeau says US leadership 'sorely missed' during first bilateral meet with Biden

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised US President Joe Biden for rejoining the Paris Climate accord during their bilateral meeting on Tuesday. While Biden called Canada ‘closest friend’ of the United States in his first bilateral meeting as the President, Trudeau said that “US leadership has been sorely missed over the past years.”

Canadian Prime Minister added, “And I have to say as we were preparing the joint rollout of the communique on this, it’s nice when the Americans are not pulling out all the references to climate change and instead adding them in.”

Trudeau and Biden met for the first time virtually from the Roosevelt Room at the White House and the Ottawa office because of the COVID-19 pandemic. US President returned Trudeau’s compliment saying “The United States has no closer friend, no closer friend than Canada.” Both leaders talked with each other for about two hours and assured that they planned to work closely together to beat the COVID-19 pandemic along with combatting climate change. Trudeau and Biden also reiterated the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. 

Justin Trudeau said in a statement following the meeting, “Canada and the United States have an extraordinary relationship that transcends geographic borders. It is in our best interest to work together to make things better for our people and both our countries.”

“Today’s meeting with President Biden further strengthens our two countries’ strong and historic ties. I look forward to continue working together to end COVID-19, and build back better to grow the middle class and create good jobs,” he added.

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'We Recognise our responsibility'

US President Joe Biden following the meet said, "We both recognise our responsibility, as leading democracies, to defend our shared values around the world and to strengthen our own democracies at home. That means rooting out systemic racism and unconscious bias from our institutions and our laws, as well as our hearts"

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