Biden's First Bilateral Meeting Takes Place Later Today w/Canada's Trudeau

President Joe Biden will take part in his first bi-lateral virtual meeting today with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

• Biden has talked on the phone to numerous national leaders and participated in multilateral events such as last week's G7 videoconference, but this will be his first one-on-one virtual meeting with a national leader since taking office.
• Meeting due to start at 1600ET (2100GMT, 2200CET, 0500HKT) with a joint statement issued by Biden in person and Trudeau virtually at the White House at 1745ET (2245GMT, 2345CET, 0645HKT).
• Both leaders will be looking to improve relations after four years of ill will between US President Donald Trump and Trudeau, with their leadership styles and political stances (particularly on social issues) the polar opposite of one another. However, there is already a fly in the ointment, with Biden's swift cancellation of the USD8bn Keystone XL oil pipeline from Alberta to Nebraska, causing notable anger north of the border.
• However, the two are likely to share policy stances on issues such as climate change, China, and the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which should lead to a closer working relationship between Ottawa and Washington, D.C. in the years ahead.