Barack Obama to address Canadian Parliament June 29 - Action News
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Barack Obama to address Canadian Parliament June 29

U.S. President Barack Obama will address a joint session of Parliament on June 29 and attend a Three Amigos leaders summit in Ottawa with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Address to coincide with 1st North American leaders summit in more than 2 years

Obama to address Canadian Parliament in June

8 years ago
Duration 1:22
U.S. president's address coincides with 1st North American leaders' summit in more than 2 years

U.S. President Barack Obama will attend a Three Amigos leaders summit in Ottawa and address a joint session of Parliament on June 29, the White House confirmed Wednesday.

Obamahad promisedto visit Canada during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's trip to Washington in Marchfor a state dinner, and now Mexican PresidentEnriquePenaNietois also expected to be in Ottawa for the summit that will immediatelyprecede Obama's address.

Gov. Gen.David JohnstonwillhostNietoat an official state dinner, which will be followed by an eventin his honour at the National Art Gallery. The Governor General's officeconfirmed the dates for Nieto's visit, June 27 to 29, in a statement Wednesday.

The meeting would be the first between Canada, the U.S.and Mexico in more than 2 years.

Parliamentarians will also have to stay in Ottawa longer than previously thought to hear Obama's speech, as the House of Commons wasexpected to rise for summer breakon June 23.The last U.S. president to address a joint session of Parliament was Bill Clinton in 1995.

Former prime minister Stephen Harperpostponed the last North American leaderssummitin January 2015 amid tensions over the Keystone XL pipeline,food labelling and a range of other issues.

PenaNieto'svisit to Ottawa is strictlydependent on Canada lifting its requirement that all Mexican visitors have a visa,a controversial measureput in placein 2009 to curb bogus asylum claims. Thatpolicyhasstrained relations between the two countriesand led theMexican ambassador to Canada to declare that he was"really mad"at the former Harpergovernment for the move.

CBC News has learned that there has been significant progress on this file since the Liberal government's election, something Trudeau promised last summer in the lead-up to the Oct. 19election campaign.

Foreign Affairs Minister Stphane Dionwas tasked by the prime ministerwith finding a solution to this problem in his ministerial mandate letter.

With files from the CBC's Chris Hall, Evan Dyer and Rob Russo