The Prime Minister and the President of the United States have held their first bilateral meeting since Joe Biden took office in Washington. In a release from the Prime Minister’s Office, the two were said to have discussed working together to end the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The two leaders are said to have discussed the importance of avoiding measures that may constrain the critical trade and supply-chain security between our countries. Both leaders pledged support to hard-hit small and medium-sized businesses.

They also discussed addressing all forms of systemic racism, discrimination, and exclusion, including by implementing more effective approaches to community safety, criminal justice, and law enforcement.

Prime Minister Trudeau and President Biden claimed a shared commitment to fighting climate change while growing the economy and creating good jobs. The two announced that they will launch a High Level Climate Ministerial to align policies and goals to tackle the climate crisis.

The PMO also says the Prime Minister highlighted that our integrated energy infrastructure, including oil and gas, would remain essential during a transition to a net-zero emissions future.

They also discussed important defence and security issues, including modernizing NORAD, as well as NATO missions, cyber security threats, and firearms.

The leaders also discussed China. President Biden affirmed his country’s commitment to ending the arbitrary detention of two Canadian citizens, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.