Of course, it was snowing.
But that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the thousands who gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to greet Barack Obama as he arrived in Canada for his first visit to a (sort of) foreign nation as President.
Air Force One touched down at the Ottawa airport at 10:30 EST, where President Obama was welcomed by Governor-General Michaelle Jean, Canada's head of state. After a private meeting with Jean, Obama's limo (flown up specially for the visit) took a twenty-minute drive down closed roads to Parliament Hill for a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He was also welcomed by over two thousand citizens and visitors, some of whom spent over two hours waiting in snowy weather for a glimpse of President Obama despite repeated warnings that there would be no photo opportunities and no public appearances. However, President Obama was gracious enough to greet the crowds, standing with Prime Minister Harper and waving to the crowd for ten seconds or so.
(Note: No implied criticism in there at all, believe me. We were all warned that this was a working meeting, not a public relations appearance -- the gesture was a truly warm and unplanned acknowledgement of his welcome by the Canadian people. The crowds were immensely grateful, too.)
President Obama then signed the parliamentary visitors' books and retired with Prime Minister Harper into the Prime Minister's Office, where they met privately for 33 minutes. (Interesting note: usually the ambassadors of the respective countries are present for that first "getting to know you" meeting -- Harper and Obama dispensed with that and met without any other aides present.) They then met with various other officials for a working lunch, where they discussed economic growth, Afghanistan and environmental policy.
The major policy news to come out of the meeting is the pledge to develop a "clean energy dialogue" between Canada and the United States, the first step in a proposed North American climate change agreement. According to the CBC, the agreement includes development of clean energy technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as the development of a "smart grid" power distribution system.
President Obama also took the opportunity to praise Canada's commitment to efforts to stabilize Afghanistan, noting that Canada is shouldering a large part of the NATO burden at the moment (especially when considered on a per capita basis) and extending his thanks for our efforts.
Economic strategies were also discussed. Canada and the United States are each other's largest trading partners, so efforts to ensure continued ease of trade between our two countries is of paramount importance. Both Obama and Harper expressed their support for continued trade and warned against the tendency during harsh economic times for countries to turn inwards and become more protectionist. Both offered reassurances that healthy trade and co-operative economic policies between Canada and the U.S. were important and necessary to the success of both leaders' economic stimulus plans.
There was then a relatively brief press conference (2 questions each for American and Canadian reporters, but I missed it because I had a counselling session. :) ).
President Obama then took a quick unscheduled detour to visit the Byward market in downtown Ottawa, indulge in a beavertail and buy some maple-leaf-shaped cookies for Sasha and Malia.
He then returned to the airport for a half-hour meeting with Michael Ignatieff, Canada's official Leader of the Opposition. Ignatieff was once a professor at Harvard Law School and has personal ties to several of Obama's cabinet members (most notably with Richard Holbrooke and Lawrence Summers). Following the meeting with Ignatieff, Obama met with staff and family members from the U.S. embassy in Ottawa, then climbed aboard Air Force One and returned to Washington.
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Fun facts and personal observations:
- The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation prides itself on the unflappability and even temper of its on-air reporters. That's why it was hilarious to see the usually phlegmatic CBC on-air staff getting (frankly) giddy over the prospect of seeing President Obama. If I didn't know better, I'd think they were all a little tipsy. One of the reporters, stationed by the roadside to provide commentary on the motorcade driving by, actually
squealed "Ohhhh, I saw him!" just after Obama's limo drove past her. It would be like Walter Cronkite pausing his commentary on the moon landing to talk about how sexy Neil Armstrong was. :)
- I have a whoooole new appreciation for everyone on Dkos who kept saying `Wow, it`s nice to have an articulate president again!` It`s really nice to have a president visit who actually bothered to learn about Canadian concerns and tried to find common ground, as opposed to an arrogant president who came North very infrequently, and when he did he dictated instead of negotiating. Refreshing. Thanks, folks.
- He should bring Michelle and the girls next time. We would love to see them, too.
- The CBC will be mentioning the word `beavertail` in every story about Obama for the next six months. As a matter of fact, I expect parliament will debate whether a beavertail stimulus could save the Canadian economy sometime next week.
- There has been a huge resurgence of hope and engagement here in Canada over President Obama`s visit. During Bush`s occupation of the White House, Canada-U.S relations were more strained than they have been since Nixon-Trudeau in the late sixties -- trade disputes, the Canadian decision not to enter Iraq, border and immigration policy differences, it`s an extensive list. Today, however, from the love shown to Obama by the Canadian public, to the broad smiles on the faces of both Canadian and American officials during and after the meetings, to Obama`s declaration of love for Canada at the press conference, relations seem to have done more than thaw. There`s a full-scale spring melt going on, which bodes well for both of our nations. Life is better when we`re close friends rather than reluctant colleagues.
Update: Here's a link to the CBC's photo gallery of Obama's visit.