WASHINGTON — The best of America's spring produce, with a little help from some Canadian whisky, will feature heavily on the menu for the state dinner Thursday night to mark Justin Trudeau's first prime ministerial visit to the U.S.
The first course at the White House will see the Trudeaus and the Obamas dine on Alaskan halibut "casseroles" with cepes, delicate angel hair asparagus, chanterelles, baby onions, and lardon and herbed butter; followed by roasted apricot galette with Appalachian cheese, heirloom lettuces and pine nut crisps.
The menu says the state dinner features ingredients from the Pacific Northwest to the Atlantic coast.
"With a mindfulness to the coming of spring, White House executive chef Cris Comerford and executive pastry chef Susie Morrison will present dishes highlighting elements of the season and the best of America’s farms and seas," says the menu.
"One of our canapes is actually a duck poutine," said Comerford as he described Hudson River duck shaved on fries with gravy and cheese.
"So it's kind of like a take on a wonderful national dish of Canada. It's a play on that dish."
The vegetables for the first course come from a farm in Ohio and the herbed butter is sourced from Michelle Obama’s White House kitchen garden.
The first course also features a first.
"This will be served in individual tureens from the Obama State China service; this occasion is the first time these tureens have been used."
The cheese from the second course comes from Galax, Va.
"With sweet and salty, and soft and crunchy, all in one dish, the salad has a wonderful juxtaposition of flavours and textures," says the menu.
The main course consists of a herb-crusted lamb from Colorado, Yukon Gold potato dauphinoise and lightly sauteed spring vegetables.
"As a finishing touch, the dish is drizzled with Yukon Jack Canadian Whisky," reads the menu.
Dessert continues the spring theme as the chefs plan to serve a maple pecan cake with cocoa nib wafer and butterscotch swirl ice cream. The pecans in the cake are Texan and the maple syrup comes from New England.
There will also be a handmade sugar sculpture called "A View from the Mountain Top." The menu says it is "inspired by the splendour of the Rocky Mountains, which extend from New Mexico to Canada."
There will be a variety of pastries "with American and Canadian influences, the display depicts a dramatic landscape surrounded by stunning wilderness, forested basins, and lush valleys mirrored with turquoise waters." Included in this design are cranberry squares, white chocolate snowballs, golden raisin tarts, fleur de sel caramels, and chocolate coconut slices.
Three wines will be served: Pence Chardonnay “Sebastiano” 2013 with the second course; Cliff Lede “High Fidelity” 2012 with the main course; and Chateau Chantal Ice Wine 2013 with dessert.
Trudeau's visit marks the 11th state or official visit of Barack Obama's presidency but the first for a Canadian in 19 years.
Denison Offut, director for North American affairs at the National Security Council, said he didn't know whether the occasion would be Obama's last state dinner. But he acknowledged a "natural synergy" between the two leaders.
"The leaders are progressive, forward-looking, and have very similar common values and agendas," he said. "Regardless of who's been the prime minister or the president, there's always been a strong tie."
The state dinner will be held in the East Room of the White House, followed by a performance by singer and writer Sara Bareilles, a five time Grammy nominee, in the State Dining Room.
The floral design is being done by the White House's chief floral designer, and also reflects the spring theme.
"Signifying new growth and inspired by the flourishing of a new season, the East Room will dazzle in vivid greens and whites," says the menu. "Row upon row of blooming orchids, hydrangeas, and amaranth will be featured in the Grand Foyer and Cross Hall to represent the majestic rivers and tributaries that flow between our two countries."
B.C. PREMIER CHEERS CANADA-U.S.. MOVES TO NEGOTIATE SOFTWOOD LUMBER PACT
VICTORIA — British Columbia Premier Christy Clark says she's pleased that Canada and the United States are working to resolve a long-standing trade issue over softwood lumber exports.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama say they expect to resolve the issue.
The trade pact expired last year and both countries have accused each other of not being willing to start new negotiations.
Clark says a renegotiated softwood trade agreement has been one of B.C.'s top priorities with the federal Liberals, who were elected last fall.
The 2006 agreement that regulated Canadian softwood exports to the U.S. ended five years of court battles and returned $4 billion in duties collected by the U.S. on Canadian producers.
B.C. is Canada's largest producer of softwood lumber, with annual lumber exports to the U.S. at about $3 billion.
JUST WHAT WAS SAID: REMARKS BY OBAMA, TRUDEAU
WASHINGTON — A text of some remarks by U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before their bilateral meeting in the White House:
OBAMA: Good morning, everybody. Bonjour. On behalf of the American people, on behalf of Michelle and myself, it is my honour to welcome to the United States Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mrs. Gregoire-Trudeau, their beautiful children, and the quite good-looking Canadian delegation.
It's long been said that you can choose your friends, but you cannot choose your neighbours. Well, by virtue of geography, the United States and Canada are blessed to be neighbours.
And by choice, we are steadfast allies and the closest of friends. The truth is, though, we don't express this enough, in part because of our national characters. Our Canadian friends can be more reserved, more easygoing. We Americans can be a little louder, more boisterous. And as a result, we haven't always conveyed how much we treasure our alliance and our ties with our Canadian friends. And that's why today we are very proud to welcome the first official visit by a Canadian Prime Minister in nearly 20 years. It's about time, eh?
And what a beautiful day it is, which is a little unfair. As president, my very first foreign trip was to Canada — to Ottawa in February, in the snow. Still, our friends from the Great White North gave me a very warm welcome. Mr. Prime Minister, we hope to reciprocate some of that warmth today, with your first official visit south of the border.
We're joined today by proud Canadian-Americans. We are family. And this is also a special day for the many Canadians who live and work here in America and who enrich our lives every day. We don't always realize it, but so often, that neighbour, that coworker, that member of the White House staff, some of our favourite artists and performers — they're Canadian! They sneak up on you.
Even as we remember what makes us unique, Americans and Canadians, we see ourselves in each other. We're guided by the same values, including our conviction that the blessings we cherish as free people are not gifts to be taken for granted but are precious freedoms that have to be defended anew by every generation.
Americans and Canadians, our brave men and women in uniform, have paid the price together across a century of sacrifice, from the poppy fields of Flanders to the rugged mountains of Afghanistan. As NATO allies, we stand united against terrorism and for the rights of nations like Ukraine to determine their own destiny. As leaders at the United Nations, we stand up for peace and security and the human rights of all people.
Our shared values also guide us at home. I'm proud to be the first American president to stand with a Canadian prime minister and be able to say that — in both our nations — health care is not a privilege for a few but is now a right for all. And as two vast and vibrant societies, we reaffirm that our diversity is our strength — whether your family was among the first native peoples to live on these lands or refugees we welcomed just yesterday. Whether you pray in a church or a synagogue, or a temple, or a mosque. Where, no matter what province or state you live in, you have the freedom to marry the person that you love.
Now, I don't want to gloss over the very real differences between Americans and Canadians. There are some things we will probably never agree on: Whose beer is better? Who's better at hockey?
(Comment and laughter from audience)
TRUDEAU: Don't get me started.
OBAMA: Where's the Stanley Cup right now?
I'm sorry. Is it in my hometown with the Chicago Blackhawks? In case you were wondering. In case you Canadians were wondering, where is it?
And this visit is special for another reason. Nearly 40 years ago, on another March morning, another American president welcomed another Canadian prime minister here to the White House. That day, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau said that the United States is "Canada's best friend and ally." And one of the reasons, he said, is that we have "a common outlook on the world." Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau carries on this work.
Mr. Prime Minister, your election and the first few months in office have brought a new energy and dynamism not only to Canada but to the relationship between our nations. We have a common outlook on the world, and I have to say, I have never seen so many Americans so excited about the visit of a Canadian prime minister.
So with this visit, I believe that the United States and Canada can do even more together — even more to promote the trade and economic partnerships that provide good jobs and opportunities for our people. Even more to ensure the security that so many Americans and Canadians count on so that they can live in safety and freedom. Even more to protect our countries and our communities — especially in the Arctic — from climate change, just as we acted together at Paris to reach the most ambitious agreement in history to fight climate change. And guided by our values, we can do even more together to advance human development around the world — from saving a child from a preventable disease to giving a student in Africa electricity to study by — because, as Americans and Canadians, we believe in the inherent dignity of every human being.
As always, our work as nations remains rooted in the friendship between our peoples, and we see that every day in communities along our shared border. Up in Hyder, Alaska, folks head across the border to celebrate Canada Day, and folks in Stewart, B.C., come over for the Fourth of July. At the baseball diamond in Coutts, Alta., if you hit a home run, there's a good chance the ball will land in Sweetgrass, Mont. And up where Derby Line, Vermont meets Stanstead, Que., Americans and Canadians come together at the local library where the border line literally runs right across the floor. A resident of one of these border towns once said, we're two different countries, but we're like one big town and "people are always there for you."
So, Prime Minister Trudeau — Justin, Sophie — to all our Canadian friends — we are two different countries, but days like this remind us that we're like one big town. And we reaffirm that Americans and Canadians will always be there for each other. Welcome to the United States. Bienvenue, mes amis.
TRUDEAU: Mr. President, First Lady, distinguished guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for this extraordinary welcome. Thank you so much for inviting Sophie and me and, through us, all of Canada to join with you on this spectacular morning. Thank you very much. Sophie and I, along with our entire delegation, are honoured and touched by your magnificent hospitality, and by the reinforcement of just how powerful you are, Mr. President, to organize such a perfect day for us.
You may recall that our government was elected on a plan to strengthen the middle class. We have an ambitious innovation agenda as we realize that revitalizing our economy will require investing in new ideas and new technologies. Our plan will foster emerging industries, create good jobs, and increase our global competitiveness. That was the Canadian plan, and of course it very much resembles the challenges and the solutions that you've been putting forward here south of the border — a plan to invest in our country and invest in our people; and it's wonderful to see that our American friends and partners share and are working on the exact same objectives.
See, as our leading trading partner and closest ally, the relationship between our two countries has always been vital. As an exporting nation, Canada is always eager to work closely to reduce trade barriers between our countries — and speaking of exports, we know with certainty that there's a high demand for Canadian goods down here. A few that come to mind that President Obama just rightly recognized as being extraordinary contributors to the American success story is Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Patrick Sharp of the Chicago Blackhawks.
We've faced many challenges over the course of our shared history; and while we have agreed on many things and disagreed on a few others, we remain united in a common purpose — allies, partners, and friends as we tackle the world's great challenges. Whether we're charting a course for environmental protection, making key investments to grow our middle class, or defending the rights of oppressed peoples abroad, Canada and the United States will always collaborate in partnership and good faith. The history may be complex, but the bottom line is clear. There is no relationship in the entire world like the Canada-U.S. relationship.
Our great countries have been friends a long time. We grew up together. And like all great enduring friendships, at our best, we bring out the best in one another. And through it all, our enormous shared accomplishments speak for themselves — prosperous, free, diverse societies that have shaped history together.
We could not be prouder of that past. And on behalf of 36 million Canadians, I thank you all for your warm welcome. Now let's get to work on shaping our shared future.
Merci beaucoup.
U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA TO ADDRESS PARLIAMENT DURING SUMMER VISIT TO CANADA
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama says he will address Parliament during an upcoming visit to Canada that will coincide with a North American summit meeting later this year.
Obama made the remarks during a lengthy joint news conference in Washington following a meeting with visiting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The visit will be part of a so-called Three Amigos summit meeting to take place in June between Trudeau, Obama and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.
Additional details were not immediately available.
During their meeting, the two leaders discussed plans for deals to co-operate on climate change, the Arctic and the shared Canada-U.S. border.
They have agreed to new steps to curb methane gas emissions; co-ordinate with aboriginal peoples in Arctic development; and support cleaner energy.
Earlier, a relaxed-looking Obama welcomed Trudeau and wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau to the White House on Thursday with some friendly gibes about two of the northern nation's favourite subjects.
Canada and the United States are blessed to be neighbours, allies and the closest of friends, Obama said — even if they may disagree from time to time about things like decent beer and hockey dominance.
"It's long been said that you can choose your friends but you cannot choose your neighbours," Obama said, a surrounded by a crowd of hundreds of onlookers, many of them of Canadian heritage.
"Well, by virtue of geography, the United States and Canada are blessed to be neighbours and by choice we are steadfast allies and the closest of friends."
Obama referenced an official visit by Trudeau's prime-minister father Pierre a generation ago, and said Americans don't always express their appreciation for their Canadian allies.
"Our Canadian friends can be more reserved, more easy-going. We Americans can be a little louder, more boisterous and, as a result, we haven't always conveyed how much we treasure our alliance and our ties with our Canadian friends."
Nor do both sides often agree about who makes the best beer or has the better hockey skills, Obama said, citing his hometown Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks as evidence.
For good measure, Obama threw in a few Canadianisms, opening his remarks with '"Bonjour" and joking at one point that it's been nearly 20 years since a Canadian prime minister was welcomed with a state dinner: "It's about time, eh?"
And he acknowledged that Canada is an ever-present fixture in U.S. life, whether Americans know it or not.
"We don't always realize it, but so often that neighbour, that co-worker, that member of the White House staff, some of our favourite artists and performers, they're Canadian. They sneak up on you."
Trudeau's response, save for crediting Obama with the weather and a pointed reminder about the Canadian star power on the Blackhawks lineup, was decidedly more formal.
"We've faced many challenges over the course of our shared history, and while we have agreed on many things and disagreed on a few others, we remain united in a common purpose," Trudeau said.
"Whether we're charting a course for environmental protection, making key investments to grow our middle class or defending the rights of oppressed peoples abroad, Canada and the United States will always collaborate in partnership and good faith."
He added: "There is no relationship in the entire world like the Canada-U.S. relationship."
Afterward, the two leaders returned inside for a meeting where they are expected to discuss plans for deals to co-operate on climate change, the Arctic and the shared Canada-U.S. border.
A U.S. statement said the leaders have already agreed to new steps to curb methane gas emissions; co-ordinate with aboriginal peoples in Arctic development; and support cleaner energy.
"To set us on an ambitious and achievable path, the leaders commit to reduce methane emissions by 40-45 per cent below 2012 levels by 2025 from the oil and gas sector, and explore new opportunities for additional methane reductions," the statement said.
Obama acknowledged the impact Trudeau has had even in the short few months since the federal Liberals were elected last October.
"Your election and first few months in office have brought a new energy and dynamism not only to Canada but to the relationship between our nations," he said.
"We have a common outlook on the world, and I have to say I have never seen so many Americans excited about the visit of a Canadian prime minister."
People — many of them with a personal connection to Canada — were invited by the White House to watch the ceremony, and they acknowledged an unusual level of interest in Trudeau.
Liz Siddle, an expat who's lived in Washington for years, said the new Canadian leader is a frequent topic of conversation among her U.S. colleagues.
"He comes up all the time," said Siddle, showing her colours with a red Canadian scarf. "As soon as he was elected, Americans were saying, 'Oh, your new PM' — I don't think they knew who the old PM was."
Brian Tham, another Canadian expat, was wearing a Team Canada hockey jersey.
"It comes up in a way that it never did under the Harper government," Tham said.
"Nobody talked about Stephen Harper in D.C., in his 10 years. As soon as (Trudeau) was elected, he was part of the conversation. People talk, 'Hey, what do you think of the new (PM)?' Obviously he's very good-looking, he's very exciting, he's very progressive. And that plays really well in D.C."
Thursday's welcome included a military band, a fife-and-drum contingent in Revolutionary War garb and an honour guard, with hundreds of people gathered in a scene unlike any that has greeted a Canadian prime minister in recent political memory.
They basked in unseasonable warmth under crystal-clear blue skies while a military brass band set the mood on the lawn facing the National Mall. The cherry blossoms were beginning to pop, a familiar symbol of a Washington spring.
The building, an icon of presidential power, was decked out in Canadian and U.S. flags up to the balconies of the famous columns of the portico.
After a midday news conference, Trudeau goes for lunch at the State Department. In the afternoon he'll meet with lawmakers from both parties.
The day ends with the first White House State dinner for a Canadian leader in 19 years. Trudeau will dine in the mansion's East Room, where his father was serenaded by Robert Goulet at an after-party for his own first state dinner here in 1969.
The three-day trip ends Friday with a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, a speech, and a town hall-type forum with university students.
OBAMA, TRUDEAU FURTHER SOME ARCTIC GOALS BUT MISS OTHERS: EXPERTS
Arctic experts say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama have pushed forward some long-held goals for the region.
But they also say the two leaders have missed chances to move on important issues.
Trudeau and Obama have called for a binding international treaty to block commercial fishing in the Arctic until there's enough information on stocks to manage them sustainably.
The two leaders also say their countries will work to develop low-impact shipping lanes and that development decisions will be made on sound science and with aboriginal consultation.
But there's been no mention of heavy fuel oil, which is responsible for much of the black carbon speeding the melt of snow and sea ice in the Arctic.
Micheal Byers, a professor of international law at the University of British Columbia, says the agreements show that Canada is signing on to the U.S. agenda for the Arctic.
CANADA, U.S. TO MOVE AHEAD WITH LONG-DELAYED BORDER INFO SHARING PLANS
OTTAWA — U.S. President Barack Obama says the United States and Canada will proceed with full implementation of long-planned systems to track border entry and exit information from travellers.
The measures — almost two years behind schedule — are intended to help stem the flow of foreign fighters to conflicts in the Middle East.
During a news conference at the White House, Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced plans to share more no-fly list information and to move ahead with planned customs pre-clearance initiatives.
For the moment, the border tracking system — promised in 2001 as part of the perimeter security pact — involves exchanging entry information collected from people at the land border, so that data on entry to one country serves as a record of exit from the other.
The first two phases of the program have been limited to foreign nationals and permanent residents of Canada and the United States, but not citizens of either country.
The initiative was to be expanded by June 30, 2014, to include information-sharing on all travellers crossing the land border.
In addition, Canada had planned to begin collecting information on people leaving by plane — something the United States already does — by requiring airlines to submit passenger manifest data for outbound international flights.
During the news conference, Obama said the countries would "uphold the privacy and civil liberties of our respective citizens" as they proceed with the entry-exit system and greater sharing of no-fly list information.
Trudeau said the countries would establish a working group in the next 60 days on how to resolve errors of identity on no-fly lists. Many Canadian travellers — including several youngsters — have experienced airport delays when the names of people on security lists that are similar to their own turned up during check-in procedures.
PIERRE AND MARGARET TRUDEAU MADE A SPLASH ON THEIR WHITE HOUSE VISITS
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits Washington this week for the first state dinner for a Canadian leader in almost 20 years. His father, the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was invited to Washington many times during his tenure as prime minister, and he and Margaret Trudeau made a splash.
RICHARD NIXON HOSTS PIERRE TRUDEAU AMID TRUDEAUMANIA IN 1969
Pierre Trudeau swept to power in 1968 on a wave of support called "Trudeaumania." The charming, flamboyant Trudeau embraced progressive ideals in the revolutionary 1960s. President Richard Nixon noted the intense interest in Trudeau during his speech at a state dinner at the White House, saying that "you have been for your own people a very exciting personality."
Trudeau, who flashed intelligence and wit, provided one of the most famous lines in Canadian history at the National Press Club when he offered his take on sharing a continent with the United States. "Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant," he said. "No matter how friendly and even-tempered the beast, one is affected by every twitch and grunt."
NIXON INSULTS TRUDEAU AT WHITE HOUSE VISIT IN 1971
Nixon insulted Trudeau to aides in now-famous, privately tape-recorded conversations before and after his meeting with Trudeau at the White House in 1971. After the meeting, Nixon calls Trudeau a "pompous egghead." Trudeau responded to that and other reported Nixon insults by later saying, "I have been called worse things by better people."
MARGARET TRUDEAU CAUSES STIR WITH SHORT DRESS AT STATE DINNER
At a White House state dinner hosted by new President Jimmy Carter in 1977, Margaret Trudeau made headlines by wearing a dress that ended about two inches below the knee. First Lady Rosalynn Carter and other women wore floor-length gowns. Margaret also had a run in her pantyhose that made it appear racy.
In her memoir "Changing her Mind," Margaret described reading a newspaper that said she had "insulted the American public in general and Mrs. Carter in particular by being improperly dressed." She responded by wearing a very short, skin-tight dress the next night when they hosted the Carters at a dinner in Washington.
MARGARET TRUDEAU PINES FOR TED KENNEDY WHILE HER HUSBAND GIVES SPEECH
Margaret Trudeau wrote in her memoir that she had a romance with Senator Ted Kennedy. During the 1977 visit to Washington, she sat listening to her husband's speech before Congress while feeling "torn between an intense need for him and a longing for Ted Kennedy."
She later arranged a "discreet meeting with Teddy" in his office, where they drank wine. Margaret said she became infatuated with Kennedy after meeting him a few years earlier. She told Kennedy that he "had not destroyed my marriage but that I had used him to help me destroy a marriage that was already over."
Just weeks later Margaret, who had then-undiagnosed mental illness, left her husband to party with the Rolling Stones in Toronto. The marriage ended soon after that.
PIERRE TRUDEAU CALLS PENTAGON OFFICIALS "PIPSQUEAKS" IN 1983 VISIT
After an official in President Ronald Reagan's administration disparaged Pierre Trudeau's attempts to spur arms-reduction talks with the Soviets as "akin to pot-induced behaviour by an erratic leftist," and after anonymous U.S. defence officials dismissed his peace attempts, Trudeau brushed aside the comments as coming from Pentagon "pipsqueaks" a day before his visit to the White House.
