OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is off to Europe next week to address the European Parliament and for a face-to-face meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Trudeau's office says he will travel to Strasbourg, France to address the European Parliament, which is expected to vote to ratify the Canada-EU free trade deal next week.
Trudeau's Berlin visit with Merkel, arguably Europe's most influential politician, comes as the EU tries to deal with the ascendance of Donald Trump and his protectionist, inward looking "America First" foreign policy.
Trudeau and Merkel will discuss "key foreign policy and commercial priorities" for Canada and Germany, says the Prime Minister's Office.
Trudeau will also travel to Hamburg, where he will be the guest of honour for the city's annual St. Matthew's Day banquet.
Merkel and Trudeau spoke by telephone in December after a truck driven by a Tunisian asylum seeker rammed a Christmas celebration in Berlin killing 12.
