OTTAWA - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will join Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird in laying a wreath today at the National War Memorial in honour of two Canadian soldiers killed last week.
Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, whose funeral is being held in Hamilton, Ont., today, was fatally shot Wednesday while standing sentry at the National War Memorial before his attacker was himself killed in a shootout in the halls of the Parliamentary Buildings.
Two days earlier Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was killed and another soldier injured when they were struck by a car driven by an attacker with known jihadist sympathies.
Kerry is scheduled to arrive in Ottawa this morning, where he and Baird will discuss the Islamic State group, the situation in Ukraine and the issue of border management.
A news release says they are also supposed to discuss North American energy co-operation.
Kerry's department is leading the U.S. review into the Keystone XL pipeline project, where repeated delays have caused friction between the two national governments.
Canadian officials are quietly hoping Congress might force Kerry and the White House to approve the pipeline.
Later in the day, Baird will take Kerry on a private tour of Centre Block, the scene of the shootout with attacker Michael Zehaf Bibeau's last week, before they meet Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
