United States presidential visits to Canada

Governor General Michaëlle Jean escorts President Barack Obama from Air Force One, in Ottawa, Ontario, during his February, 2009 presidential visit to Canada.

There have been thirty-seven United States presidential visits to Canada by twelve presidents over the past century. As the U.S. president is both head of state and head of government, these visits have taken many forms, ranging from formal state visits, to official visits, working visits, or private visits (or, as in the case of Franklin D. Roosevelt, personal vacations).

Since the first presidential visit, made by Warren G. Harding in 1923 (just a few weeks before his death), Canada has become one of the most common presidential international travel destinations. Since the Franklin Roosevelt Administration, only Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, never visited Canada while in office.[1] It has now become tradition that the first foreign visit made by a U.S. president should be to Canada; since 1981 every president except George W. Bush, whose first international trip was to Mexico, has chosen to do so. Seven presidents have addressed a joint session of the Canadian parliament, with Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan both speaking twice.

Table of visits

President Dates Locations Notes
Warren G. Harding July 26, 1923 Vancouver Official reception during return from Alaska,[2] hosted by British Columbia Premier John Oliver and Vancouver mayor Charles Tisdall.[3]
Franklin D. Roosevelt June 29 – July 1, 1933 Campobello Island Vacation.[4]
July 28-30, 1936 Campobello Island Vacation.[4]
July 31, 1936 Quebec City Official visit; met with Governor General John Buchan.[4]
August 18, 1938 Kingston Received honorary degree from Queen's University and together with Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, and the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Albert Edward Matthews, dedicated the Thousand Islands Bridge.[4]
August 14–16, 1939 Campobello Island,
Sydney		 Vacation.[4]
August 21–23, 1939 Halifax Stopped while returning to the United States.[4]
August 17–25, 1943 Quebec City
Ottawa		 Attended First Quebec Conference with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.[4] Addressed senators, Members of Parliament, and the general public outside the houses of parliament.[5]
September 11–16, 1944 Quebec City Attended Second Quebec Conference with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the Allied Combined Chiefs of Staff.[4]
Harry S. Truman June 10–12, 1947 Ottawa Official visit; met with the Governor General, the Earl of Athlone and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and addressed Parliament.[6]
Dwight D. Eisenhower November 13–15, 1953 Ottawa State visit; Met with Governor General Vincent Massey and Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent and addressed Parliament.[7]
July 8–11, 1958 Ottawa Informal visit; met with Governor General Vincent Massey and Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and addressed Parliament.[7]
June 26, 1959 Montreal Joined Queen Elizabeth II in ceremony opening the St. Lawrence Seaway.[7]
John F. Kennedy May 16–18, 1961 Ottawa State visit; met with Governor General Georges Vanier and Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and addressed Parliament.[8]
Lyndon B. Johnson September 16, 1964 Vancouver Informal visit; met with Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson in ceremonies related to the Columbia River Treaty.[9]
August 21–22, 1966 Campobello Island,
Chamcook		 Laid cornerstone at Roosevelt Campobello International Park and conferred informally with Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson.[9]
May 25, 1967 Montreal,
Ottawa		 Attended Expo 67, and met privately with the Governor General Roland Michener and Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson.[9]
Richard M. Nixon April 13–15, 1972 Ottawa State visit; met with Governor General Michener and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, addressed parliament,[10] and signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.[11]
Ronald Reagan March 10–11, 1981 Ottawa State visit; met with Governor General Edward Schreyer and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and addressed Parliament.[12]
July 19–21, 1981 Ottawa,
Montebello		 Attended 7th G7 summit with heads of state and government from Canada, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.[12]
March 17–18, 1985 Quebec City Met with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.[12] The meeting was commonly known as the Shamrock Summit.
April 4–6, 1987 Ottawa Official visit; met with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and addressed Parliament.[12]
June 19-21, 1988 Toronto Attended 14th G7 summit with heads of state and government from Canada, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.[12]
George H. W. Bush February 10, 1989 Ottawa Working visit; met with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.[13]
April 10, 1990 Toronto Informal meeting with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.[13]
March 13–14, 1991 Ottawa Met with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and signed an Air Quality Agreement.[13]
July 9, 1991 Toronto Informal meeting with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.[13]
Bill Clinton April 3–4, 1993 Vancouver Summit meeting with Russian President Boris Yeltsin; also met with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.[14]
February 23–24, 1995 Ottawa State visit; met with Governor General Roméo LeBlanc and Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and addressed Parliament.[14]
June 15–17, 1995 Halifax Attended 21st G7 summit with heads of state and government from Canada, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Also met with Russian President Yeltsin.[14]
November 23–25, 1997 Vancouver Attended APEC Summit meeting.[14]
October 7–8, 1999 Ottawa,
Mont-Tremblant		 Working visit. Met with Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard, attended Federalism Conference, and dedicated new American Embassy building.[14]
George W. Bush April 20–22, 2001 Quebec City Attended the 3rd Summit of the Americas.[15]
June 25–27, 2002 Kananaskis Attended the 28th G8 summit.[15]
November 30 –
December 1, 2004		 Ottawa,
Gatineau,
Halifax		 Delivered a speech at Pier 21 in Halifax, met with Prime Minister Paul Martin and conducted a series of other events.[15]
August 20–21, 2007 Montebello Attended the North American Leaders' Summit, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderón.[15]
Barack Obama February 19, 2009 Ottawa Working visit. Met with Governor General Michaëlle Jean and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.[16]
June 25–27, 2010 Huntsville,
Toronto		 Attended the 36th G8 summit and G-20 Summit Meeting.[16]
June 29, 2016 Ottawa State visit. Met with Governor General David Johnston and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and addressed Parliament. Attended the North American Leaders' Summit with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.

Dominion of Newfoundland

Prior to becoming a Canadian province in 1949, Newfoundland was a separate British dominion. President Franklin Roosevelt visited there twice. He vacationed at Bay of Islands and Bonne Bay on August 17-20, 1939. Two years later, August 9-12, 1941, he returned to Newfoundland, ostensibly for another vacation. In actuality, he conferred with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard ship (HMS Prince of Wales and USS Augusta) in Placentia Bay. At the conclusion of the conference they issued the Atlantic Charter.[4][17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Presidential visits to Canada". Toronto Sun. 17 February 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  2. ↑ "Travels of President Warren G. Harding". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
  3. ↑ "Warren G. Harding & Stanley Park". The History of Metropolitan Vancouver.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Travels of President Franklin D. Roosevelt". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
  5. ↑ Parliament of Canada. "Heads of States and of Governments who have addressed Joint Sessions of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Travels of President Harry S. Truman". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
  7. 1 2 3 "Travels of President Dwight D. Eisenhower". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
  8. ↑ "Travels of President John F. Kennedy". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
  9. 1 2 3 "Travels of President Lyndon B. Johnson". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
  10. ↑ "Travels of President Richard M. Nixon". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
  11. ↑ National Research Council (U.S.); Royal Society of Canada (1985). The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement: an evolving instrument for ecosystem management. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. p. 22.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Travels of President Ronald Reagan". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Travels of President George H. W. Bush". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "Travels of President William J. Clinton". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Travels of President George W. Bush". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
  16. 1 2 "Travels of President Barack Obama". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
  17. ↑ Gratwick, Harry (2009). Penobscot Bay: People, Ports & Pastimes. The History Press. p. 72.
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