U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pose for members of the media as they arrive to visit with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau at Rideau Cottage, Thursday, March 23, 2023, in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Andrew Harnik
OTTAWA – U.S. President Joe Biden arrived on Parliament Hill Friday with a motorcade that was far larger than the crowd that gathered to see him.
His visit is a big enough draw for celebrities to come to the city, with a gaggle of arts and business personalities set to attend a dinner in his honour Friday night at the aviation museum.
But while large crowds lined the streets to greet the last president to visit Ottawa, Barack Obama, few were on site to welcome Biden. Instead, many commuters stayed home.
The lack of hoopla didn’t deter Jin Kim from travelling in from Toronto on Friday to see the president in person.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see even a glimpse of him,” said Kim. “We are very excited to be here.”
She travelled to town alongside volunteers from Korea and Chile who are part of the International Youth Fellowship. They said that as future leaders, they want to show the president support.
Only a handful of people were on the Hill for Biden’s arrival, a few of them holding a large sign that read: “Welcome to Canada.”
A single protester associated with the “Freedom Convoy,” which took over the area early last year as protesters demonstrated against COVID-19 measures and the federal Liberal government, stood in front of Parliament holding a Canadian flag.
It wasn’t all cheer on Friday morning. Some workers in the downtown core were asked to work from home if they could, and the few people roaming the streets before his motorcade’s arrival were trying to navigate roadblocks, some with frustration.
American university students visiting from Virginia expressed annoyance that the police made them change their scenic running route. They were unfazed by the fact of their own president being in town and the heavy security it brought.
Another pair of students from the University of Ottawa said they were grabbing a coffee downtown when they decided to spontaneously make their way to Parliament, one of them saying: “All presidents are cool in their own way.”
Friday was Biden’s second day in Ottawa, after he spent Thursday evening with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, snacking on the president’s well-known favourite food: ice cream.
Local store Moo Shu Ice Cream and Kitchen made toasted marshmallow & maple sugar ice cream, spun with chocolate for a chocolate chip effect.
The ice cream was officially dubbed Friend-chip Goals, commemorating the two nations’ unbreakable bond.
Some people had gathered on Ottawa streets to watch Biden’s motorcade arrive Thursday night.
Others took advantage in a different way, playing soccer on streets that were closed off and barricaded by police.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2023.
