Trudeau snubs Trump, declines White House invitation

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Canadian Politics, Headlines Wednesday, July 8th, 2020

(NNP) Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has declined an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to attend a scheduled meeting at the White House with the visiting Mexican president, Andre Manual Lopez Obrador. The meeting is to discuss the newly constituted USMCA tri-lateral trade treaty, that replaced NAFTA which had been in effect since January 1, 1994.

A statement from Trudeau’s office stated that the prime minister will be in Ottawa, the Canadian capital, for scheduled meetings with his cabinet and the long-awaited sitting of parliament that was interrupted by pandemic concerns. It read “We wish the United States and Mexico well at Wednesday’s meeting. While there were recent discussions about the possible participation of Canada, the Prime Minister will be in Ottawa this week for scheduled Cabinet meetings and the long-planned sitting of Parliament.”

With cases surging in the US where three million have been infected with over 130,000 deaths, Canada has seen a steady decline with 106,000 infections and just over 8,700 deaths. Analysts say Trudeau’s attendance at the meeting would have been awkward, standing with two heads of state who do not believe in wearing mask, while he (Trudeau) has led by example by wearing mask while in public and shown commendable leadership in combating the pandemic.

-New Nigerian Politicswp_posts