Obama To Canada On First Foreign Trip As President

On his first trip abroad, President Obama will make a trip to Canada in his first few weeks as president. The date for the trip is set for February 19.

The Washington Post reports:

The president's first foreign trip is meant to emphasize the close relationship between the neighboring countries, officials said. Obama is expected to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper during the trip.

"Canada is a vitally important ally and the president looks forward to the opportunity to speak with Prime Minister Harper, and visit our neighbor to the north," Gibbs said.

An article in the Toronto Star explains that this trip will be focusing on work:

A senior Harper aide confirmed the workmanlike focus of the visit.

"We want to minimize the amount of ceremony and maximize the amount of working time," the aide said. "It will be a busy agenda and, as a result, trying to spend as much time on the issues," he said.