President’s Trump’s visit may be on hold, but another star in the North American political firmament arrives in Scotland next week.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet the queen at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, to honour her “importance to Canada’s history.”
The Canadian High Commissioner in London Janice Charette tweeted she looked forward to welcoming her premier to the Scottish capital on Wednesday July 5.
Analysis: Trudeau cites Scottish grandfather as influence on his ‘retail politics’
Mr Trudeau, 45, is on his way to the G20 meeting which begins in the German city of Hamburg two days later, but will stop off at the official residence of the monarchy in Scotland.
The announcement of his visit to Scotland, the country of birth of his grandfather who also rose to be a notable Canadian politician, comes as Canada prepares to celebrate the Canada Day this Saturday. It is an annual event but this year marks the 150th anniversary of the British Act of Parliament coming into force, which laid the foundations of modern Canada. There will also be celebrations in London and Edinburgh.
It had already been announced that Mr Trudeau will also visit Ireland, arriving in Dublin on Tuesday, where he will meet the new Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
The Canadian Prime Minister's office said his visit to Ireland and the UK would "serve to recognise the strong family ties, history and common purpose our countries share".
Mr Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, was elected as Canada's prime minister in 2015 and said he is looking forward to meeting the queen whose commitment to public service "has long inspired me and many other Canadians. With this year marking the 150th anniversary of Confederation, I look forward to thanking her personally for her dedication to our country and for carrying out her duties with such grace and strength," he said.
Analysis: Trudeau cites Scottish grandfather as influence on his ‘retail politics’
Mr Trudeau led the Liberal Party as they swept to power in 2015 ending 10 years of Conservative leadership under Stephen Harper.
Mr Trudeau is the son of the late former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau, who himself won office in 1968 on a huge wave of support dubbed "Trudeaumania". He was prime minister until 1984 with a short interruption and remains one of the few Canadian politicians known in the USA There comparisons to John F Kennedy were sometimes drawn.
Justin Trudeau is married to the former Canadian TV presenter, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and they have three children.
The second Trudeau prime minister worked worked as a nightclub bouncer and snowboarding instructor before he became a French and Math(s). He then entered politics. He has been praised for welcoming refugees and supporting LGBT and women's rights.
He said he was “resolutely pro-choice” on abortion, supported the legalisation of marijuana, and would run small budget deficits to spend on infrastructure to stimulate economic growth
Analysis: Trudeau cites Scottish grandfather as influence on his ‘retail politics’
He visited Mr Trump in February, the third government leader to do so. Others have followed but he is deemed as the only one to get the better of the American president in the handshake.
It has been said that for Mr Trump, this normally friendly traditional form of greeting, is less a gesture of peace and agreement, than a declaration of superiority. Mr Trudeau, who is reputed to be physically strong and an accomplished boxer, was obviously more than equal to the presidential welcom.
One observer even claimed on social media "Trudeau resisting Trump's weird handshake is the biggest display of dominance in the history of Canada.”
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