There have been 41 United States presidential visits to Canada by 14 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] Eight presidents have addressed a joint session of the Parliament of Canada, with Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan both speaking twice.
| President | Date(s) | Location(s) | Key details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren G. Harding | Vancouver | Official reception during return from Alaska,[2] hosted by British Columbia Premier John Oliver and Vancouver mayor Charles Tisdall.[3] | ||
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | Campobello Island | Vacation.[4] | ||
| Campobello Island | Vacation. | |||
| Quebec City | Official visit; met with Governor General John Buchan. | |||
| 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. | |||
| Campobello Island, Sydney | Vacation. | |||
| Halifax | Stopped while returning to the United States. | |||
| Quebec City Ottawa | Attended First Quebec Conference with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to discuss policy during World War II. Addressed senators, Members of Parliament, and the general public outside the houses of parliament.[5] | |||
| Quebec City | Attended Second Quebec Conference with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the Allied Combined Chiefs of Staff. | |||
| Harry S. Truman | Ottawa | Official visit; met with the Governor General, the Earl of Athlone and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and addressed Parliament.[6] | ||
| nowrap rowspan=3 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Ottawa | State visit; Met with Governor General Vincent Massey and Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent and addressed Parliament.[7] | |
| Ottawa | Informal visit; met with Governor General Vincent Massey and Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and addressed Parliament. | |||
| Montreal | Joined Queen Elizabeth II in ceremony opening the St. Lawrence Seaway. | |||
| John F. Kennedy | Ottawa | State visit; met with Governor General Georges Vanier and Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and addressed Parliament.[8] | ||
| Lyndon B. Johnson | Vancouver | Informal visit; met with Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson in ceremonies related to the Columbia River Treaty.[9] | ||
| Campobello Island, Chamcook | Laid cornerstone at Roosevelt Campobello International Park and conferred informally with Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. | |||
| Montreal, Ottawa | Attended Expo 67, and met privately with the Governor General Roland Michener and Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. | |||
| Richard M. Nixon | 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 | Ottawa | State visit; met with Governor General Edward Schreyer and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and addressed Parliament.[12] | ||
| 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. | |||
| Quebec City | Met with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. The meeting was commonly known as the Shamrock Summit. | |||
| Ottawa | Official visit; met with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and addressed Parliament. | |||
| Toronto | Attended 14th G7 summit with heads of state and government from Canada, France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. | |||
| George H. W. Bush | Ottawa | Working visit; met with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.[13] | ||
| Toronto | Informal meeting with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. | |||
| Ottawa | Met with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and signed an Air Quality Agreement. | |||
| Toronto | Informal meeting with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. | |||
| Bill Clinton | Vancouver | Summit meeting with Russian President Boris Yeltsin; also met with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.[14] | ||
| Ottawa | State visit; met with Governor General Roméo LeBlanc and Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and addressed Parliament. | |||
| Halifax | Attended 21st G7 summit with heads of state and government from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Also met with Russian President Boris Yeltsin. | |||
| Vancouver | Attended APEC Summit meeting. | |||
| 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. | |||
| George W. Bush | Quebec City | Attended the 3rd Summit of the Americas.[15] | ||
| Kananaskis | Attended the 28th G8 summit. | |||
| nowrap | Ottawa, Gatineau, Halifax | Delivered a speech at Pier 21 in Halifax, met with Prime Minister Paul Martin and conducted a series of other events. | ||
| Montebello | Attended the North American Leaders' Summit, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderón. | |||
| Barack Obama | Ottawa | Working visit. Met with Governor General Michaëlle Jean and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.[16] | ||
| Huntsville, Toronto | Attended the 36th G8 summit and G-20 Summit Meeting. | |||
| 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. | |||
| Donald Trump | La Malbaie | Attended the 44th G7 summit. | ||
| Joe Biden | Ottawa | State visit. Met with Governor General Mary Simon and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and addressed Parliament.[17] |
Prior to becoming a Canadian province in 1949, Newfoundland was a separate Dominion. President Franklin Roosevelt visited there twice: He vacationed at Bay of Islands and Bonne Bay on August 17 to 20, 1939. Two years later, between August 9 and 12, he returned to Newfoundland, ostensibly for another vacation. In actuality, he conferred with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard HMS Prince of Wales and USS Augusta in Placentia Bay. At the conclusion of the conference, they issued the Atlantic Charter.[4] [18]