U.S. secretary of state visits Ottawa in advance of G7 meeting in France

OTTAWA – Security around Parliament Hill has been tightened in anticipation of today’s visit to Ottawa by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The Parliamentary Protective Service is warning of visibly heightened security around the precinct for Pompeo’s visit “due to the nature of the event.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland’s office says discussions with Pompeo will centre around Canada-U.S. co-operation on a number of domestic and international fronts, as well as security and foreign policy matters.

The State Department says the crisis in Venezuela will also be on the agenda.

Pompeo’s working visit comes in advance of the G7 summit this week in Biarritz, France where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will gather with the other leaders of the world’s richest seven economies.

It is also seen as a follow up to Trudeau’s June meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., where the two leaders also discussed plans to ratify the new North American trade agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico.

At that White House meeting, Trudeau and Trump discussed relations with Beijing as well as the detention of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in China.

The Canadian Press