Before joining the rest of his front bench team for two days of closed-door pre-sitting planning sessions in Banff, Prime Minister Mark Carney will be making a quick stop in Calgary to meet with a very special visitor: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who, along with his wife, Olena Zelenska, arrived in Canada last night.

According to Carney’s office, the two leaders are booked in for a 90-minute tête-à-tête this morning (9 a.m. MT), which will be followed by a “signing ceremony” and a “joint media availability.” (10:30 a.m. MT)

As per Canadian Press, Zelenskyy will also be heading to Banff, where he’ll speak directly with Carney and his cabinet before circling back to Ontario, where he and his wife are slated to visit Toronto and North Bay, as per the wire service.

In an X post that went up shortly after he touched down in Alberta, Zelenskyy noted that Canada “has been and remains one of our closest partners,” and said that the “main focus will be on supporting Ukraine in protecting our skies and preparing for the winter.”

“Important meetings and agreements are planned that will shape our cooperation and solidify the already strategic level of our relationship for years to come,” he noted.

“We will discuss how to strengthen our resilience, support our people, and ensure that Ukraine has the capabilities it needs to defend itself.”

For her part, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, who was part of the welcome delegation that greeted Zelenskyy and his wife at the airport, confirmed via social media that the Ukrainian president “will join us at cabinet and meet with Canadians across the country” over the next two days.

“Our conversations will look to the road ahead — strengthening Ukraine’s defence, supporting recovery and energy security, and advancing a just peace,” she added. “Welcome back to Canada.”

Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is set to spend the next few days making the rounds in New York, where, according to a party-issued release, he intends to “fight for tariff-free trade,” which is “about saving money and jobs for people in both countries,” as per Poilievre’s own X post announcing his travel plans.

“I’ll meet with representatives of investors and business, but my main audience is the American people,” he noted.

“Through interviews on major business networks, I’ll make the case that both our countries can be safer, richer, and more affordable if we trade freely. Canada’s biggest asset in this dispute is the goodwill of American people, built over generations of common endeavours. We must turn that goodwill into freer trade.”

As per his post, Poilievre will also mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

“I’ll honour the victims and highlight how Canadians and Americans stood together after the terrorist attacks. Canadian soldiers sacrificed and died fighting in Afghanistan to help our American neighbours.”

Citing a “senior Conservative source,” CTV News reports that the trip “is being carried out with the blessing of the Prime Minister’s Office.”

“Poilievre wanted to go to the United States earlier, but the PMO advised at the time that the timing made such a visit unhelpful, and Poilievre’s office heeded the advice,” the network noted.

IN THE CHAMBER

Both the House of Commons and the Senate have shut down for the summer, with regular parliamentary proceedings set to resume in September.

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