Kamloops MP Caputo gets surprise face time with Biden during presidential visit

Photo: The White House

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a speech Friday to the House of Commons in Ottawa.

Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP Frank Caputo got some surprise face time Friday with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Caputo, who was present for Biden’s speech to the House of Commons on Friday, said the chance encounter happened in a parliamentary hallway following the president’s 40-minute address.

“I did not expect to meet President Biden when he visited,” Caputo told Castanet Kamloops.

“In fact, very few MPs received that opportunity. It was definitely a neat experience to meet someone of that stature.”

Caputo said he shook Biden’s hand and introduced himself. He said the president noted he knew someone with the same last name.

Biden arrived in Ottawa for a whirlwind visit on Thursday. It marked the first time a U.S. president was in Ottawa since Barack Obama visited in 2016.

The Liberal government declared Biden’s visit a triumph for Canada-U.S. relations, as did Washington.

Pierre Poilievre, the Opposition leader and head of Caputo’s Conservative party, also got to chat with Biden during the visit. Poilievre said he used his time with the president to request that he consider allowing unvaccinated Canadians into the U.S., and talked about defence and trade issues.