Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Yellowknife on Wednesday evening to begin his visit in the NWT.
After a brief stop at the Explorer Hotel, Trudeau dined at Copperhouse Restaurant with the NWT Liberal riding association.
“The prime minister is in town visiting constituents here in the territory,” said NWT MP Michael McLeod following the dinner. “It’s a trip we’ve been planning since last spring. It’s been deferred and postponed a couple of times for various reasons, but he’s here now.”
McLeod expressed his gratitude towards those who support him and the Liberal Party, stating, “You know, it’s the people who work to keep the riding operating and support me and the Liberals.”
He also drew parallels between this visit and visits from other party leaders in Canada.
“Party leaders come and visit. In this case, I invited the prime minister and we want them to talk to people and hear about different issues here in the North,” he added.
He explained that Trudeau will be discussing a range of issues during his visit, including cost of living, fire situations, evacuations, and other concerns of constituents.
While there will be public announcements during this visit, McLeod clarified that there are no plans for a town hall meeting, which he held in Yellowknife during his last visit in 2017.
“Some of the meetings with municipal leaders and Indigenous leaders are going to be fairly closed,” he said.
He added that Trudeau is expected to make at least one announcement in person during this trip.
According to the prime minister’s website, he's in Hay River today, Wednesday, to meet with local community leaders for a briefing session and see the work done by fire crews in the area.
Later this afternoon, Trudeau is scheduled to meet with leaders from the Northwest Territory Métis Nation and First Nations leaders and to see the areas impacted by recent wildfires.