Obama arrives in Ottawa

OTTAWA — For the first time in his young presidency, Barack Obama has touched down on foreign soil.

After departing at around 9:30 a.m. from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, the iconic Air Force One touched down at the snowy, damp airport in Canada's capital.

Obama, America's first black president, was greeted upon his arrival by Michaelle Jean, Canada's first black Governor General.

Obama is in Ottawa for just a few hours, to talk trade, energy, climate change and Afghanistan with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, hold a brief news conference, shake hands with Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and then head home.

Although there are no public events scheduled for the U.S. president, hundreds of people from across the country and from the northern United States gathered on the snow-covered lawn on Parliament Hill hoping to get a glimpse of Obama as he emerges from his heavily armoured limousine and enters the Centre Block, the building on Parliament Hill that contains the House of Commons, the Senate, and the Library of Parliament.

Vahid Saadati travelled from his home in Brampton, Ont., to Parliament Hill, hoping to unfurl what he says is the world's largest needlepoint, an eight metre by five metre creation that has the word "welcome" stitched upon it in 103 different languages.

"I hope they can at least let him know that he's being welcomed by so much of the world," said Saadati.

Three McGill University students were among the media waiting for the plane to land.

The trio drove up to Ottawa from Montreal on Wednesday night through a snow storm hoping to get a glimpse of Obama and do a report for the campus online TV station.

They knew it was farfetched, but they contacted the White House and Canadian officials weeks ago to get accreditation.

"We're all in midterms," said Charly Feldman, 20, "but by some miracle, we got (press) credentials (to cover event)."

Along the historic Rideau Canal, which parallels the 14-kilometre motorcade route Obama will take from the Ottawa International Airport to Parliament Hill, beavertails vendors hawked "Obamatails," special versions of the popular treat with a whip cream "O" topped with maple syrup and chocolate sauce. With temperatures in Ottawa hovering around zero, curious onlookers lined the motorcade route or skated on the frozen canal.

"We just want to give him a warm welcome," said Denis O'Dette, who drove 45 minutes with his wife and daughter to see Obama. "He's the most powerful man in the world."

The itinerary for Obama's visit is a tightly scripted affair.

Obama and Harper will spend 10 minutes alone with each other — the idea of meeting with no aides present has raised some diplomatic eyebrows here — before they bring other officials into Harper's Centre Block office for a longer series of meeting. As if to emphasize the working nature of the visit — the leaders are expected to talk about the economy, climate change and Afghanistan — no gifts will be exchanged.

Obama and his officials will then join Harper, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Environment Minister Jim Prentice for lunch. The meal, featuring Pacific Coast tuna, applewood smoked plains bison and a dessert of Acadian buckwheat honey and wild blueberries, will be served in the Senate dining room.

After that, at about 2:45 pm Thursday, Obama and Harper will hold a short joint news conference. Only 80 of the 680 journalists accredited for the event will be allowed into the press conference room and officials with the Prime Minister's Office will allow a total of four questions from those reporters, two each from the Canadian press and the American press.

Obama heads back to the airport after that where he will meet Ignatieff before departing by about 4:30 pm.

The entire affair will take place amid one of the heaviest security deployments the nation's capital has seen.

Snipers are perched on rooftops around the parliamentary precinct and along the route Obama's heavily armoured limousine will take between the airport and Parliament Hill — a drive of about 15 kilometres — and those who live along that route have been warned to stay off their roofs and balconies.

On Parliament Hill's Centre Block, security staff have ordered the second and third floors of the building be cleared while Obama's is present, an order which will mean some senators and MPs could have trouble accessing their own offices.

Both the House of Commons and the Senate are on a break week which means most MPs are back in their ridings.

Obama has no ceremonial or public events scheduled during his visit. Security officials say the only chance the public may have to see the president is when he emerges from his limo at the Centre Block. Even then, a specially built plexiglass shield around that entrance may obscure even that brief glimpse.