US-Canada to hold first dialogue on climate change by beginning of April

The United States and Canada plan to convene the first ministerial dialogue on climate change agreed to by President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by the beginning of April, the White House said.

"The initial meeting of the Dialogue will occur between March 15 and April 1," the White House said in a statement on Wednesday evening.

The ministerial group, chaired by Special Presidential Envoy John Kerry and Canada's Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson, will meet biannually at the chair level with the second meeting set to occur in early September, the statement said.

Lower-level meetings will be conducted as needed throughout the year, the statement added.

The ministerial dialogue will focus on three core issues: meeting and exceeding climate targets in both nations, aligning policy and regulatory requirements and mitigating the expected impacts of climate change.

Despite differences on issues including, Biden's Keystone XL pipeline cancellation and the so-called "Buy America" policy, the two leaders have recognized climate change as an area of potential cooperation in an effort to rebuild bilateral relations following a turbulent four years under the administration of former President Donald Trump.

Biden and Trudeau announced the establishment of the intergovernmental ministerial dialogue following the conclusion of a virtual bilateral meeting on Tuesday.