Thousands of Canadians Gather to Greet ‘one of a kind’ Obama

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OTTAWA—President Barack Obama made his first foreign visit as leader of the United States with a whirlwind stop in Canada where some 2,000 spectators waited in the snow and rain to catch a glimpse of their hero.

After stepping inside Parliament to shake hands with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Obama went back outside to wave to the crowd from behind a plexiglass barrier.

Screams and cheers greeted him.

"I just had to be here today," said teacher David Serkoak who followed the U.S. election closely.

Serkoak said he came to Parliament Hill early so he could get a spot with a good view of the motorcade. He said it was important Canada was the first foreign visit of the "most powerful and most inspirational man on earth."

Serkoak is Inuit, one of Canada’s aboriginal people of the Arctic. He said seeing Obama and knowing his difficult background inspired him.

"He's just one of a kind, the way he has presented himself to the world, to the ordinary people … Just watching him, anything seems possible."

Obama spent about seven hours in Canada in a series of meetings, a news conference and an impromptu shopping trip for souvenirs for his daughters.

A private face-to-face with Prime Minister Stephen Harper that was supposed to last 10 minutes ran over half an hour as the two leaders got down to getting to know each other and discussed their countries’ common issues and goals.

In a news conference later in the day they said they would establish a clean energy dialogue and work on easing congested border crossings. Although Obama has hinted he hopes Canada will continue to play a role in Afghanistan, he said he did not press Harper on extending Canada’s combat role there.

The two leaders identified three top priorities for the two countries to work together on: restoring economic growth and creating jobs, environmental protection, and international peace and security, particularly relating to stability in Afghanistan.

But while the discussions inside were all about business, for the throngs of people outside it was about a U.S. president they see as able to do some good in the world.

“I believe in him, I really believe in him and it’s been a while since I believed in politics," said Meevee Wilkins, also a teacher. She and Serkoak brought 25 students from their school so that the Inuit students could be part of what they described as a historic event.

“I just think he's a real person and he has a real heart and he has real dreams that he wants to accomplish,” she said.

Akur Machiang, originally from Sudan, said she hoped Obama would be able to help her war-torn country.

"We have been in war for a long time so I hope he will stop the war," she said, adding that she was proud that a black man was president of the United States.

Among Obama’s younger fans were six students from Merivale High School in Ottawa who said they were Obama supporters for a number of reasons.

“He is part of history because he is the first black-American president, and I think he is going to bring a lot of change to the world. He brings a lot of hope, and I hope he can bring America out of the recession and just make the right choices for the country, war wise,” said Sara Rezayee.

Fellow student Eric Boi said he wants Obama to establish a stronger relationship with Canada, and he hopes whatever the US policies are they will be in agreement with Canadian policies.

Vahid Saabaci traveled five hours from Brampton, Ontario so he could display a very large tapestry that said, “Welcome” in several different languages. He said it took two years to complete and was worked on by 650 people from ages four to 84.

“I think that ‘welcome’ is a simple word that shows your feelings and how great a country Canada is,” he said.

He said he wanted Obama to know how much Canadian people welcomed him. He also wanted it to show Obama the diversity of Canada.

He said the tapestry, composed of 5 million stitches, was worked on by people who love Canada and who came from different backgrounds, religions, and races. It shows the multiculturalism of the country, he said.

“We have people from all over the world and yet we live in harmony.”

Donneil Baker from Ottawa said he came “to show President Obama that we do really enjoy the fact that he is now the president and there will be changes made across the world because of it.”

Baker also predicts another change. “I’ve been saying it for a while now: in a year you’ll see a lot more Americans wearing their flag abroad.”