STRASBOURG, France – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Strasbourg, France, hours ahead of what was billed as a historic, confidence-building speech to European lawmakers.
Trudeau landed in the eastern French city that borders Germany in the early morning hours Thursday – a day after Canada and the European Union approved a free trade deal.
READ MORE: CETA: EU approves trade deal with Canada
Politicians in Canada and Europe are hailing Wednesday’s approval of the the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement by the European Parliament as a win for the values of openness in the face of anti-trade movements, including the Donald Trump administration.
WATCH: PM Trudeau will address Canada-EU relationship following CETA deal
![Click to play video: 'PM Trudeau will address Canada-EU relationship following CETA deal'](https://i0.wp.com/media.globalnews.ca/videostatic/763/687/2017-02-15T19-40-17.5Z--1280x720.jpg?w=1040&quality=70&strip=all)
The Strasbourg legislature approved trade deal by a margin of 408-254, with 33 abstentions.
The vote clears a major hurdle for the deal that saw its first round of bargaining almost eight years ago and has had to overcome mounting anti-trade populism in Europe.
![Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.](https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/themes/shaw-globalnews/images/skyline/national.jpg)
Get daily National news
READ MORE: CETA: Canada and Europe hail trade deal amid Trump-era protectionist sentiment
Trudeau is expected to hammer home his anti-isolationist and anti-protectionist message in his address Thursday to the European Parliament, a first for a Canadian leader, and to top business leaders a day later in Germany.
WATCH: Conservative MP thanks Liberals for CETA deal; says it’ll positively impact Canadian jobs
![Click to play video: 'Conservative MP thanks Liberals for CETA deal; says it’ll positively impact Canadian jobs'](https://i1.wp.com/media.globalnews.ca/videostatic/722/671/2017-02-15T19-20-34.533Z--1280x720.jpg?w=1040&quality=70&strip=all)
Comments