Former U.S. president Barack Obama will be speaking Tuesday afternoon to several thousand people in Montreal.
About 6,000 people have nabbed tickets to the speech hosted by the Chamber of Commerce at the Palais des Congres.
Montreal's business leaders said they have given Obama 'carte blanche' to discuss whatever he believes is important during his first appearance in Canada since speaking to Parliament in June 2016.
Montreal board of Trade President Michel Leblanc that Obama has made some changes to the speech he was supposed to give: the speech comes at a key time – it is his first speech since U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the Paris climate accord.
In reaction to that, Obama issued a statement referring to the "absence of American leadership… joining a handful of nations that reject the future."
This is Obama's first visit to Canada since last June. Premier Philippe Couillard, along with some of his key ministers will be in attendance along with Mayor Denis Coderre.
Federal Ministers from Quebec will be there representing the Trudeau government, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself will not be there.
Leblanc said that in light of the events in the last couple of weeks, Obama will likely want to inspire and deliver a message of hope.
“He has been redrafting his speech over the last days, probably following the decisions regarding the Paris Accord. So he had a speech in mind a week ago, but now he has adjusted perhaps what he’s going to say, so that tells us that his speech is going to be very much linked in the reality of the day and what’s happening right now,” said Leblanc.
Following the end of his two terms in office, Obama spent several months on vacation before delivering a speech in his hometown of Chicago in April where he said he was "incredibly optimistic" about what the future holds.
He has, in what has become a tradition for ex-presidents, since made multiple speeches at events hosted by business leaders, schools, or other groups.
Tickets went on sale in mid-May with prices ranging from $57 to $373, but they sold out before the end of the day.
Some resellers on Kijiji, Craigslist and StubHub are asking over $1000 per ticket.
The Montreal Chamber of Commerce, however, is cautioning people about the dangers of buying from "unofficial" sources, lest the tickets be forged.
The event begins at 5 p.m. and his speech is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Watch it live on our website.
Ticket holders must arrive at the Palais des Congres two hours before the event due to extremely tight security.
Montreal police are creating a perimeter around the Palais des Congres while the RCMP will ensure security inside the venue.
There will be temporary road closures in the vicinity as the former president arrives and leaves the Palais des Congres.
