What to know about the Canadian ties of Kamala Harris, Biden's choice for successor
U.S. President Joe Biden is stepping aside as the Democratic candidate in that country's November election and throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris -- a Montreal-area high school graduate who spent several years in the city.
Here's what to know about her Canadian connections.
Before she became America's first female, first Black, and first South Asian vice president-elect, Harris spent several years in Montreal, where she attended Westmount High School from 1978 to 1981.
She moved to the city as a teen so her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer researcher, could work at the Lady Davis Institute of Montreal's Jewish General Hospital.
Harris enrolled at Westmount after an initial stint at a French-language school.
Dr. Michael Pollak, who worked with Gopalan in Montreal, described her in a note published on McGill University's website as a "pioneer" who left a mark on the institution, helping to develop a method of assessing cancerous breast tissue that became standard procedure at the Jewish General and other hospitals.
While Harris's biography on the White House website doesn't mention her time in Montreal, she later "recalled fondly" her years there in a 2021 call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to a summary of the conversation known as a readout.
Former classmates described Harris and her sister Maya as good students with promising futures ahead of them.
"They were so extremely bright and intelligent people, they were just so smart," former classmate Trevor Harris told The Canadian Press in 2020.
In a 1981 yearbook, Harris described her favourite pastime as "dancing with Midnight Magic," a dance troupe she founded with her friend Wanda Kagan, who remembers the two of them performing at community centres and fundraisers.
The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) issued a statement congratulating Harris on becoming vice president-elect in 2020, including a photo of students holding up hand-drawn posters with "Congratulations Kamala! Class of '81!"
More recently, as vice president, Harris has had several meetings and conversations with Trudeau.
In the same 2021 call in which she reminisced about her time in Montreal, Harris offered assurances that the Biden administration would "do everything it can" to secure the release of then-imprisoned Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, according to a readout.
The two Canadians were released later that year.
In subsequent calls and meetings, Trudeau and Harris have reportedly discussed a range of issues, including women's entrepreneurship, the COVID-19 pandemic, gender equality, trade, and workers rights.
The two met in May in Philadelphia, where they discussed U.S.-Canada cooperation on "a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues," including the situation in Haiti and Ukraine, the readouts state.
They also "highlighted the deep-rooted partnership between Canada and the United States" and "reaffirmed their commitment to advancing shared labour priorities, including creating good-paying jobs, building opportunities for workers, and growing our economies," the prime minister's office said at the time.
Biden on Sunday threw his support behind Harris, and described his choice to pick her as vice president as "the best decision I've made."
Former president Bill Clinton and former secretary and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton were also among a growing list of prominent democrats endorsing Harris for the Democratic Party nomination on Sunday, urging people to "fight with everything we've got to elect her."
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Pakistani citizen arrested in Canada, charged with plotting terrorist attack in New York
A Pakistani citizen who resided in Canada has been charged with plotting a terrorist attack at a Jewish centre in New York City.
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick dies after collapsing outside Winnipeg courthouse
The Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has died after collapsing outside of the Manitoba courthouse Friday afternoon, according to multiple sources.
Woman who was denied a liver transplant, after review highlighted alcohol use, has died
Questions are being raised about the case of a 36-year-old Ontario woman who died of liver failure after she was rejected for a life-saving liver transplant after a medical review highlighted her prior alcohol use.
Teen girl charged with attempted murder after student set on fire at Saskatoon high school
A 14-year-old girl faces an attempted murder charge after a 15-year-old girl was doused in a flammable substance and set on fire at a Saskatoon high school Thursday.
Montreal man given $664 fine for tying dog to parking meter while grabbing a croissant
A Montreal man who tied his dog to a parking meter while he entered a bakery is now facing a hefty fine for breaking a law he had no idea existed.
Molson Coors ends diversity, equity and inclusion policies, moves to 'broader view'
Brewing company Molson Coors says it is dropping its diversity, equity and inclusion policies and taking a 'broader view' in which all employees know they are welcome.
Selena Gomez is a billionaire
Selena Gomez can now add becoming a billionaire to her long list of achievements.
An American woman accused of killing 2 of her children fights extradition in a London court
An American woman accused of killing her two youngest children in Colorado last December told her 11-year-old daughter who survived the attack that God made her do it, a prosecutor said in a London court.
Canadian tied to alleged Russian influencer op received thousands in fees: U.S.
YouTube says the channels of a far-right Canadian influencer have been removed after U.S. officials alleged the company she co-founded received US$760,000 in fees and commissions as part of an alleged Russian ploy to dupe right-wing influencers into sowing division among Americans.