Italian PM Meloni to visit Canada less than a year after spat over LGBTQ+ issues

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office says his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, will visit Canada next month. 

Meloni is set to visit Toronto on March 2 in her first visit since she was elected in 2022. 

Trudeau’s office says they will discuss global challenges, including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as co-operation with African partners.

The two got into in a public spat last year after Trudeau criticized Italy’s stance on LGBTQ+ issues in a meeting with Meloni at the G7 leaders’ summit. 

He was reacting to her government’s move to limit the recognition of parental rights to only the biological parent in families with same-sex parents. 

Meloni later rejected the criticism and said Trudeau had fallen victim to fake news.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2024.

— With files from The Associated Press.

The Canadian Press