Biden congratulates Trudeau for winning third term as Canadian prime minister

President Biden called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday to congratulate him on winning a third term in Monday’s elections.

Biden applauded Trudeau’s victory, and the two leaders emphasized the strong and deep friendship between the U.S. and Canada, the White House said in a statement.

They also “discussed their shared commitment to strengthening the resilience and competitiveness of the U.S. and Canadian economies and coordinating on COVID-19 pandemic response,” the White House said.

Trudeau called for a snap election in August as a way to ensure Canadian voters approve of the Liberal Party’s approach to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Trudeau’s party, however, fell short of winning a majority in parliament, meaning he’ll have to work with lawmakers from other parties to form a government.

During Tuesday’s call, Biden “expressed to Prime Minister Trudeau his desire to continue working closely and deepening collaboration with Canada – one of our nation’s top partners,” according to the White House.

Former President Obama, who had a close friendship with Trudeau, threw his support behind the prime minister last week ahead of the election.

Biden on Tuesday spent the morning at the UN General Assembly in New York, where he delivered his first address to the annual gathering before holding one-on-one meetings with Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia and President Barham Salih of Iraq.

He is set to meet with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson for another bilateral meeting, which will be held at the White House on Tuesday evening.