This item is part of Watching Washington, a regular dispatch from CBC News correspondents reporting on U.S. politics and developments that affect Canadians.

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford is headed to Washington on Monday for high-level meetings with officials in the Biden administration and business leaders, according to a senior source with the province. 

The trip is being described as a trade mission aimed at attracting more skilled workers to Ontario, while also highlighting the harm caused by U.S. protectionist policies.

It will be the premier’s first visit to the U.S. since protest blockades over pandemic mandates shut down the Ambassador Bridge