Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will opt out of celebrating Canada Day in the nation’s capital this year, instead dropping by three Canadian communities – one here in the Yukon.

First up on his schedule will be Leamington, Ont., followed by Regina and finally Dawson City.

In a brief statement to the Star, a spokesperson said he would be celebrating the day “with Canadians and their families in different communities.”

Meanwhile, Premier Sandy Silver said he is excited to host Trudeau.

“It is a wonderful time to celebrate in the Klondike,” he said of his riding.

“We are looking forward to showing him our beautiful community of Dawson City.”

The Dawson City Museum will host a small parade late in the morning which is often followed by speeches and a community barbecue.

The museum’s executive director said the day usually wraps up at around 4 p.m., but he had not heard of anything from the Prime Minister’s Office as of late Monday.

The spokesperson verified that Trudeau will touch down in Dawson closer to the early evening for a community event, but was unable to provide more details.

Trudeau was last in the territory in early September 2017 – his first foray as prime minister. He held a Friday evening meet-and-greet at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. A large crowd turned out, including Mayor Dan Curtis, Silver and several cabinet ministers.

The following Saturday morning, Trudeau and Silver held a news conference at Miles Canyon.

There, they announced their two governments would spend more than $360 million to improve road access to mineral-rich areas in the territory. The federal share amounts to $247 million of that total.

The two leaders said the money will upgrade more than 650 kilometres of road and build or upgrade a number of bridges for highways leading into the Dawson Range in Central Yukon and the Nahanni Range in the southeast part of the territory.

Trudeau also visited Whitehorse several months after becoming Liberal leader in April 2013.

His pending visit might carry an undertone of some of the international conflicts the country is seeing, particularity with its southern neighbour after the Untied States imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

In Regina, for instance, he will meet with steelworkers after touching base with factory workers in Leamington who produce the paste used in French’s ketchup.

That product, along with strawberry jam, whiskey and yogurt, is just one of the imports that the U.S. will be taxed with in retaliatory tariffs. They are expected to take effect on no other date than July 1.

– With a file from The Canadian Press