Timing Of Trudeau's Washington Visit Questionned

The Canadian media seems to be getting really excited about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to Washington for a state dinner hosted by President Obama. We have a situation with one person probably focused on retirement and the other learning a new job, not exactly compatible interests as it relates to agendas. With invitations to state dinners being a good place to network, wouldn't you want to attend when there were better chances of getting something beneficial for your country? The reality is that Pres. Obama has only months left out of his 8-year term. Many in the U.S. refer to any president in those remaining months as a "lame duck". To make matters worse, the current U.S. Congress appears to be content on obstructionist tactics for most things Mr. Obama wants to advance. Other than going to the U.S. for a fancy dinner and a few group-hug photos, what else can Mr. Trudeau achieve from this visit that will be beneficial to Canada. Someone in the PMO needs to explain why this formal visit was not scheduled after the U.S. election.