Donald Trump’s
agenda of prosperity, security and safety for the United States will be good for Canada as well, says Pete Hoekstra, the
U.S. ambassador to Canada
.
“I am
optimistic about where this relationship is
,” he said at an Empire Club event in downtown Toronto on Tuesday. “I’m more optimistic about where I believe this relationship is going.”
But minutes later, after Hoekstra sat down for a chat with Lisa Raitt, vice-chair of global investment banking at CIBC Capital Markets, she asked if the state of the relationship was what he expected.
“Yeah, I’m disappointed that some of the rhetoric has gone to where it has,” he said. “But that’s why I come and I give an optimistic message.”
Hoekstra did not elaborate on which “rhetoric” was disappointing, but said he is optimistic because Trump and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick are managing the
Canada-U.S. trade relationship
, which means a
new deal to reset trade relations
could happen quickly.
However, Raitt pointed out that “rhetoric goes both ways” and that Trump continues to talk about Canada’s sovereignty. Last week, the president once again suggested Canada could become a 51st state while discussing the creation of a
Golden Dome defence system
.
Hoekstra did not directly address the matter, but said Prime Minister Mark Carney and Trump had a productive meeting earlier this year at the White House and have open lines of communication.
He said Trump, whom he called “a transformational president,” believes “it is absolutely essential that there are certain core industries that Americans and America
can rely on domestically
,” and that’s the policy objective of the tariffs that affect Canadian goods.
Hoekstra also said
tariffs could open up opportunities
for Canada, but declined to say how. Instead, he said there are talented people “working through” all of it.
“When smart people get in a room and negotiate, they will come out with a good income, or, excuse me, a good outcome that all of us are going to look at and say, ‘Hmm, (there are) things in here that I really like. I might be uncomfortable with a couple, but there’s some stuff in here that I’ve never thought about,’” he said.
Hoekstra said he entered politics in 1992 with no experience and little interest in politics. Nevertheless, he won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Michigan.
Once elected, he said he drew attention from Newt Gingrich, the “last transformational figure in American politics,” with whom he helped craft the Contract for America, a Republican plan that focused on reducing the size of government, cutting taxes, tort and welfare reform, and balancing the budget.
Now, Trump is trying to accomplish similar goals, he said.
“That is the transformative agenda that Donald Trump is pushing: prosperity, security and safety,” Hoekstra said. “That is good for America and that is good for our neighbours to the north.”
• Email: gfriedman@postmedia.com
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New U.S. ambassador says Trump's agenda will benefit Canada
2025-06-03 20:26:51
