{"id":64415,"date":"2025-09-19T11:44:47","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T11:44:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2025\/09\/19\/u-s-ambassador-to-canada-says-anti-american-rhetoric-hurting-trade-relations\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T11:44:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T11:44:47","slug":"u-s-ambassador-to-canada-says-anti-american-rhetoric-hurting-trade-relations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2025\/09\/19\/u-s-ambassador-to-canada-says-anti-american-rhetoric-hurting-trade-relations\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. ambassador to Canada says anti-American rhetoric hurting trade relations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> \n<br \/><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" height=\"100%\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/videos\/pMrl2OZR.mp4\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p> Canada\u2019s relations with the United States have improved since it lifted <\/p>\n<p>                        counter-tariffs<\/p>\n<p>                        , but U.S. ambassador Pete Hoekstra says persistent anti-American rhetoric threatens potential trade deals in the works. <\/p>\n<p> Speaking at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Hoekstra said federal Finance Minister <\/p>\n<p>                        Fran\u00e7ois-Philippe Champagne<\/p>\n<p>                        \u2018s comments on Wednesday about how the U.S. \u201cturned its back\u201d on Canada by starting a trade war that is now forcing Ottawa to \u201creinvent\u201d the national economy were unconstructive. <\/p>\n<p> \u201cI don\u2019t think we turned our back on Canada,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p> Hoekstra\u2019s response to Canada dropping its counter-tariffs was a single word: \u201cHallelujah,\u201d but he said they should have never been imposed in the first place because the products were protected under the <\/p>\n<p>                        Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). <\/p>\n<p> He also said the <\/p>\n<p>                        Donald Trump<\/p>\n<p>                         administration is still a reliable trading partner. <\/p>\n<p> \u201cIt\u2019s a totally invalid concern,\u201d he said in response to a question after the event. \u201cWho stuck with (CUSMA) and put no tariffs on (CUSMA) components just as the agreement that he signed? Who put tariffs on CUSMA products? The Canadians did, the Canadians did.\u201d <\/p>\n<p> The U.S., however, has implemented 50 per cent levies on Canadian exports of steel and aluminum products and 50 per cent on copper, levies it has applied on all countries. <\/p>\n<p> Nevertheless, Hoekstra said trade war rhetoric isn\u2019t helpful. <\/p>\n<p> \u201cThat\u2019s a dangerous place to go,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p> Both the U.S. and Canadian economies are taking a hit from U.S.-imposed tariffs, but Hoekstra stood by Trump\u2019s tariff policy. <\/p>\n<p> \u201cIt\u2019s something that we believe the country needs to do to deliver on the priorities that the voters voted for in the election,\u201d he said. \u201cProsperity for the American people; we wanted to improve the security and the safety of the American people.\u201d <\/p>\n<p> The ambassador said Canada still enjoys the lowest U.S. tariffs in the world and that Trump and <\/p>\n<p>                        Prime Minister Mark Carney<\/p>\n<p>                         have a good relationship and are communicating regularly. <\/p>\n<p> Still, he criticized the move by many provinces to block American products such as alcohol and the dialling back of U.S. procurement contracts. <\/p>\n<p> Canada and the U.S. had been negotiating a trade and economic agreement separate from CUSMA, which is also in the process of being reviewed, with formal mechanisms underway in all three countries ahead of the statutory joint review in 2026. <\/p>\n<p> The U.S. Trade Representative on Wednesday kicked off 45 days of public consultations leading up to a public hearing in November, which will help inform the formal review of CUSMA scheduled for next July. <\/p>\n<p> Hoekstra said U.S. companies being deprived of the Canadian market will have their voices heard in the process enshrined in the trade pact, which he said could hamper any new trade deal. <\/p>\n<ul class=\"related_links\">\n<li>Canada, Mexico to sign strategic partnership<\/li>\n<li>U.S. launches CUSMA review process<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> He also had a veiled warning for politicians using anti-American rhetoric. <\/p>\n<p> \u201cIf they believe telling Canadians not to travel to America and not to buy American alcohol \u2026 that is for the Canadians to develop the tone and tenor that they believe will best move negotiations forward,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p> <em>\u2022 Email: arankin@postmedia.com<\/em> <\/p>\n\n<br \/>U.S. ambassador to Canada says anti-American rhetoric hurting trade relations<\/a><br \/>\n<br \/>2025-09-19 11:44:47<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Canada\u2019s relations with the United States have improved since it lifted counter-tariffs , but U.S. ambassador Pete Hoekstra says persistent anti-American rhetoric threatens potential trade deals in the works. 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