Trump’s rep in Ottawa doesn’t understand why Canadians are so upset with U.S. — Power & Politics

[0:00] The U.S. ambassador to Canada is once again airing his country's frustration and disappointment with Canada. [0:06] This is the two countries prepared to embark on a big review of the key trade deal. [0:10] Now, one of those frustrations is the Canadian bans on American alcohol. [0:13] But when asked by Radio Canada if removing those bans would lead to a loosening of tariffs, Pete Hoekstra said this. [0:21] No, I mean, we think the alcohol ban is totally unfair. [0:26] It's a clear indicator of how 11 provinces feel about trade with the United States. [0:31] You know, they're saying sending a very, very clear message about how doing business with the United States doesn't appeal to them. [0:40] The prime minister has reinforced that message. [0:44] OK, and so it creates some questions about, you know, does Canada really want to do business with the United States? [0:52] The U.S. ambassador then went on to say he still doesn't understand why Canadians could be so frustrated by Donald Trump's tariffs. [1:00] You've got folks who are doing everything they can to get the Canadian public to rally against America. [1:11] It just doesn't make any sense. [1:14] But do you understand where that frustration is coming from? [1:16] Absolutely no. [1:16] In Canada, because, you know, a lot of Canadians are saying, well, we didn't do anything wrong, and suddenly Donald Trump, you know, put tariffs on us. [1:24] We put tariffs on everybody in the world. [1:27] OK, the interview there by Radio Canada's Laurence Martin. [1:30] Rob, what do you make of that? [1:32] Look, I actually believe that Pete Hoekstra was, well, we know he was the chair of the Intelligence Committee in the Congress of the United States. [1:45] He's not an insult. [1:47] I mean, he's an insult engine and not a diplomat, but he's not dumb. [1:51] But if, so I don't believe him when he says, I don't understand why Canadians are upset. [1:56] But if I take him at his word, I'll help, because that's the kind of guy I am. [2:02] I give and I give and I give. [2:03] That's why I went to you first. [2:04] We have a deal with the United States. [2:07] It was negotiated by Donald Trump. [2:09] It was called the best deal ever. [2:11] And it was signed by Mr. Trump. [2:13] It was lauded by President Trump. [2:15] It was bereft of tariffs. [2:17] And now, now we have tariffs. [2:20] In terms of the anger about Booth, he suggested that it was fomented by Canadian leaders. [2:27] I don't believe that's true. [2:29] Again, the reason why we saw, in my lifetime, the biggest shift in political vote over a small period of time was because the Canadian electorate perceived a real threat to their security, prosperity, their independence, and they moved on their own. [2:46] They stampeded. [2:47] Nobody organized them in any sort of way that I could measure. [2:53] So, look, I think it's in some ways refreshing. [2:59] We know where we stand with Mr. Hoekstra. [3:01] He pretends sometimes to be as sharp as a bowling ball. [3:04] I don't believe he is. [3:05] Okay. [3:05] Kate, I was checking with AI. [3:07] We do, in fact, have a deal. [3:08] And it was negotiated by Trump. [3:10] And it was free of tariffs. [3:11] So, Rob's theory checks out. [3:13] What do you make of what we heard just there from the ambassador? [3:15] Yeah, we talk a lot about the unpredictability of the United States. [3:19] And I think that conversation with the ambassador makes it pretty clear what we are dealing with. [3:26] I took note of the fact that tariffs have been applied across the board. [3:31] No one is getting special treatment. [3:33] And Canadians should not necessarily expect the same, even though, you know, we have a deal that has been working well for both sides of that deal. [3:42] I was more interested in the comments that Hoekstra made relative to Mexico. [3:47] Mexico begins their negotiation with the United States this week. [3:52] And Canada is not at the table in the same way. [3:56] So, we may well be frustrated by the tone and the approach of the Americans. [4:01] And in fairness to Canadians, it's the U.S. that started this trade war. [4:05] But it was the prime minister that said we have to deal with the world as it is. [4:09] This is the world as it is. [4:10] So, what is Canada meaningfully doing to advance our interests in this time rather than griping from the sidelines? [4:15] Vandana, like Kate, the Mexico comment jumped out at me. [4:22] But it feels like that's what Hoekstra wants out there, right? [4:26] That, why can't you be more like Mexico, Canada, and drop the booze bands and just play nice? [4:30] It seems like that would be the U.S. position here, right? [4:33] Yes. [4:33] Why can't we be more compliant, you know? [4:35] Like, I mean, I think that's what, essentially, what they're thinking of. [4:38] Like, I, you know, he's a very unconventional diplomat, whereas most diplomats speak to the country they're supposed to be in. [4:45] To help advance relationships, whereas it sounds like he's just speaking back to the White House, right? [4:51] And, you know, I think what they want is they don't understand that we have terrorists, we're going to do this. [4:56] But any time Canada fights back, don't do that. [4:59] You know, we don't like that. [5:00] So, I think the best thing for us to do is continue to stand our ground. [5:03] I think in the midterms, you're going to see some repercussions across the board. [5:08] I think definitely with states that depend a lot with their trade with Canada, they're going to feel it. [5:14] And I think the administration will feel it. [5:16] But I think all of this, you know, the more I hear them speaking, the more I actually think they are getting a bit nervous with how Canada is holding out. [5:23] And I think it's because it's best for us to hold out to show that, you know, your economy can hurt as much as ours can. [5:29] But I think the Canadian sentiment, really, is that they're okay with this fight right now. [5:33] Like, yes, Canadians are hurting. [5:34] There's a lot of people out there who are being deeply affected by this. [5:37] But I don't think they want us, they want the government to comply and just say, okay, whatever you want, we'll do it. [5:43] I think they want Canada to fight for our perspective, to make sure that our economy is strong, too. [5:48] And, you know, I think, you know, Pete Hoekstra is just always going to just say exactly what the White House wants him to say. [5:53] But I don't see him trying to advance a more stronger bilateral relationship. [5:58] All right, Brad, you're going to get the last word. [5:59] 90 seconds to you, sir. [6:00] Oh, never tell me how much time I have, David. [6:04] Danger, danger. [6:05] I'm going to put the clock on the screen. [6:06] Go ahead. [6:06] You know what, it's interesting. [6:09] Like, be more like the third partner in this Kuzma who's given in the most. [6:16] Be more like that. [6:16] That's basically what he's saying about we like the way Mexico is doing it because they're getting rid of irritants faster than we gave up on our counter tariffs right away. [6:25] We gave up on our digital sales tax right away. [6:28] The other irritant, of course, is procurement. [6:30] Procurement is interesting because he says, we don't want your cars. [6:33] Okay, if you don't want our cars, then we don't want your booze. [6:36] We don't want to travel down to the United States for vacation or events like that. [6:41] Those are things, I think, that they keep raising, which tells me that those are hurting. [6:45] And it will be interesting to see in the midterms this fall whether or not the American people who have been affected, particularly in the concentrated areas with whom we do the most trade, [6:53] and those products are becoming more expensive, the tourism isn't coming, or their booze isn't being sold north of the border. [7:00] The other thing is, it's very interesting. [7:02] So they don't want our cars. [7:03] But you know what they did say we're doing well in that interview, what Hookster said? [7:08] He says, we like the fact that you're coming around on your military spending, your defense spending. [7:12] $82 million that Champagne put in the budget increased $82 million. [7:17] They want $82 billion. [7:18] They want to applaud us for our military spending because they want us to buy their stuff. [7:26] They won't buy our cars, but we have to buy their planes, right? [7:29] We won't buy their booze, but that's unfair for some strange reason. [7:33] So there's no consistency here in the administration's positioning. [7:36] And I don't think Canadians should read too much into this, I think, waiting for the midterms to see, really, [7:43] who's got the ear of the American people? [7:45] Is it this administration or is it the people who are going to be voting some of these Republicans out? [7:50] Well, just on the current military point, Brad, the argument that the ambassadors put forward for the F-35s [7:56] is that it's a North American manufacturing ecosystem, a mutually beneficial one, [8:02] which is the very argument they reject for the auto sector, right? [8:05] So it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, there's an interesting inconsistency there when it's applied. [8:10] All right. [8:11] It's a polite way of putting it. [8:12] Yeah, we got to leave it there with the power panel. [8:14] Brad Levine, Vandana Kotter, Kate Harrison, and Rob Russo, always fun.