MACKINAC ISLAND — Former Michigan congressman Pete Hoekstra, now ambassador to Canada, spoke at the Mackinac Policy Conference this week about navigating the turbulent relationship with one of America’s top trading partners.
Hoekstra, who also chaired the Michigan GOP, says that tensions between the two countries were fueled in part by the ambitions of Canadian politicians.
“They framed it in such a way that it was a winning issue, and they ran with it, and they hammered it, and there was no counter punch,” he said. “So it became a very emotional issue. This too will pass.”
Hoekstra says that the US wants to strengthen its relationship with Canada, a message often at odds with President Trump’s economic policies and rhetoric.
“We’ve got some things that we need to work out, and we want to work out, but we’re going to do that in a very, very constructive way,” Hoekstra said.
Hoekstra says that the two countries’ relationship has not significantly changed, despite Trump’s decision to impose tariffs ranging from 10% to 25% on many Canadian products.
“You’re not going to wipe that away in a year, even if you wanted to — and I don’t think anybody wants to,” he said. “And I think that the relationship that will happen here is we will get through this, but the hope and the expectation is, when we are done, it will be stronger, because the threats are different.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has struck a different tone on the future of North American relations, saying that the pre-Trump economic order “is over,” though he has stayed open to a potential deal.
Hoekstra did not provide any updates on negotiations with Canada or other nations.
