On Wednesday, the US Senate confirmed Pete Hoekstra, a former ambassador in the Netherlands, as an ambassador in Canada, a position that he accepts as traditional close relationships by President Donald Trump’s collective bargaining policy and comments on Annexion.
The vote was 60 to 37 years to confirm Hoekstra, with the support of several Democrats and Trump’s Republicans for a candidate who was also the managing director and republican member of the House of Representatives.
The confirmation of Hoekstra, which follows David Cohen, is that the relationships between Washington and Ottawa have been tense than for years in the middle of a global trade war and enemy rhetoric, which has built through diplomatic relationships.
US officials initially made contradictory statements about whether a 10 percent basic tariff would apply to all goods for Canada. The White House has confirmed that this is not the case. Paul Beaudry, former deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, says that it is good news for Canada for the time being – but the Trump government could still change your opinion at any time.
During his hearing in front of the Senate Committee for Foreign Relations last month, Hoekstra said that he sees Canada as an independent nation and stated close relationships between his home state Michigan and Ontario.
“Canada is a sovereign state, yes,” said Hoekstra at the hearing when the democratic Senator Chris Coons from Delaware asked whether he agreed that Canada was a sovereign state and should not even be jokingly referred to as 51st state.
Trump has proposed that the United States should annex Canada and relate repeatedly as a US state.
Coons were among the senators who voted against the nomination.
Canada “Our most valuable trading partner”: Hoekstra
All Republicans present voted for the confirmation of Hoekstra, whereby the other mainly represented states that share a Canadian border, including Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin from Michigan, New Hampshires Jeanne Shaheen, and Maine’s Angus King, who crouches with the Democrats.
In a explanation of Canada, Hoekstra praised “our most valuable trading partner, our largest source for foreign investments and our largest source of energy imports”.
“As an ambassador in Canada, I will work with the Canadian government to review and strengthen our strong trading partnership, to secure our limits, to provide the fatal threat to fentanyl for our citizens and to build our national security cooperation,” he said.
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The 71 -year -old Hoekstra served in Trump’s first term as an ambassador in the Netherlands, where his family followed their origins. Previously, he worked for Michigan from 1993 to 2011.
While the appointment was generally praised, including corporate groups, the global project against hate and extremism previously announced its opposition to the election, and slapped Hoekstra during his political career, which they said, “anti-immigrants, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ+ outdoor houses”.
