The U.S. ambassador to Canada reportedly unleashed a profanity-filled outburst towards Ontario’s trade representative during an event in Ottawa. This incident, which took place at the National Gallery of Canada during the Canadian American Business Council’s state of the relationship event, quickly became the talk of influential circles in Ottawa and Washington.
The event, known for bringing together top officials and business leaders from both countries to celebrate the Canada-U.S. relationship, saw the presence of Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade. Witnesses observed U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra angrily confronting Ontario’s trade representative, David Paterson, regarding an anti-tariff advertisement aired by the province that had angered President Donald Trump.
Following the ad campaign featuring the voice of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, Trump halted trade talks with Canada and threatened to impose a 10% tariff on Canadian goods. Despite past events featuring speeches from both U.S. and Canadian ambassadors, only prepared remarks from Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, were presented this year.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford publicly urged Hoekstra to apologize to Paterson during a news conference. The Toronto Sun and The Globe and Mail first reported on the incident, which the U.S. Embassy declined to comment on. Efforts by Canada to negotiate tariff relief with the U.S. have hit a roadblock, shifting focus to reducing specific sectoral tariffs.
Hoekstra’s outspoken comments about the Canada-U.S. relationship have drawn attention in the past, including labeling Canadian responses to Trump’s tariffs as “nasty” and interpreting Trump’s remarks about Canada becoming the 51st state as a term of endearment. Trump himself questioned Hoekstra’s performance during a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney, indicating a potential reevaluation of his role as ambassador.
