There is something in the DNA of all MAGA-types I guess… their tactic of choice is gaslighting. Ambassador Hoekstra, who has demonstrated to many that he is not the right man for the job, seems to forget that it was his boss who put discussions with Canada on hold following a fit of pique after the Ontario Gov’t Reagan Tariff Ad ran on TV.
He is no more in touch with Trump’s intentions than any man on the street.
By Ed White March 12, 2026
TORONTO, March 12 (Reuters) – U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said Washington wants to renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact but faces resistance from Canada, underscoring uncertainty as a mandatory July 1 review approaches.
Speaking on Thursday at the Canadian Crops Convention in Toronto, he said the U.S. believes the USMCA pact, known as CUSMA in Canada, has worked well but there have been no “substantive” talks with Canada since October.
The Canadian minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade met with his counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, last week.
“I think we want to get to an agreement, but we are facing some headwinds in the negotiations,” Hoekstra said, citing a lack of “substantive” discussions since October.
Hoekstra said:
- Canada should do everything it can to get into the lowest tariff buckets.
- The U.S. is looking for coalitions with countries that will make sure that if there are trade agreements, then the non-tariff trade barriers are removed.
- U.S. President Donald Trump has said there will be some tariff for getting access to the U.S. market so the Canadian government and businesses should make the case why it is beneficial for the U.S. to do business with Canada at the lowest tariff rate.
- Canada and the U.S. can also work more closely on energy. The U.S. already imports a lot of oil and natural gas from Canada, the U.S. processes much of this energy, and it would want to expand the partnership.
- Canada should also build a stockpile of critical minerals in Canada or the U.S. to use during emergencies. Canada has many critical minerals and it should develop a full supply chain to become an ideal partner for the U.S.
- The office of the Canadian Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who is responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, said:
- Canada remains committed to establishing a new economic and security relationship with the United States that will deliver for workers and businesses on both sides of the border.
- “The Minister looks forward to further engagement with his American and Mexican counterparts over the coming months as we undertake the trilateral and bilateral review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.”
Source: Reuters
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