U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra’s expletive-filled tirade toward Ontario’s trade representative was “absolutely unacceptable” and “unbecoming of an ambassador,” Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday.
This comes days after Hoekstra was seen attacking David Paterson, Ontario’s trade representative, at a Canadian American Business Council event in Ottawa on Monday, several witnesses told CBC News.
Sources at the event spoke to CBC News on condition they not be named.
The heated exchange, allegedly laced with F-bombs, mentioned Ford’s name and appeared to have been prompted by Ontario’s anti-tariff ad that aired on television in the United States until Monday – which infuriated US President Donald Trump.
While Ford reiterated that the publicity was “the right thing to do,” he urged Hoekstra to apologize to Paterson and get negotiations back on track.
” Rock [Hoekstra]you need to call Dave [Paterson] stand up and apologize. It’s simple,” Ford said Wednesday at an unrelated news conference. “I get heated sometimes, but just call the guy out and bury the hatchet.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has called an Ontario government ad in which Ronald Reagan talked about tariffs “fake,” saying it distorted the narrative. For The National, CBC’s Ashley Fraser explains how it compares and why Trump is so upset.
Ford said the ad was his way of fighting back against Trump’s multiple attacks on Ontario and Canada.
“What do they expect from me? Sit and turn like any other person in the world?” he said, adding that the video was “successful” with more than 11.4 billion impressions.
“So why doesn’t the president start being nice? Play nice in the sandbox with his biggest customer in the world and you’ll be fine,” Ford said.
The ad’s intention was not to “poke the president” but to start a conversation and “wake up Democrats,” Ford said.
The ad features an anti-tariff speech from former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, which Ford said is a position the famous Republican leader has spoken about several times.
“Ronald Reagan is telling the truth. A tariff on Canada is a tax on the American people,” he said.
Chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton discusses the direction of trade negotiations following Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s US ad, with the Sunday Scrum panel of Globe and Mail reporter Ian Bailey, CBC Radio’s The House host Catherine Cullen and Toronto Star Queen’s Park bureau chief Robert Benzie. Additionally, Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz, former Canadian Ambassador to the United States Frank McKenna and Justin Trudeau’s former deputy chief of staff Brian Clow join the show to discuss trade negotiations.
Despite the conflict, Ford called Hoekstra a “good guy” who he bet with for the World Series, with the loser wearing the winning team’s jersey.
Hoekstra has made headlines in the past for some of his blunt remarks on Canada-U.S. relations.
He called Canadian retaliation against Trump’s tariffs “nasty,” denouncing U.S. alcohol boycotts and Canadians’ choice to vacation elsewhere than in the United States.
Hoekstra also tried to downplay Trump’s taunts about Canada becoming the 51st state, describing it as a term of endearment.
