EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Ambassador Reveals Why Canada Can’t Get A Trade Deal

Time is running out as July 1 deadline approaches

In this episode of Simply Politics, I sit down for an exclusive interview with U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra.

The interview comes at a critical moment for Canada. With the July 1 deadline for the renewal of CUSMA, known in the United States as USMCA, quickly approaching, Canada appears to be falling behind Mexico in trade negotiations with Washington.

Ambassador Hoekstra raises concerns about Canada’s behaviour in the trade talks and explains what he believes is holding Canada back from securing a deal with the United States.

We discuss CUSMA, free trade, tariffs, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s approach to the U.S., “elbows up” rhetoric, China, anti-Americanism in Canada, and the future of Canada–U.S. relations.

This is one of the most important interviews of the year, and it comes at a time when Canada’s relationship with its closest ally and largest trading partner may be at a turning point.