‘Make your case,’ U.S. Ambassador tells Canada after Trump threatens not to renew CUSMA

Pete Hoekstra, U.S. Ambassador to Canada, during an interview at the US Embassy in Ottawa Monday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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OTTAWA — U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said the recent threat by U.S. President Donald Trump to not renew the North American trade pact creates an opening for Canada to make an offer.

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“You maybe don’t like the way the president says it but take it in the tone of what he’s saying is we’re open to offers,” said Hoekstra, during the 2026 U.S.-Canada Summit in Toronto on Thursday. “Make your case.”

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Hoekstra’s comments come one day after Trump said he was not looking to renew the Canada-United States-Mexico-Agreement (CUSMA). The agreement has a July 1 deadline to extend it for another 16 years, a clause that was negotiated by Trump during his first administration.

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If the three countries don’t agree to renewal, the agreement enters a new phase of annual reviews.

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“We don’t need anything Canada has, we don’t need anything that Mexico has, but they need everything that we have, and they have to treat us better,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.

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Earlier this month, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc sent a notice letter calling for the renewal of CUSMA for another 16 years. The minister was also in Washington last week for a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

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Speaking at the same summit, LeBlanc said Canada has not been an “idle spectator” in negotiations.

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“We have put before the United States, before President Trump, some very specific offers that we think are in the interest of the United States economy and the Canadian economy,” said LeBlanc.

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Greer has spoken openly about the difficulties facing negotiations with Canada, including the provincial bans on U.S. alcohol.

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During his visit to Washington earlier this week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said U.S. alcohol will return on LCBO shelves when a trade deal is signed.

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LeBlanc has also downplayed the significance of the July 1 deadline, adding that it’s not a “cliff that everybody goes hurtling off.”

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The minister also said he expects there will be bilateral deals between the U.S. and Canada and the U.S. and Mexico, in adjacent to the trilateral CUSMA framework.

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“If those agreements resolve issues that all three countries are trying to resolve I’m hopeful that we might at that point have the extension,” said LeBlanc. “But if not, we will continue to do what’s necessary to preserve the trilateral framework, which is in the interest of all three countries.”

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Hoekstra said the U.S.-Canada relationship has brought prosperity, wealth and jobs on both sides of the border.

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“So, let’s keep moving forward,” the ambassador told the Toronto audience.

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More to come.

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National Post

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