Preparing for the arrival of a new U.S. administration in the coming months, Canadian officials say the strategy has involved talking business with Republicans and policy with Democrats.
“The good thing is that when we talk to our Republican friends, they say ‘we like you because you talk business,’ and when we talk to Democrats, they say ‘we like you because you align on policy,’” Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said on Aug. 27 in Halifax.
“So our strategy is very relevant,” added Champagne, who spoke alongside International Trade Minister Mary Ng and Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman, on the last day of the Liberal cabinet retreat.
The officials shed light on Ottawa’s wide-ranging strategy launched in early 2024 to put Canada in a good position independently of who wins the U.S. presidency in November.
Champagne said the strategy was developed along the three pillars of security, supply chains, and economic growth. It also seeks to convey to Americans that Canadians aren’t just the “nice people from the North” but also a strategic ally, said the minister.
Trudeau had a rocky relationship with former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump during his tenure and said a week earlier a Trump return would be a “step back.”
Ambassador Hillman called the strategy a “concerted and fairly systematic effort” to reach out to regions of the U.S. that are “less travelled” but have strong relationships with Canada.
Hillman said this has included visits to about 33 different states and meeting with around 42 governors, with a message tailored around shared interests.
“We need to make sure that we are present and we are in the minds of American lawmakers from across the country and from both parties as they are developing their policies,” she said.
Hillman noted she had attended both party conventions during the U.S. presidential campaign, with the Democrats meeting last week and the Republicans in mid-July. She said Ottawa is well-informed about what can be expected from a Democrat or Republican win in November.
On vice president and Democrat candidate Kamala Harris, Hillman said Ottawa is learning about her platform through her public speeches and directly from her policy advisors.
“It’s fairly transparent, I don’t think it’s that complicated,” she said. “It’s a lot of the similar positions that the Biden administration has had with her, but she'll put her own stamp on it, and I think that that’s just something that we’re watching carefully.”
With regards to Trump, the ambassador said his views on global tariffs “could be complicated for Canada,” but imposing those tariffs on Canada would at the same time be “very difficult.” Canada, the U.S., and Mexico revamped their free trade agreement during Trump’s presidency.
“I don’t think we have any reason to be concerned under, to be frank, either administration,” said Hillman.
