Pete Hoekstra confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Canada

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 7:29 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

The U.S. Senate connected Wednesday confirmed Pete Hoekstra, a erstwhile ambassador to the Netherlands, to beryllium ambassador to Canada, a presumption helium assumes arsenic accepted adjacent ties person been strained by President Donald Trump's tariff argumentation and comments astir annexation.

The ballot was 60 to 37 successful favour of confirming Hoekstra, with enactment from respective Democrats arsenic good arsenic Trump's chap Republicans for a nominee who has besides been a concern enforcement and Republican subordinate of the House of Representatives.

The confirmation of Hoekstra, who succeeds David Cohen, comes arsenic relations betwixt Washington and Ottawa are much tense than they person been successful years, amid a planetary commercialized warfare and hostile rhetoric that has roiled diplomatic relations.

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At his proceeding earlier the Senate's overseas relations committee past month, Hoekstra said helium views Canada arsenic an autarkic nation, noting adjacent ties betwixt his location authorities of Michigan and Ontario.

"Canada is simply a sovereign state, yes," Hoekstra said astatine the hearing, erstwhile Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware asked if helium agreed Canada is simply a sovereign authorities and should not beryllium adjacent jokingly referred to arsenic the 51st state.

Trump has suggested that the United States should annex Canada, referring to it repeatedly arsenic a U.S. state.

Coons was among the senators who voted against the nomination. 

Canada 'our astir invaluable trading partner': Hoekstra

All Republicans contiguous voted to corroborate Hoekstra, with the others mostly representing states that stock a Canadian border, including Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, New Hampshire's Jeanne Shaheen, and Maine's Angus King, who is an autarkic who caucuses with the Democrats.

Hoekstra successful a connection praised Canada arsenic "our astir invaluable trading partner, our largest root of overseas concern and our largest root of vigor imports."

"As ambassador to Canada, I volition enactment with the Canadian authorities to reappraisal and fortify our beardown trading partnership, unafraid our borders, face the deadly menace of fentanyl to our citizens and physique our nationalist information co-operation," helium said.

LISTEN l Brian Mulroney Institute of Government's Asa McKercher connected historical Smoot-Hawley tariffs:

Hoekstra, 71, served successful Trump's archetypal word arsenic ambassador to the Netherlands, wherever his household traces its origins. He antecedently served successful Congress from 1993 to 2011 for Michigan.

While the assignment has mostly been praised, including by concern groups, the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism antecedently announced its absorption to the choice, slamming Hoekstra for statements during his governmental vocation they said reflected "anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ+ views."