The U. S. ambassador to Canada had a heated outburst directed at Ontario’s trade representative during an event in Ottawa on Monday, according to multiple witnesses who spoke with .
News of the incident spread quickly among influential groups in both Ottawa and Washington after it took place during the Canadian American Business Council’s state of the relationship gathering at the National Gallery of Canada.
This high-profile event typically serves as a platform for networking and celebrating the Canada-U. S. connection, attracting cabinet ministers, diplomats, and business leaders alike. This particular night welcomed Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand along with Dominic Le Blanc, who oversees Canada-U. S. trade.
Eyewitnesses reported that U. S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra launched into a furious rant at Ontario’s trade representative, David Paterson.
One observer noted that Hoekstra seemed upset about a recent anti-tariff that Ontario aired on television in the United States, which has angered President Donald Trump. The witness claimed they heard Hoekstra using strong language and referencing Ontario Premier Doug Ford directly.
The sources shared their accounts with on the condition of anonymity.
Following Ontario’s launch of that ad campaign featuring former U. S. president Ronald Reagan’s voice, Trump abruptly halted trade discussions with Canada and threatened to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Canadian goods, although he didn’t provide details on how this would be implemented.
This year’s event was different from previous years where both U. S. and Canadian ambassadors would give speeches; it only included prepared comments from Canada’s Ambassador to the U. S., Kirsten Hillman.
During a news conference on Wednesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford encouraged Hoekstra to reconcile with Paterson.
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