Trump thinks Canadians who avoid U.S. travel, ban its booze are 'mean and nasty,' ambassador says
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Pete Hoekstra told a conference audience that such steps 'don't send positive signals' about Canada treating the United States well.
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Hoekstra was speaking at the annual Pacific NorthWest Economic Region Foundation summit in Bellevue, Washington.
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The Canadian Press was provided with a recording of the ambassador's comments by the office of B.C. Premier David Eby, which said it received the audio from someone who was in the audience.
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Eby said in a statement that Hoekstra's remarks show Canadians' efforts to stand up to Trump are 'having an impact,' and he encouraged people to 'keep it up.'
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A representative of Hoekstra's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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The ambassador made the remarks in answer to a question from a conference moderator about what could be done to get people travelling again as Vancouver and Seattle prepare to host games as part of next year's FIFA World Cup.
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'Canadians staying home, that's their business, you know. I don't like it, but if that's what they want to do, it's fine. They want to ban American alcohol. That's fine,' he said.
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'There are reasons why the president and some of his team referred to Canada as being mean and nasty to deal with, OK, because of some of those steps.'
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'We go back and forth to Michigan and they don't check my car when I come back,' he said, drawing laughs from the crowd.
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Eby's statement in response to Hoekstra's remarks said people should keep buying Canadian products and keep their vacations Canadian.
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'We won't take these attacks on our jobs, our economy and our sovereignty, lying down. We'll stand strong together,' the premier said in the emailed statement.
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B.C. is among the provinces that banned the sale of U.S. alcohol from government-run stores after Trump slapped steep tariffs on goods from Canada.
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Trump's actions have prompted some Canadians to cancel their cross-border trips.
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In March, the number of Canadians returning home by car from south of the border fell nearly 32 per cent compared to the same month last year.
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It was the third consecutive month of year-over-year declines and the steepest plunge since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Statistics Canada.
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