U.S. ambassador expects Carney weighing growth options, including public service cuts
Pete Hoekstra, the United States ambassador to Canada, said that he thinks the prime minister is considering all aspects to create growth, including public service cuts.
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The Ottawa Citizen sat down with Hoekstra at a picnic table outside the ambassador's residence. Small American flags rested in little buckets as workers scuttled to put the finishing touches on the annual Fourth of July party held on the lawn at the ambassador's house.
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The party is one of the marquee events of the summer, with more than 1,000 attending with live music, food and more elbow-brush-schmoozing than ' elbows up.'
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Hoekstra wore a red tie with cartoons of American faces instead of stars on the U.S. flag. The ambassador also spoke with a personable and disarming touch, but stayed firm on U.S. government priorities.
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When asked if Prime Minister Mark Carney would follow a similar program of slashing and cutting to improve government efficiency, similar to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, Hoekstra said he wouldn't speculate, but expects Carney is considering all avenues, including government clawbacks and cuts.
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Still, even with public service cuts and other economic measures, Hoekstra does not think Carney will outpace U.S. economic growth.
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'I'm disappointed that he won't meet that objective, because America will have a faster growth rate than Canada will have,' Hoekstra said. 'But I'd be excited if Canada was No. 2.'
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Hoekstra argues that President Donald Trump's legislative victory around the passing of his so-called big, beautiful tax bill and cutting regulations will balloon growth despite critics, including inside the Republican party, worried about deficits.
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The future of DOGE
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Reflecting on the work of DOGE, he said that the work was precise, 'short-term focused emphasis' searching for waste. The difference now, he says, will be focused spending cuts through Congress rather than an outside government focus on those spending cuts.
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He said the work and legacy of DOGE will go through Congress to pass spending rescission bills to put in law cuts and expenditures.
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