Trump thinks Canadians who avoid U.S. travel, ban its booze are 'mean and nasty,' ambassador says
Article content
Pete Hoekstra told a conference audience that such steps 'don't send positive signals' about Canada treating the United States well.
Article content
Article content
Hoekstra was speaking at the annual Pacific NorthWest Economic Region Foundation summit in Bellevue, Washington.
Article content
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.
Article content
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.'
Article content
A representative of Hoekstra's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Article content
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.
Article content
'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.
Article content
'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.'
Article content
Article content
Article content
'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.
Article content
Eby's statement in response to Hoekstra's remarks said people should keep buying Canadian products and keep their vacations Canadian.
Article content
'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.
Article content
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.
Article content
Trump's actions have prompted some Canadians to cancel their cross-border trips.
Article content
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.
Article content
It was the third consecutive month of year-over-year declines and the steepest plunge since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Statistics Canada.
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
21 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘It's fantastic to see': Rural Alberta riding in spotlight ahead of August byelection
Independent candidate Bonnie Critchley campaigns in the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, where Pierre Poilievre is attempting to earn a seat in Camrose, Alta., on Tuesday July 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken CAMROSE — The upcoming federal byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot has Jennifer Fossen in unknown territory. Fossen is the president of the Camrose & District Chamber of Commerce. In the April federal election, it held a candidate forum. Only one nominee showed up to speak to a half empty room. Three months later, Fossen is hosting another candidate forum, this time in a byelection race featuring Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, and the response is, well, off the hook. Fossen said phones at her office have been ringing constantly with people inquiring about the July 29 candidate debate. But all seats are booked and 10 candidates have signed up to speak. '(It) has definitely taken everything to the next level,' Fossen said this week in an interview. 'It's fantastic to see the voter engagement and just the interest in the democratic process.' Poilievre is a vying to win the Aug. 18 vote in Battle River–Crowfoot, a sprawling rural riding that takes up the entire eastern side of Alberta from Edmonton down to Calgary. The writ was dropped last month after Conservative Damien Kurek, who overwhelmingly won the seat in the April general election, stepped down to allow Poilievre to run. Poilievre lost his long-held Ottawa seat of Carleton in the April vote. Poilievre's signs can be seen scattered on lawns and the farm gates along a highway leading into the city of Camrose, the riding's largest municipality. His party said he has opened his campaign office in Camrose and he has attended town halls, rodeos, parades and a car show in the riding in recent weeks. He said in a statement he's coming home ready to take the voices of the riding to Ottawa. 'I am a born and bred Albertan, with strong Alberta values,' he said. 'As leader, I can take the fight for farmers, oil and gas workers, firearms owners, soldiers, for Albertans to the national stage. That means strong, forceful, representation for the people of Battle River—Crowfoot.' The riding is rock-solid Conservative territory. Kurek won in April with about 83 per cent of the vote. But Poilievre is facing challengers who question not only him, but the idea of parachuting a candidate in from afar. Alongside the Poilievre signs are some for Independent Bonnie Critchley, a 44-year-old military veteran who spent time in Afghanistan. Critchley said she stepped out of retirement and threw her cowboy hat in the race because she cares about the issues concerning the people in the riding. She criticized Poilievre for running just to advance his political career. 'I didn't think it was right that the guy we overwhelmingly voted for is now gone,' said Critchley, who lives in Tofield, a town in the riding's north end. 'I am running to be the voice for Battle River-Crowfoot in Ottawa. What this means is it will be my voice, but my neighbours' words. I want to take us back to a proper, true, representative democracy.' She told the constituents who met her at their doors that it was important to 'vote for a representative, not a party.' Critchley said she is registered to attend the forum and Poilievre will be there too. Other candidates running in the byelection say criticism that Poilievre is a 'parachute candidate' has dominated the conversations they've been having while door-knocking. Poilievre was born in Calgary and has lived in Ottawa for the last two decades. 'It comes up almost every single time that people are kind of angry that the previous representative got switched on them,' said Liberal candidate Darcy Spady, who is from Three Hills. 'They're not happy with a drop-in from out of town with a background that's more national in focus.' Kurek's exit also encouraged Independent Sarah Spanier to run. 'I share that frustration,' said Spanier. 'We overwhelmingly voted to support Damien, only to have that choice ripped away on a whim because Pierre got fired and feels the need to use us as some type of political pawn because he assumes this going to be a guaranteed win. 'I find that insulting.' The byelection has become contentious in other ways in recent days as well. Spanier said she has stopped door-knocking due to death threats, and RCMP have put out notices reminding people to be kind and respect the democratic process. The byelection has also been in the spotlight due to the Longest Ballot Committee, which as of Wednesday, had registered more than 130 candidates under its banner to bring attention to the issue of electoral reform. Critchley, Spady and Spanier said they prefer staying focused on the issues in the riding. Critchley said she wants to make life more affordable for constituents by, for example, advocating for the federal government to invest in seed research for the farmers affected by drought. Spanier said she wants address food insecurity in the House of Commons. Libertarian Party of Canada candidate Michael Harris said he wants Poilievre to lose so a referendum on whether Alberta should separate from the rest of Canada can make headway if he wins. University of Calgary political scientist Lisa Young says although riding has historically voted conservative in provincial and federal elections, the byelection has become interesting because vocal Independent candidates have tapped into sentiment that only a leader who is rooted in the life of that riding and concerns should be elected. 'It's going to be tricky for a lot of people in the riding because they are loyal conservatives,' she said. 'You've got a leader who lost his seat and now is looking for another seat but his future as party leader isn't assured. He faces a leadership review in January,' she added. 'This sets this kind of a contest between that notion of what a member of Parliament should be and should do versus the party loyalty.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025. Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
CTV News
21 minutes ago
- CTV News
Gold a bright spot for TSX as Canadian index outperforms S&P 500
The TSX ticker is shown in Toronto on May 10, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn Gold and precious metals have been a bright spot this year, helping the S&P/TSX composite index outperform the S&P 500, with fund managers saying there could still be time for retail investors to get in on the action. 'In Canada, gold has been the huge mover, and I think if you break apart the index, gold is now at 12 per cent of our index, and that has been the huge winner,' said John Zechner, chairman and founder of J. Zechner Associates. 'That to me is the single most important reason why Canada has played such catch-up and has actually done better than the S&P 500, certainly this year so far.' The TSX was up roughly 11 per cent year-to-date, as of Wednesday afternoon, while the S&P 500 was up about eight per cent, according to LSEG Data & Analytics. Meanwhile, the price of gold has risen about 30 per cent over the course of the year so far, with the August gold contract hovering around US$3,400 an ounce. Dennis da Silva, senior portfolio manager at Middlefield, agreed that the gold sector is 'the largest contributor' in driving the TSX higher. 'If you look at the S&P/TSX global gold index, that's up 40 per cent year-to-date. So if you tie that into the TSX, I would say about 30 per cent of the index's return is driven by gold and silver names or precious metals in general,' he said in an interview last week. In contrast, U.S. markets have been primarily driven by large-cap technology companies in recent years that 'pushed forward that U.S. exceptionalism story,' said Chris McHaney, head of investment management and strategy at Global X Investments Canada. 'I won't say it's run out of steam, but it has started to look like some of those drivers are starting to slow down in terms of the amount of growth that's being provided to the U.S. market,' he said. McHaney noted the performance of the so-called magnificent seven group of stocks has been split this year. The magnificent seven is a group of large-cap U.S. tech stocks that have a major influence on equity markets. The list includes Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla. For example, Tesla shares are down nearly 20 per cent year-to-date; meanwhile, Alphabet shares are flat. On the flip side, Nvidia and Microsoft shares are up roughly 27 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively, since the start of the year. The mixed picture has helped Canada's more metal-focused index gain, said McHaney. 'It really is more of a story of gold has been on fire and in Canada, we just have more exposure to that,' he said. According to da Silva, there are a few reasons why gold prices have risen, one being that the commodity benefited from demand for safe haven assets, particularly as the global trade dispute flared up. Stock markets have been volatile this year, particularly in March and April, when U.S. President Donald Trump started rolling out tariffs on countries around the world, only to delay many. The uncertainty over how the global economy and company profits would be impacted by changing trade policies has driven investors to safe haven assets like gold. McHaney said there are a few factors that influence the price of gold — government deficits around the world, inflation concerns and trade uncertainty tend to be positive ones — but it can be difficult to assess which is driving price moves at a given time. Central banks around the world were also buying more of the key commodity as another source of reserve currency, da Silva said. He noted this trend became more common after the U.S. and European Union froze Russian assets after it invaded Ukraine. 'I think that was kind of a wake-up call that your assets are not safe. They can be frozen, and that caused countries to re-evaluate how they hold foreign reserves. I think at that point that's when we started to see pretty active buying,' da Silva said. While McHaney said it is difficult to determine whether the TSX will continue to outperform the S&P 500, he said he also doesn't think retail investors have missed the boat in terms of investing in gold specifically. 'I think some of those drivers that have been working well for Canada are not necessarily going away tomorrow either. There could be a psychological element of maybe 'I missed that performance, I'll just stay where I am,'' he said. 'We think gold itself might not keep rising in value, but it just has to stay kind of where it is now for the gold equities to continue to do very strongly.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025. Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press
CTV News
21 minutes ago
- CTV News
Carney to talk major projects with Inuit leaders in Inuvik
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during the First Nations Summit at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., on Thursday, July 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby INUVIK — Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet with Inuit leaders today to discuss his government's controversial major projects legislation. The meeting of the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee will be co-hosted by Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, in Inuvik, N.W.T. Obed says Inuit have many questions about Bill C-5 and are hoping the meetings provide clarity on the role they play in a single Canadian economy. The recently passed One Canadian Economy Act gives Ottawa the power to fast-track projects it deems to be in the national interest by sidestepping environmental protections and other legislation. Indigenous leaders have accused the federal government of failing to consult with them adequately when the legislation was being drafted and amended, and Carney has promised to hold talks with First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders to get input on how projects can proceed. After Carney met with First Nations leaders in Ottawa last week, some chiefs said they were left with more questions than answers and no clear idea of how the government plans to implement its agenda. In a video posted to social media Wednesday, Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty said the meeting is a forum for discussing how to move projects forward in a mutually beneficial manner while respecting Inuit sovereignty rights. Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press -- With files from Alessia Passafiume in Ottawa This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025.
