U.S. alcohol ban in Canada a ‘slap in the face,’ outgoing consul general in Montreal says

As consul general at the U.S. Consulate in Montreal, Robert P. Sanders experienced first-hand the change in tone between Canadians and Americans going from the Joe Biden administration to Donald Trump’s.

The career  apolitical diplomat, who previously held posts in a variety of locales from Islamabad to Port-au-Prince, is wrapping up his time in Montreal, but not before joining hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand on an audio-only episode of The Corner Booth to talk about navigating the position with relations between the countries at a low point.

“ Canadians don’t tend to yell at you,” Sanders said in response to whether he received any vitriol from Canadians over Trump’s tariffs or 51st-state threats.  ”I understood their position, and I also tried to say: ‘Look, here’s why the policy is the way it is, and here’s what we’re trying to get to.’

“ I understand the emotion. I’m not trying to discount that, but I also realize I’m not your therapist. So I can’t really fix that.”

Something else that’s been different for diplomats like Sanders compared to previous administrations is having a U.S. ambassador to Canada like Pete Hoekstra,  who has taken an aggressive approach in talking to Canadians about Trump’s policies. Hoekstra has expressed agreement with Trump that Canada would be better off as the 51st state.

“ He’s always been a very straight shooter. He was a member of Congress for 18 years and was always very clear and spoke his mind. I think that is just his personality. I think people sometimes miss the fact that the man is actually incredibly funny. He’s got a real dry sense of humour,” Sanders said.

“ He’s a pretty warm, friendly guy. But he also is a fierce defender of the administration and the policies because that is his job.”

The Trump administration isn’t renewing CUSMA, the free-trade agreement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, meaning we’re heading for another period of economic uncertainty.

Canadian provinces have struck back in their own ways, such as removing U.S. alcohol from their shelves. Sanders called it a “genuine irritant” and said the U.S. “did not ban a single Canadian product.”

He compared it to a “kind of slap in the face,” adding: “ I find it really irritating. I’m a sort of free market person. I think that it is fine if someone on the streets of Montreal goes into the SAQ and doesn’t want to buy bourbon, or they don’t want to buy a California wine. That’s your choice. I think you should have the choice.

“I don’t think that Canada should have taken that choice away from people.”

Sanders also said Canada has “the best trade deal in the world” with the United States, where 85 per cent of Canadian goods crosses the border duty-free.  

“It’s still tariff-free for the vast majority of Canadian trade. Canada is still a very good place.”

Sanders had similar thoughts on Canadian government officials discouraging their citizens from travelling south of the border.

“ Let someone make their choice. The idea of governments advocating for, ‘boycott the U.S., don’t go there,’ I think that it sort of acts like government policy.”

You can listen to this week’s The Corner Booth on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. The show will return to video format next episode.