U.S. ambassador pitches Trump's CUSMA threats as opportunity to 'make us an offer'

U.S. ambassador pitches Trump's CUSMA threats as opportunity to 'make us an offer'

'A strong Canada across the board is good for the United States,' Pete Hoekstra says

A day after U.S. President Donald Trump said his country doesn't need anything Canada has, his envoy to this country said the United States actually has "tremendous" need for things outside its borders — and if Canada can fulfil them, it will make both countries stronger.

U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra also told the Eurasia Group summit in Toronto that the U.S. administration wants Canada to be strong and prosperous, because that is good for America and the world.

"When the president says 'we don't need this from Canada' or 'there's nothing we need' —America has a tremendous amount of things where we have a need," Hoekstra said on Thursday.

"If Canada puts on their sales hat, they can make a very, very compelling case that if America needs a single car coming into the United States from somewhere else in the world, the best place to get that car from is Canada."

The two countries have a similar labour force in the auto industry, pay scales and environmental standards, he said, operating in what he described as a "thoroughly integrated ecosystem."

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The U.S. ambassador's remarks come two weeks after Prime Minister Mark Carney made a similar argument in New York, telling business leaders there that a stronger, more independent Canada can selectively help "make America great again."

Hoekstra also said that as Canada works its way through the review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in the coming months, it can also make "a pretty compelling case" that Canada is the place where the U.S. should buy its oil and potash for fertilizer.

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"For all of the resources that you have, and the capabilities that you have, and the talent that you have, go into these negotiations very aggressively and say, 'We know America has needs across the board. And we're here to partner with America and fill those needs, because we are the best place for America to fill these needs,'" he said.

Trump said on Wednesday that he's "not looking to renew" CUSMA this summer in part because his country doesn't "need anything that Canada has."

The ambassador tried to explain that there is often a communication challenge between the two countries, where the U.S. is trying to say one thing, and Canada hears something else.

He explained that Trump's remarks about not needing anything from Canada is really his way of saying America is open for business — an invitation to "make us an offer."

"You maybe don't like the way the president says it, but … what he's saying is, 'We're open to offers, make your case,'" Hoekstra said.

He said his country's mission to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. economy is not a threat, but an opportunity that can benefit Canada economically and make both countries prosper.

"Some of that [manufacturing] will be onshored and come back into Canada because of the relationships that we already have — it's not a threat to Canada, it's an invitation to partner," he said.

"We want a strong Canada. We think a strong Canada across the board is good for the United States, it's good for North America and it's probably good for the world."

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Hoekstra also mused that if Canada was more prosperous "some of those dollars will flow south, and we're OK with that."

He specifically suggested Canadians should spend any new-found wealth on visiting the United States and buying its bourbon once again.

The next official to take the stage was Canada's Ambassador to the U.S. Mark Wiseman, who said he was glad that Hoekstra had heard Carney's remarks in New York.

"We said something and he heard it the right way," Wiseman said. "A strong, resilient, self-sufficient Canada … is good for the United States of America. It makes us a better partner, it makes us a better customer."

Wiseman explained that having messages like that land south of the border is sometimes a challenge because while Canadians are good at understanding why the U.S. is important to our economy, we are not as good at making the argument that they need us, too.

"It's less clear in a very noisy United States, with a whole bunch of issues going on and a complex political environment. It's less clear to the Americans how important Canada is to the United States," he said.

Peter Zimonjic is a senior writer for CBC News who reports for digital, radio and television. He has worked as a reporter and columnist in London, England, for the Telegraph, Times and Daily Mail, and in Canada for the Ottawa Citizen, Torstar and Sun Media. He is the author of Into The Darkness: An Account of 7/7, published by Vintage.