Jeanne Shaheen Questions Trump's Canada Ambassador Nominee on Fixing Bilateral Relations

US-Canada Relationship at a Historic Low

• 📉 Recent polling indicates a historic low point in the US-Canada bilateral relationship, with 75% of Canadians holding unfavorable opinions of President Trump.
• ⚠️ Only 30% of Canadians view the US as an ally, a significant shift from previous years, with national anthems being booed at hockey games.
• 📌 Canadians find President Trump's comments about Canada being the '51st state' particularly offensive.

Addressing Negative Perceptions and Tariffs

• 🎯 The nominee acknowledges the need to turn around the negative relationship and address tariff issues, drawing parallels to experiences in the Netherlands.
• 🤝 The focus will be on the strength of the relationship between the two countries, highlighting thousands of businesses that rely on it.
• 📈 Experience will be applied to President Trump's priorities, including freer and fairer trade to grow the business relationship.

Impact of Trade War on Small Businesses

• ❓ Senator Shaheen questions how the trade war is helping the US economy, noting that Canada has one of the lowest tariff regimes globally.
• 💔 Small businesses in New Hampshire, particularly one making sugar-free candy, have seen all their orders canceled by Canada, jeopardizing their operations.
• 🗣️ The nominee is asked about the metrics President Trump uses to justify the trade war and the expected outcome upon reaching an agreement.

Fentanyl and Trade Priorities

• 🇨🇦 President Trump's priorities include fairer trade with Canada and cooperation on the fentanyl crisis.
• ⚠️ Despite the focus on fentanyl, less than 1% of the fentanyl entering the US comes from Canada, and Canada interdicted more drugs from the US than vice-versa last year.