[Source/Observer Network, Shao Yun]

As the new cabinet led by Canada's new Prime Minister Trudeau takes office, it is expected that the US-Canada relations will face reshaping. Recently, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said that "the ball is on your side (Canada)," calling on the Canadian government to come up with a "truly serious" tariff negotiation plan. He also criticized the "boycott American goods" movement within Canada as "unbecoming," stating that the U.S. has never treated Canada this way.

According to a May 16 report by Politico Magazine's website, Hoekstra told them in an interview on May 15 that the U.S. will focus on the Speech from the Throne at the opening ceremony of the new session of the Canadian Parliament, analyzing the signals sent by the new government regarding its policy direction. He urged the Trudeau government to propose a "relatively straightforward" trade proposal to the U.S. that would be considered "truly serious" by the Trump administration.

When asked what constitutes "seriousness," Hoekstra said he hoped Canada would cooperate with the U.S. on key minerals, fulfill the commitment to allocate at least 2% of its GDP to defense as a NATO country, and reach an agreement with the Trump administration on Arctic issues.

"My message is, the ball is on your side," Hoekstra said, "...if you are negotiating for a better deal than any other country, then send some signals indicating that you care deeply about this relationship, see it as a long-term relationship, view the U.S. as a reliable nation, and want it to become a reliable partner."

On May 16, local time, Ottawa, Canada, Hoekstra spoke at the B7 Summit of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Visual China.

He then "hinted" that Canada now has some "easy compromises" to make to send positive signals to the U.S. "I mean, do you really want to ban American products? We haven't banned any Canadian goods. We didn't say that Canadian companies can't bid for projects. Do Canadians want to travel to the U.S.? That's personal choice. It's not our government's decision; it's a personal choice of Canadians."

The reporter then asked Hoekstra if he felt he had a "responsibility" to communicate this to Canadians. Hoekstra complained that he "strongly feels" that Canadians don't want to hear his opinion on this matter and stated that he believed the Canadian public's boycott of American goods was unfair.

"I think your behavior of banning American products is outrageous. It's an insult to us. We've never done such things to you," Hoekstra said, adding that Canada agreed in 2014 to raise defense spending to 2% of GDP but hadn't reached this goal by 2025. "American taxpayers might be very dissatisfied with this, but we have never said that we would remove Canadian goods from our shelves."

Previously, the Trump administration constantly escalated tariff threats and repeatedly hinted at wanting Canada to become the 51st state of the U.S., leading to a grassroots boycott movement against American goods across Canada. Not only did many local supermarkets label products as "Buy Canadian," but some coffee shops even changed "American Coffee" to "Canadian Coffee" on their menus, and the number of Canadian travelers visiting the U.S. significantly decreased.

This sentiment even affected the Canadian election. Just this January, public opinion generally didn't favor the ruling Liberal Party, with its support lagging behind the Conservative Party by over 20 percentage points, and former Prime Minister Trudeau resigned under pressure. However, after Trump took office, former Bank of Canada Governor Trudeau gained voter goodwill with his tough stance toward the U.S., winning the party vote in March to become prime minister and leading the Liberal Party to victory in April's general election.

On May 13, Trudeau announced the new cabinet list, appointing a new foreign minister and establishing a new trade minister position for the U.S.-Canada relations. A statement released shortly after the swearing-in of the cabinet said: "The newly elected Canadian government is tasked with determining a new economic and security relationship with the U.S., building a stronger economy, reducing living costs, and ensuring the safety of our communities."

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7505619918080786985/

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