Trump VP pick J.D. Vance's knowledge of Canada a 'good thing,' ambassador says
Kirsten Hillman says Vance has close connections to Canada through his home state
Canada's ambassador to the United States says "we're very happy" that Ohio Senator J.D. Vance is Donald Trump's vice-presidential running mate because of the senator's connections to Canada.
In an interview with CBC's Power & Politics on Monday, Kirsten Hillman said Vance is "someone we know well at the embassy" who has been seen at "many events supporting the Canada-U.S. relationship."
"That's a good thing for us, that he has this high level of knowledge," Hillman added.
Vance, a staunch conservative and author of the bestselling memoir Hillbilly Elegy, was praised by Trump for his military service and for graduating from Yale Law School.
"After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Ohio's economy is deeply intertwined with that of Canada. According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, in 2023 the state exported $21.4 billion in goods to Canada, representing 38 per cent of Ohio's total goods exports.
But Vance is linking himself to Trump, who has promised a worldwide tariff on imports if he wins — a measure which would be stricter than any trade policy during his first term.
Trump has offered few details about his trade policy in his campaign literature and in media interviews. He has said he envisions a 10 per cent global tax.
It's not clear if that policy would apply to Canada — but officials here are taking precautions. The federal government staged a large-scale diplomatic deployment in March when it sent more than dozen diplomats in various U.S. cities to meet American lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
On Monday, Hillman said that when talking to Democrats and Republicans, what works well for Canada is to not "question their motive of wanting to bring back jobs to America…. but to point out to them that those jobs depend on having good customers."
"If you really want to secure a safe, prosperous, resilient United States, then free trade with Canada is essential," she told host David Cochrane. "I'm quite sure that someone from the state of Ohio doesn't want to see a tariff war with its biggest customer."
Hillman said in May that Ottawa isn't worried about the prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House.
"But what matters here is that we are ready and prepared and able, as we've demonstrated, to work with both of the candidates that are up for election in the fall," Hillman said at the time.
Assassination attempt looms large
Trump's announcement of Vance as his running mate came just days after the former president survived an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania campaign rally. The gunman's motives remain unknown.
Since then, Canadian and American leaders have urged voters to tone down their rhetoric about their political opponents and look toward national unity.
In the wake of the assassination attempt on Saturday, Trump said he would be revising his acceptance speech to emphasize national unity, rather than highlight his differences with Biden.
Hillman said the attempted assassination was a "horrific event" that put the United States in "a bit of shock."
"I think the vast majority of Americans, if not almost all Americans, abhor this kind of violence," she said.
When asked whether she thinks Americans are listening to the calls to calm down extreme rhetoric, Hillman said she hopes the message is resonating.
"It's definitely a complicated moment with a lot of turmoil, but it's not the first time," she said. "I think that we're going to have to see how these next months develop."
Clarifications
- The headline on this story has been updated from a previous version which said the ambassador called Trump's choice of Vance as his running mate a good thing. In fact, she said Vance's knowledge of Canada and the Canada-U.S. relationship is a good thing.Jul 16, 2024 8:23 PM ET
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With files from Thomson Reuters, Tom Parry, Alexander Panetta, Katie Simpson