U.S. President Donald Trump views Canada as “nasty” to deal with due to bans on American alcohol and a decline in cross-border travel, according to U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra.
Speaking at the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region Foundation summit in Bellevue, Washington, on Monday, Hoekstra said Canadian actions—like avoiding travel to the U.S. and banning American-made alcohol in response to tariffs—“don’t send positive signals” about the relationship.
The Canadian Press obtained a recording of Hoekstra’s remarks through B.C. Premier David Eby’s office, which said it was shared by someone in the audience. In response, Eby said these comments show Canadian pushback against Trump’s policies is “having an impact” and urged Canadians to keep supporting domestic products and vacationing within the country.
“We won’t take these attacks on our jobs, our economy and our sovereignty lying down. We’ll stand strong together,” Eby said.
Several Canadian provinces, including British Columbia, banned the sale of U.S. alcohol in government-run stores earlier this year after Trump imposed new tariffs on Canadian goods. The economic friction has also led many Canadians to scale back travel to the U.S.
According to Statistics Canada, cross-border travel by car in March dropped nearly 32 per cent compared to the same month last year—the steepest decline since the pandemic. Air travel by Canadians to the U.S. also fell 13.5 per cent year-over-year.
Addressing a question about how to boost travel between Vancouver and Seattle ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup games, Hoekstra said Canadians avoiding U.S. visits and banning American alcohol were among the reasons Trump and his team see Canada as “mean and nasty to deal with.”
“Canadians staying home, that’s their business. I don’t like it, but if that’s what they want to do, it’s fine,” Hoekstra said. “They want to ban American alcohol. That’s fine.”
The ambassador added, jokingly, that he could still get alcohol across the border and that border agents don’t check his car—drawing laughter from the audience.
A statement from the U.S. Embassy later attempted to strike a more optimistic tone, saying Hoekstra “has expressed optimism about the future of the relationship” and sees potential for stronger economic ties. The embassy also reiterated Hoekstra’s view that provincial bans on U.S. products are “counterproductive” to resolving trade tensions.