Ontario Premier Doug Ford denounced U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra’s profanity-laden outburst at the province’s trade representative as “completely inappropriate” and “not fitting for an ambassador.” The incident occurred at a Canadian American Business Council event in Ottawa, where witnesses reported a heated confrontation between Hoekstra and David Paterson, with explicit language directed at Ford and apparently triggered by Ontario’s anti-tariff advertisement that had upset U.S. President Donald Trump.
While Ford defended the ad as a necessary response to Trump’s attacks on Ontario and Canada, he urged Hoekstra to apologize to Paterson and resume negotiations. Ford emphasized the success of the ad, which garnered over 11.4 billion impressions, and questioned why the President couldn’t adopt a more cooperative approach towards Canada. Ford clarified that the ad aimed to spark dialogue and raise awareness rather than provoke Trump.
Ford highlighted the ad’s use of a speech by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, emphasizing the shared belief in tariff impacts on American citizens. Despite the tension, Ford described Hoekstra as “a good guy” with whom he had a friendly wager on the World Series. Hoekstra, known for his outspoken views on the Canada-U.S. relationship, had previously criticized Canadian responses to Trump’s tariffs and downplayed Trump’s remarks about Canada potentially becoming a new U.S. state.
In the aftermath of the incident, Ford maintained his stance on the ad and stressed the importance of constructive dialogue in resolving trade disputes between the two nations.
