When U.S. Diplomacy Wears Out Its Welcome
A historical pattern of strained Canada-U.S. relations, marked by perceived arrogance from american ambassadors, appears to be repeating itself. Historian Stephen Azzi of Carleton University, as quoted in a 2017 Ottawa Citizen article, described former U.S. Ambassador to Canada Charles Butterworth as “highly obnoxious” and possessing “total confidence in his own abilities” – a personality that “did not work” in dealings with Canadians and “caused a lot of problems in the 1960s.” Azzi’s 2018 history paper, “reassessing the rogue Tory: Canadian foreign relations in the Diefenbaker era,” detailed how Washington historically dismissed Canadian disagreements as stemming from ”irrationality” rather than legitimate policy differences, hindering understanding of Canada’s independent stance.
This historical context frames current tensions surrounding U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra. In recent months, Hoekstra has made a series of controversial statements. He characterized canada’s federal election as an “anti-American campaign,” labelled Canadian responses to U.S. policies – including boycotts and reduced travel – as “nasty,” and accused canada of interfering in U.S. politics over an Ontario ad campaign featuring Ronald Reagan. Reports indicate Hoekstra even launched an expletive-filled tirade at Ontario’s trade representative in Washington regarding the ad.
Further escalating concerns, Hoekstra recently suggested, according to a Toronto Star report, that future Canada-U.S. trade talks are contingent on canada’s review of its planned purchase of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets, as Canada is also considering the Gripen jet from Saab of Sweden.
Public sentiment in Canada is demonstrably shifting against Hoekstra. A petition on change.org calling for his removal, launched on September 28th, had garnered 15,725 signatures as of this writing.
While expelling Hoekstra would likely severely damage the already strained relationship between the governments of Canada and the U.S. and jeopardize future trade negotiations following the expiration of CUSMA next year, the question arises: at what point does Canada deem his presence untenable?
Interestingly, Canada’s international standing has been rising, recently being ranked as the most “loved” or admired country globally by the Reputation Institute’s 2025 survey and World Atlas rankings, a trend partially attributed to the perceived negativity surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, including his comments about Canada becoming the “51st state.”
