Trump's campaign is 'high-risk moment' for U.S.-Canada relations: former ambassador

Former President Donald Trump's bid to retake the White House in 2024 presents a "high-risk moment" for relations between the United States and Canada, warned former U.S. ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman, according to The Hill Times.

"Heyman, who was appointed as Washington’s envoy by former president Barack Obama in 2014 and served until early 2017, told The Hill Times that Trump 'counters' the relationship built between the United States and Canada, 'regardless of Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal governments,'" reported Mike Lapointe. "Noting Canada’s population of 40 million — a little more than one tenth that of the U.S. — the former ambassador said Canada 'has been able to play on the world stage — part of the G7, part of NATO, part of so many international, multilateral organizations — because of the relationship and the shared values with the United States.'"

However, Heyman continued, “Donald Trump doesn’t represent any of those, and that changes the dynamic of everything for all of our partners around the world, but especially Canada, who has very much relied upon this shared, dual partnership and relationship to navigate the world.”

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While Trump was in office, relations between the United States and Canada were strained by the former president's erratic behavior, including a letter so strange the Canadian ambassador thought it was a prank.

In many cases, far-right movements in the United States and Canada have overlap; the convoy of truckers in Canada protesting COVID mandates inspired a copycat movement that lingered around Washington, D.C., harassing people for months with no clear objective and falling into disarray as Nazis were discovered in their midst.

Some of Trump's former associates, like former National Security Adviser John Bolton, are fearful if he becomes president again, he could withdraw the United States from NATO, a move that would have huge implications for Canada and for security around the world.