U.S. ambassador to Canada goes on expletive-laced tirade at Ontario’s trade representative, witnesses say

The U.S. ambassador to Canada delivered an expletive-laced tirade at Ontario’s trade representative at an event in Ottawa on Monday, multiple witnesses tell CBC News.

Word spread quickly through some of the most powerful circles in Ottawa and Washington after the encounter, which happened during the Canadian American Business Council’s state of the relationship event at the National Gallery of Canada.

Typically, the high-profile gathering is used to network and celebrate the Canada-U.S. relationship. It draws a mix of cabinet ministers, diplomats and business leaders. Monday night’s event drew Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade.

Witnesses say they saw U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra launch into an expletive-laden tirade at Ontario’s trade representative, David Paterson. 

One witness said Hoekstra appeared to be upset about the anti-tariff ad that the province recently ran on television in the U.S., which has infuriated President Donald Trump. The witness said Hoesktra could be heard using the F-word and also mentioned Ontario Premier Doug Ford by name.

The sources spoke with CBC News on the condition that they not be named.

After Ontario launched that ad campaign, which features the voice of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, Trump announced an abrupt halt of trade talks with Canada. He has also threatened to impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on Canadian goods, though he has not elaborated on how that would work. 

The event, which in past years has involved speeches from both U.S. and Canadian ambassadors this year only included prepared remarks from Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman.

The Globe and Mail was the first to report about the incident. In a statement to CBC News, the U.S. Embassy declined to comment.

Canada’s efforts to escape U.S. tariffs are at a standstill after months of negotiations. 

Initially, Ottawa had hoped to cut a broad trade and security deal that would come with tariff relief. Expectations have been lowered in recent weeks, with efforts largely focused on lowering certain sectoral tariffs.

Hoekstra has made headlines in the past for some of his blunt remarks about the Canada-U.S. relationship. 

He described Canadian retaliation against Trump’s tariffs as “nasty,” calling out American booze boycotts, and Canadians choosing to vacation anywhere but the U.S.

He also tried to downplay Trump’s taunts about Canada becoming the 51st state, describing it as a term of endearment. Earlier in his term, he suggested the president had moved past that rhetoric, only to have his message undercut by Trump, who continued to use it.

Hoekstra’s job performance also came up during Trump’s meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House earlier this month.

“I want to just acknowledge our great ambassador,” Trump said at one point in the Oval Office, gesturing in Hoekstra’s direction.

“Is he doing a good job? … Otherwise, I’ll get him out of there.”