Celebrating the U.S. in Canada During Turmoil in the Two Countries’ Relations
The annual Fourth of July party hosted by the U.S. ambassador to Canada on the park-size grounds of his official residence has long been one of Ottawa’s biggest social events.
But after months of President Trump belittling Canada’s viability as a nation and threatening to use economic chaos to force its annexation as the 51st state, the idea of gathering to celebrate the United States in Canada’s capital was, well, a bit awkward this year. I went down to Lornado, the residence, late Friday afternoon to see if the boycotts by Canadians of American-made goods and travel to the United States would extend to the party marking the country’s national holiday. (I attended as an accredited journalist, not as an invited guest, and the only hospitality I accepted was two glasses of water.) The turnout was decidedly smaller than in past years, and the seating and food stations were somewhat scaled down. Many guests who have attended in past years told me they estimated the crowd was about half the usual size, though there were nevertheless a substantial number of people. One couple told me that they found the lines for food so long in the past that they ate dinner before arriving this year, as a precaution. It was an unnecessary one: The food — picnic-style dishes like hamburger sliders and potato salad — seemed available more or less on demand, and none of the stations appeared in danger of running out of their offerings. But none of that is proof of a boycott. The guest list may have been reduced, as the opening of the Calgary Stampede was also on Friday and most likely drew some members of Parliament and lobbyists west. And the weekday timing of Canada Day this year may have meant that many guests were out of town. There were a number of members of Parliament, both Liberal and Conservative, sprinkled throughout the crowd. If any cabinet ministers were present, I either didn’t recognize them or they escaped my notice.
As always, however, the local diplomatic corps was out in full force. It was the first time that Pete Hoekstra, the ambassador, played host, and he brought his children and grandchildren to the party. A Trump loyalist, Mr. Hoekstra has an avuncular style that he honed during his time as a Republican congressman from Michigan. He has adapted readily to his new role as a diplomat. So when the band took a break for a flag presentation by U.S. Marines, the singing of both countries’ anthems and a speech by Mr. Hoekstra, there was no annexation talk or complaints about Canadian trading practices. In turn, there was no jeering from the crowd — although the idea of Canadians accepting an invitation and then heckling their host seems improbable. But one attempt at humor by Mr. Hoekstra fell flat. The ambassador told his guests that he had been going around saying that Mark Carney, the prime minister, was wrong. “He keeps saying that Canada’s going to be the fastest-growing economy in the G7,” Mr. Hoekstra said, referring to the Group of 7. “That’s not how this works. America and our president do not like being number two, so we will be the fastest-growing economy. We just passed a Big Beautiful Bill yesterday, which is going to energize our economy.” He did add his hope that Canada would become the second-fastest-growing economy within the group of industrialized nations. Without offering any details or a timeline, Mr. Hoekstra predicted that the two countries would reach a trade deal. “We’re going to get through this little kerfuffle, whatever you want to call it, we’re going to get through this, and when we are done, we are going to be stronger and better than what we were when we began,” he said. There was no noticeable reaction from the crowd.
A number of people I spoke with said that they had attended the party out of habit, despite their deep misgivings and resentment about Mr. Trump and his denigration of Canada. Will Amos, a former Liberal member of Parliament, told me that Mr. Trump’s positions did not affect his decision to attend the party for the 25th year. “It’s an anchor party; everyone enjoys it,” he said. “This is always going to be a good-vibe party.” But he also predicted that, despite the close ties between the two countries, further change is coming to the relationship. “We can be allies but, at the end of the day, Canada’s going to have to look out for number one — and in a much more aggressive way,” he said. “It’s not clear whether that’s going to be in the U.S.’s interests. We will see.” Trans Canada
Ian Austen reports on Canada for The Times and is based in Ottawa. He covers politics, culture and the people of Canada and has reported on the country for two decades. He can be reached at austen@nytimes.com. How are we doing? Like this email?
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