OTTAWA — The man U.S. President Donald Trump has picked to be the ambassador to Canada is a frank person who will stand up for his country, a colleague said at an event in Washington this week.
Trump named Pete Hoekstra, a former Michigan congressman, as the top U.S. diplomat in Ottawa in November. His appointment is now awaiting confirmation in the U.S. Senate.
Michigan Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga used to work as an aide to Hoekstra. He said his former boss works hard and isn't shy about expressing his views.
"If he feels that the country or the president is getting disrespected, you will know that in a very big hurry," Huizenga said Wednesday during an event hosted by the Wilson Center.
"I will expect that he will want to have meetings to understand what's going on, but he will not be afraid to push back."
Huizenga said Hoekstra sticks to his principles, citing his decision to vote against a trade arrangement with China in 2000 because he believed it would not benefit Americans.
"He's a smart guy. You will find him very hardworking," Huizenga said.
Trump previously had Hoekstra serve as ambassador to the Netherlands, where he found himself embroiled in a political interference scandal after hosting a fundraiser with members of a far-right party.
In 2018, Hoekstra admitted he claimed in 2015 that Muslim youths had created so-called "no-go" zones in the Netherlands and were burning politicians, after having insisted he never said those things.
Analysts have said Hoekstra, as someone from a border state whom Trump trusts, could help Canada with the administration.
In 2019, Hoekstra said it's not "unrealistic" to ask that every member of NATO meets the target of spending the equivalent of two per cent of GDP on defence by 2024 — something Trump has railed about and Canada is not likely to do.
Last summer Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would meet it by 2032, but provided few details showing how that would happen.
Liberal leadership candidates have variously promised to move up that timeline, with Mark Carney saying he'd aim to do it by 2030, and Chrystia Freeland promising to do it by 2027. Trudeau's successor will be named Sunday at the conclusion of the Liberal leadership race in Ottawa.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said he would work toward meeting the target but has not put a timeline on it.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2025.
Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
