‘Bury the Hatchet,’ Premier Ford Tells US Ambassador After Public Lash-Out

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra should apologize after he reportedly lashed out against Ontario’s representative in Washington during a high-profile event in Ottawa earlier this week.

Several media outlets reported, based on anonymous sources, that Hoekstra yelled and used expletives when addressing David Paterson at the Canadian American Business Council gala on Oct. 27. Paterson represents Ontario in the U.S. capital. The event, attended by top business leaders and politicians including Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, was not open to the media.

“Pete, you gotta call Dave up and apologize. It’s simple,” Ford said during an unrelated press conference in Toronto on Oct. 29. He said Hoekstra should “bury the hatchet” so that things can get “back on track.”

“The cheese slipped off the cracker. I get it. You’re ticked off. But call the guy up because you’re a good guy, and Dave’s my champion,” Ford added, while addressing Hoekstra through reporters.

Ford said Hoekstra’s behaviour was “unbecoming” of an ambassador.

“Never heard of this in my entire life, but the ambassador is a different type of cat. He thinks I’m a different type of cat, but he’s a different type of cat as well,” Ford said.

The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa declined to comment on the matter.

Hoekstra reportedly berated Paterson because of the anti-tariff TV ad the Ontario government aired in the United States.

The $75 million ad campaign features audio from a 1987 radio address from former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, in which he spoke about the value of free trade.

U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled trade talks with Canada because of the ad, and said he would raise the tariff rate on Canada by 10 percent. Trump has pointed to a Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute statement saying the ad misrepresents Reagan’s address. At the start of that address, Reagan announced he was imposing tariffs on Japan, a part not included in Ontario’s ad. In that portion of his speech, he described the move as “steps that I am loath to take,” accusing Japan of unfair trade practices involving semiconductors.

Trump has also accused the Ontario government of using the ad to interfere with the U.S. Supreme Court, which is reviewing Trump’s tariff orders.

Ford said he would cancel the ad after speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney last week so that trade talks could resume, but not before letting it run over the weekend during the baseball World Series.

Hoekstra said earlier this week Canada and the United States were close to reaching a trade deal, but now he doesn’t see “any way” this could be done before American Thanksgiving on Nov. 27. He also said reaching a deal by year-end appears unlikely.

Prime Minister Mark Carney also suggested last week a deal on steel, aluminum, and energy was “possible” because he expected to meet Trump this week in South Korea. The U.S. president said he would not be meeting anytime soon with Carney after cancelling trade talks.

Trump emphasized the matter in a social media post on Oct. 28, saying “For those that are asking, we didn’t come to South Korea to see Canada!” Nonetheless, the two leaders exchanged pleasantries while being seated across from each other during a dinner with other leaders hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

Carney said earlier this week Ottawa made the “obvious” choice to not run TV ads down south.

Meanwhile, Ford has said that Carney was with him when they watched Ontario’s ad featuring Reagan before it aired. Ottawa has not confirmed the premier’s comment.

Ford has defended running the ad even if it led to the cancellation of trade talks, saying it has spurred a conversation in the United States and has garnered international attention.

He said his intention was not to “poke” Trump, but to “get a conversation going, wake up the Democrats a little bit down there.” Ford also previously said he wanted to get “Reagan Republicans” to “fight” with “MAGA Republicans.”

“My goodness, it woke him up all right, and they’re still talking about it on CNN,” Ford said on Oct. 29.

The premier said it’s his responsibility to protect his province’s interests amid U.S. tariffs impacting local industries.

“What do they expect me to do? Sit back and roll over like every other person in the world? I’m going to fight like I’ve never fought before,” he said.

Ford said he would not be contacting Hoekstra but noted the two have a World Series bet, with the loser having to wear the winning team’s jersey. The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers are currently tied 2-2 in a best of seven series.