(Ottawa) U.S. Ambassador David Cohen says he had to work particularly hard when he took office two years ago to restore channels of communication between Ottawa and Washington after Donald Trump's turbulent rule.
Published at 1:16 am. Updated at 6:00 am.
When he entered the federal capital at the beginning of December 2021, he realized that the relationship of trust between the two countries that had been built up over the years had reached its lowest point.
Without exception, everyone – elected officials, high-ranking government officials, business people, civil society, ordinary people he met on the street – told him the same thing: the relationship of trust must be rebuilt.
“There was one thing that really surprised me when I got here. “It is Canada's loss of trust in the United States,” says the American diplomat at the beginning of an interview with La Presse in the US Embassy premises, just a stone's throw from Parliament.
“I have heard this from government leaders, both federal and provincial. I've heard it from people in business and civil society and even from people I've met on the street. People said to me, “What happened? We were your best friends. It looks like there's nothing we can do at the moment. “What have we done to create this problem?” revealed the diplomat.
Mr. Cohen added that this feeling was clearly evident in the polls. He said trust between the two countries was highest toward the end of President Barack Obama's term, according to several surveys. “We hit the lowest point right before President Biden took office,” he noted, without ever mentioning former President Donald Trump’s name.
“I think it’s almost back to its highest level now,” he said. As evidence of this, President Biden chose to make the first-ever visit of his presidency virtually to Canada in February 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic was still raging. He also made his first official personal visit to Ottawa in March, during which he notably delivered a speech to Parliament.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Pollsters tease me that this all happened while I was in office, and I should acknowledge that. But it is the work of Joe Biden. His message is simple, as he said in his speech to Parliament. The United States has no better friend, partner or ally than Canada.
David Cohen, United States Ambassador to Ottawa
“Yes, I was surprised to make that observation when I arrived. But I was also reassured that Canada wanted to return to the relationships that existed before. We were looking for a hand to shake. We were looking for a way to restore good relations,” he said.
Military spending
In an interview, Mr. Cohen was careful not to criticize the Trudeau government in any way over Canada's defense spending. This issue has often been the subject of discussion between Ottawa and Washington. In the past, American elected officials have repeatedly called on Canada to honor its NATO commitments. The military alliance requires its members to spend the equivalent of 2% of their GDP on military spending. Canada is far from this: its military spending is about 1.3% of its GDP.
Mr. Cohen noted that Canada has made significant military purchases since he took office. First, the Trudeau government announced in January that it would purchase 88 F-35 fighter jets from American firm Lockheed Martin to replace the aging CF-18 fleet. The contract value is $19 billion.
Last month, the Trudeau government also announced the award of a nearly $9 billion no-bid contract to American company Boeing to purchase up to 16 military surveillance and anti-aircraft aircraft. -Poseidon P-8A submarine to replace the CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft.
“The United States, through its embassy here, has advocated for these military purchases. We are happy with these decisions. They face real threats,” Mr. Cohen said, recalling Canada’s commitment to loosening its purse strings to modernize NORAD.
“The bottom line is that the United States is very happy with its relationship with Canada. And that includes the defense sector. The media reports a lot about 2% of GDP. […] Canada does not meet this criterion. But I have always said that we cannot measure Canada's commitment to defense by this metric alone. We have to look at the bigger picture. We need to examine the evolution of defense spending. And these expenses have been increasing for five years,” he argued.