As US President-elect Donald Trump and his supporters continue to troll Canada about becoming the 51st state, the outgoing US ambassador to Canada fears that Canadians may feel that Americans do not respect them.
David Cohen told CBC House in 2022 that Canadians felt “betrayed” because they “don't feel their affection and respect for the United States has been reciprocated by the United States.”
In another interview on Tuesday with HouseCohen was asked if Canadians feel disrespected again as Trump continues to joke about Canada joining the U.S.
“I think it's safe to say I'm concerned about it,” Cohen told CBC host Catherine Cullen House, in an interview aired Saturday.
“Over the last three years, my message to Canadians has been that you suffer from an inferiority complex that you do not deserve.”
Cohen, who will leave the Ottawa post early next year, also said that “to have a healthy relationship, there has to be mutual respect” between the two countries.
The outgoing ambassador also added: “I don't know if being the 51st state is a terrible thing.”
Over the past two weeks, Trump has repeatedly suggested that Canada should become an American country, sometimes citing trade imbalances between the two countries. He repeatedly referred to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau.”
Top Canadian officials – including Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who attended a dinner in Florida with the president-elect – suggested that Trump was simply trolling and does not seriously suggest that Canada will become an American country.
Cohen pointed out that “Canadians had a pretty good retort, which is that maybe it would be better if the United States became Canada's 11th province… It's okay to banter and it's not necessarily disrespectful.”
He said the Canada-U.S. relationship is “much deeper” than that between the president and prime minister and extends to Congress, the business community and state legislatures.
“And from all of these sources I hear nothing but respect, appreciation and admiration for Canada,” Cohen said.
During Monday's news conference, LeBlanc discussed dinner with the president-elect in Florida and said he considered Trump's remarks about becoming Canada's 51st state to be “playful banter.”
“He later said some of these things on social media,” LeBlanc said. “I reiterate that it is not our government's job to respond to everything Trump posts.”
LeBlanc said she would meeting with Trump's border czarTom Homan, after Christmas, to discuss Canada's proposed $1.3 billion plan to secure the Canada-U.S. border.
“I'm sure we're having a cordial and collaborative discussion with the new Trump administration, but we have a lot of work to do,” Blanc said.