Canada has nothing to fear from U.S. protectionist rhetoric, envoy to Ottawa insists

May 3, 2023 | 1:19 PM

WASHINGTON — The U.S. ambassador to Canada says his country’s largest trading partner has nothing to fear from the Biden administration’s Buy American rhetoric. 

David Cohen says he wants to end, once and for all, persistent concerns in Canada about protectionist sentiment south of the border. 

Cohen made the comments during a speech at the Wilson Center’s Canada Institute in Washington, D.C. 

He called Canada’s initial reaction to U.S.-specific incentives for electric vehicles a “hissy fit,” considering the country had no EV production at the time.