The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Pete Hoekstra, a former ambassador to the Netherlands, to be ambassador to Canada, a position he assumes as traditional close ties have been strained by President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and comments about annexation.

The vote was 60 to 37 in favour of confirming Hoekstra, with support from several Democrats as well as Trump’s fellow Republicans for a nominee who has also been a business executive and Republican member of the House of Representatives.

The confirmation of Hoekstra, who succeeds David Cohen, comes as relations between Washington and Ottawa are more tense than they have been in years, amid a global trade war and hostile rhetoric that has roiled diplomatic relations.

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U.S. officials initially made conflicting statements about whether a 10 per cent baseline tariff on all goods would apply to Canada. The White House has confirmed that it won’t. Paul Beaudry, former deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, says it’s good news for Canada for now —but the Trump administration could still change its mind at any time.

At his hearing before the Senate’s foreign relations committee last month, Hoekstra said he views Canada as an independent nation, noting close ties between his home state of Michigan and Ontario.

“Canada is a sovereign state, yes,” Hoekstra said at the hearing, when Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware asked if he agreed Canada is a sovereign state and should not be even jokingly referred to as the 51st state.

Trump has suggested that the United States should annex Canada, referring to it repeatedly as a U.S. state.

Coons was among the senators who voted against the nomination. 

Canada ‘our most valuable trading partner’: Hoekstra

All Republicans present voted to confirm Hoekstra, with the others mostly representing states that share a Canadian border, including Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, New Hampshire’s Jeanne Shaheen, and Maine’s Angus King, who is an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.

Hoekstra in a statement praised Canada as “our most valuable trading partner, our largest source of foreign investment and our largest source of energy imports.”

“As ambassador to Canada, I will work with the Canadian government to review and strengthen our strong trading partnership, secure our borders, confront the deadly threat of fentanyl to our citizens and build our national security co-operation,” he said.

Hoekstra, 71, served in Trump’s first term as ambassador to the Netherlands, where his family traces its origins. He previously served in Congress from 1993 to 2011 for Michigan.

While the appointment has generally been praised, including by business groups, the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism previously announced its opposition to the choice, slamming Hoekstra for statements during his political career they said reflected “anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ+ views.”