Pete Hoekstra

Canada will meet its NATO defence spending commitment for the first time in decades as it comes to grips with an alarming new world of threats, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced in Toronto on Monday morning.

Global business leaders and diplomats will converge on Ottawa today in an attempt to chart a path through the United States' tariff war.

When asked whether a "joke" about annexation is ever appropriate, Hoekstra said he could not comment on the president's relationship with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which was notably rocky during the first Trump administration.

Canadian officials are set to meet with the U.S. commerce secretary in Washington today — days after a dust-up with U.S. President Donald Trump that ended with Ontario pausing its surcharge on electricity exports to the United States.

"We could potentially use (this) as a way of signalling the seriousness with which the Government of Canada is viewing this unwelcome talk," said University of Victoria international relations professor Will Greaves.

Hoekstra served as U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term as president. The current U.S. envoy to Canada, David Cohen, has held the post since 2021.