Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was impressed by the Liberal government’s need to take action to end last winter’s cross-border protests and blockades during a phone call with White House economic advisers on Nov. said he received
Freeland said of the Feb. 10 phone call with Bryan: Deeds, economic adviser to US President Joe Biden.
Freeland is testifying before the Public Order Emergency Committee, and she was asked to comment on the call.
Freeland said Diess was Biden’s most important adviser on economic matters and, in general, it was very difficult to reach him before the event.
“It’s been a real effort to build a relationship and have a dialogue with him. It’s always been an effort to get in touch with him on the phone and get his emails answered,” she said.
Freeland described this as a “good thing” that Canada isn’t a minor player that can be easily ignored and that the United States isn’t worried about Canada.
However, it was Dies who called that day, which impressed Freeland that the U.S. government was concerned.
Freeland sent a summary of the call to staff, saying the United States was “very, very, very concerned. If this is not resolved within the next 12 hours, all of our factories in the Northeast will be shut down.” and referred to the automobile industry.
Freeland recalled how Canada was concerned about U.S. protectionism in the supply chain context and the issue of electric vehicle incentives proposed in the U.S. Build Back Better bill.
She said problems at Canada’s border would encourage protectionism from the United States, which would severely affect Canada’s economy.
“If we were in the process as a country, there was a risk that it could cause long-term and irreparable damage to our trade relationship with the United States.”
Freeland says he asked Diess to set up a call between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Biden.
Her phone call with Deese took place on February 10th, and calls between heads of state took place the next day.
“The president and prime minister spoke on Friday [Feb. 11] And, as you know, we made the announcement on Monday,” Freeland said, referring to the Feb. 14 activation of the State of Emergency Act.
By the time the law was invoked, Windsor’s Ambassador Bridge had been unblocked.
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Noé Chartier is a reporter for the Epoch Times based in Montreal. Twitter: @NChartierET Gettr: @nchartieret