U.S. senators urge Canada to ‘give us another chance’ on trade, tourism

Republican and Democratic U.S. senators who visited Ottawa this past weekend say they want to bolster the Canada-U.S. relationship despite U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war.

Members of a bipartisan group of U.S. senators who visited Ottawa this past weekend say they want to bolster the Canada-U.S. relationship despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent attacks, with the lone Republican urging Canadians to “give us another chance.”

The five senators met Friday with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has vowed to pursue a new economic and security partnership with the U.S. while acknowledging that the trend of “deep integration” between the two countries is over.

The American lawmakers say that long-standing relationship must continue, with trade, tourism and defence partnerships among the key areas where collaboration is critical.

“We have to do this stuff together,” Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota told Mercedes Stephenson in an interview that aired Sunday on The West Block.

“We’ll be better at it if we’re friends than if we’re just tolerating one another…. I’m just here (in Ottawa) to say thank you, and then to encourage Canadians to take another look and give us another chance.”

Canadians, along with various levels of government, have turned their backs on the U.S. since Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods and voiced his desire to make Canada the “51st state.”

Statistics Canada has reported four straight months of steep year-over-year declines of return trips to Canada from the U.S., and some states such as California have launched ad campaigns to try to lure Canadian tourists back.

“Bookings of Canadians to come to Virginia Beach are down significantly, and colleagues of mine in other states are saying the same thing about tourism,” Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia told Stephenson. “So we’re definitely seeing it.