風蕭蕭_Frank
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胡克斯特拉大使的失誤：美加關係火上澆油
2025年9月29日
https://unpublished.ca/opinion/missteps-of-ambassador-hoekstra-fueling-a-fire-in-us-canada-relations
美加關係曾是睦鄰合作的燈塔，如今卻在關稅、吞並言論以及美國大使皮特·胡克斯特拉的有害外交政策下搖搖欲墜。自2025年4月上任以來，胡克斯特拉的言辭激烈，批評不一，威脅北美防空司令部，並就加拿大國防預算發表不當言論，加劇了兩國緊張關係。他的行為，加上最近發生的一起美國邊境官員加速衝向一名加拿大遊客並高喊“永遠不要再來美國！”的事件，描繪出兩國夥伴關係岌岌可危的慘淡景象。
2025年7月21日，在華盛頓州貝爾維尤舉行的太平洋西北經濟區峰會上，一段錄音捕捉到了這位大使的言論，他稱加拿大人因為不願前往美國而“卑鄙無恥”，這進一步激起了公眾的不滿。9月18日，在哈利法克斯商會的一次活動中，胡克斯特拉的失態開始引起人們的關注，當時他表達了對加拿大人對美加債券缺乏熱情的“失望”。他將最近由馬克·卡尼領導的自由黨贏得的聯邦選舉活動稱為“反美”活動，因為該活動提出了“拱手讓步”的口號——這是對美國對加拿大征收懲罰性關稅的直接回應，自 2025 年 4 月以來，美國對加拿大征收的關稅已導致加拿大 GDP 損失 120 億美元，其對美出口額下降 16%。
9月25日，在班夫論壇上，他批評財政部長弗朗索瓦-菲利普·尚皮恩將貿易爭端稱為“戰爭”，認為其“危險”。諷刺的是：加拿大並沒有挑起這場戰爭。美墨加協定（USMCA）曾經確保了鋼鐵、鋁、木材、銅、汽車和零部件的免稅貿易，但卻被特朗普總統的“國家安全”關稅而不是加拿大的侵略行為撕碎。加拿大克製征收的80億美元報複性關稅隻是損害的冰山一角，但胡克斯特拉卻把我們當成了問題所在。
自2024年末以來，特朗普已八到十次呼籲加拿大成為“第51州”——從超級碗到《時代》雜誌的采訪——將其與貿易救濟或“金穹”導彈防禦計劃聯係起來，後者要求加拿大支付610億美元，否則就加入美國。2025年9月安格斯·裏德民意調查顯示，68%的加拿大人認為這“令人反感”。卡尼總理在2025年6月於阿爾伯塔省舉行的北約峰會上的反駁——“加拿大永遠不會成為第51州”——引起了強烈反響。然而，胡克斯特拉似乎對加拿大捍衛其主權的行為比總統的挑釁行為更惱火。
F-35戰機事件是另一個導火索。 2025年5月21日，胡克斯特拉在接受加拿大電視台《權力遊戲》（CTV Power Play）采訪時警告稱，如果加拿大不購買88架洛克希德·馬丁公司的F-35戰機，可能會“威脅到北美防空司令部”（NORAD），而北美防空司令部是兩國共同製定的防禦協議，對北美大陸安全至關重要。今年8月，他在《賈斯敏·萊恩播客》（Jasmin Laine Podcast）中進一步強調了這一點，稱：“你負擔不起兩架戰鬥機，兩個不同的戰鬥機項目。加拿大應該自己決定想要什麽。他們想要F-35嗎？還是想要其他產品？這是你自己的決定，但你負擔不起兩種戰鬥機。”
9月15日，他在《渥太華公民報》上重申了這一點，稱潛在的“雙戰鬥機”方案（例如F-35加上薩博的“鷹獅E”戰鬥機）“令人惱火”。加拿大國防部即將於9月30日就210億美元的F-35戰鬥機采購協議做出決定（由於美國報告的超支，該協議金額從190億美元增加到190億美元）。胡克斯特拉的講話不僅僅是施壓，更是對加拿大主權財政選擇的不當幹涉。
美國大使無權決定加拿大的承受能力。F-35的整個生命周期可能高達700億美元，每飛行小時成本為3.5萬美元，而“鷹獅”戰鬥機每飛行小時成本僅為4000美元，這令人望而生畏，尤其是在關稅引發的經濟壓力下。美國政府問責署（GAO）發布的一份2025年9月3日的報告指出，F-35的升級費用超出預算60億美元，且比原計劃晚了五年，這促使加拿大開始審查“鷹獅”戰鬥機等替代方案，該方案是在今年8月的北極防禦協議中提出的。
幾十年來，北美防空司令部一直使用混合機隊作戰——加拿大的CF-18戰鬥機與美國的F-15和F-22戰鬥機協同作戰。據卡爾頓大學的埃莉諾·斯隆稱，胡克斯特拉的互操作性恐慌純屬“無稽之談”。他的言論聽起來像是美國試圖將加拿大鎖定在其供應鏈中，而非出於真正的國防考慮。此外，加拿大可以用購買F-35戰鬥機的相同價格購買兩倍數量的“鷹獅”戰鬥機。
所有這一切都發生在美加邊境令人震驚的敵對狀態之後。加拿大廣播公司2025年9月20日的一篇報道詳細描述了一起事件：一名美國邊境官員加速衝向一名加拿大遊客的車，並大喊：“永遠不要再來美國！”正如魁北克男子愛德華·拉勒芒 (Edouard Lallemand) 所說，美國海岸警衛隊撞上了他的船，導致船傾覆，隨後又以在加拿大水域捕魚為由逮捕了他，他差點溺水身亡。拉勒芒身著濕漉漉的衣服被關押了近兩個小時，他說他從未見過有人如此憤怒，並被“
髒毯子。這些事件是加拿大人麵臨的敵意的縮影，從高級外交官到邊防警衛。
或許胡克斯特拉大使更願意擔任其他外交職位？他的任期讀起來就像特朗普的劇本——傲慢、不屑一顧，對美國政策造成的損害視而不見。從指責加拿大人不忠，到威脅北美防空司令部，再到幹涉我們的國防預算，他正在疏遠一個飽受關稅、吞並嘲諷以及如今邊境敵對情緒困擾的夥伴。外交需要尊重，而不是最後通牒。如果胡克斯特拉無法理解為什麽加拿大人會反擊——舉起手肘——他或許會找到更合適的人選。在加拿大等待F-35戰機采購決定並準備迎接美國下一輪攻擊之際，我們應該擁有一個建立信任而非分裂的鄰居。
參考文獻
2025年9月29日
評論
TROY SPECK
2025年9月30日2025
特朗普任命胡克斯特拉這樣咄咄逼人、不屑一顧的人擔任駐加拿大大使絕非偶然。特朗普顯然想從加拿大身上撈取好處，他要麽一意孤行，要麽硬要逼我們屈服，要麽硬要他聲稱我們已經變成了“反美”國家，對美國構成了某種威脅，需要“處理”。我建議現在是時候全力以赴，展現加拿大的兩大優勢：1）戰略創造力；2）幽默感。重點是第二點，雖然我們個人需要繼續抵製美國商品和旅行，但與其公開表達對他言論的情緒、憤慨和憤怒，不如毫不留情地嘲笑他（和特朗普）。胡克斯特拉的每一個小舉動，或者任何試圖斥責、威脅或試圖以其他方式“告訴加拿大該怎麽做”的舉動，都隻能招致我們國家各界的嘲諷。從普通民眾在評論區發帖，到作家和……從喜劇演員到記者和議員，無所不用其極。揭露他愚蠢的妄想，一個無能的惡霸。
詹姆斯·奧格雷迪
2025年9月29日
更像是反過來。加拿大人對美國選出一位法西斯總統深感失望。胡克斯特拉就是他的代言人。如果按照我的意願，他根本就不會被允許擔任駐加拿大大使。
Missteps Of Ambassador Hoekstra: Fueling A Fire In US-Canada Relations
An audio recording from the Pacific Northwest Economic Region summit on July 21, 2025, in Bellevue, Washington, captured the Ambassador calling Canadians “mean and nasty” for avoiding U.S. travel, further ignites public resentment. Hoekstra’s missteps began to draw attention on September 18th at a Halifax Chamber of Commerce event, where he expressed “disappointment” in Canadians for lacking enthusiasm for the US-Canada bond. He labeled the recent federal election campaign, won by Mark Carney’s Liberals, “anti-American” for its “elbows up” slogan - a direct response to punishing US tariffs on steel (50%), aluminum (50%), and autos (25%) that have cost Canada $12 billion in GDP and 16% of its US exports since April 2025. At a Banff forum on September 25, he criticized Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne for calling the trade dispute a “war,” deeming it “dangerous.” The irony is stark: Canada didn’t start this fight. The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which once ensured duty-free trade in steel, aluminum, lumber, copper, autos, and parts, has been shredded by President Trump’s “national security” tariffs, not Canadian aggression. Canada’s restrained $8 billion retaliatory tariffs are a fraction of the damage, yet Hoekstra casts us as the problem.
Since late 2024, Trump has called for Canada to become the “51st state” eight to ten times - in settings from the Super Bowl to a Time magazine interview - tying it to trade relief or the “Golden Dome” missile defence plan, which demands Canada pay $61 billion or join the US. A September 2025 Angus Reid poll shows 68% of Canadians find this “offensive.” Prime Minister Carney’s retort at the June 2025 NATO Summit in Alberta - “Canada will never be the 51st state” - resonates deeply. Yet Hoekstra seems more irritated by Canada’s defence of its sovereignty than by his president’s provocations.
The F-35 saga is another flashpoint. On May 21, 2025, in a CTV Power Play interview, Hoekstra warned that if Canada doesn’t buy 88 Lockheed Martin F-35 jets, it could “threaten NORAD,” the binational defense pact critical to continental security. He escalated this in August on the Jasmin Laine Podcast, stating, “You can’t afford two fighters, two different fighter jet programs. Canada should just decide what they want. Do they want F-35s? Do they want some other product? That’s your decision to make, but you can’t afford both of them.” He reiterated this on September 15 in the Ottawa Citizen, calling a potential “two-fighter” solution (e.g., F-35s plus Saab’s Gripen E) an “irritant.” As Canada’s Department of National Defence nears a September 30 decision on the $21 billion F-35 deal (up from $19 billion due to US-reported overruns), Hoekstra’s lecture is not just pressure - it’s an inappropriate intrusion into Canada’s sovereign fiscal choices.
It’s not the US ambassador’s place to dictate what Canada can afford. The F-35’s costs - potentially $70 billion over its lifecycle, with $35,000 per flight hour versus the Gripen’s $4,000 - are daunting, especially amid tariff-induced economic strain. A September 3, 2025, US GAO report flagged F-35 upgrades as $6 billion over budget and five years late, fueling Canada’s review of alternatives like the Gripen, pitched in an August Arctic defense pact.
NORAD has operated with mixed fleets—Canada’s CF-18s alongside US F-15s and F-22s - for decades, debunking Hoekstra’s interoperability scare as “nonsense,” per Carleton’s Elinor Sloan. His rhetoric smells of a US push to lock Canada into its supply chain, not a genuine defense concern. Besides, Canada can buy twice as many Gripen fighters for the same money as F-35s..
All of this comes on the heels of a shocking pattern of hostility at the US-Canada border. A CBC report from September 20, 2025, detailed an incident where a US border officer sped toward a Canadian tourist in a vehicle, yelling, “Never come to the U.S. again!” Just as a Quebec man, Edouard Lallemand, says he nearly drowned after the U.S. Coast Guard rammed his boat, causing it to capsize and then arresting him for fishing in what he claims were Canadian waters. Lallemand, who was jailed for nearly two hours in wet clothes, said he had never seen anyone so angry and that he was given a “dirty” blanket. These incidents are a microcosm of the hostility Canadians face, from top diplomats to border guards.
Perhaps Ambassador Hoekstra would rather be at a different diplomatic post? His tenure reads like a Trumpian playbook - condescending, dismissive, and blind to the damage US policies inflict. From accusing Canadians of disloyalty to threatening NORAD and meddling in our defense budget, he’s alienating a partner reeling from tariffs, annexation taunts, and now border hostility. Diplomacy requires respect, not ultimatums. If Hoekstra can’t grasp why Canadians are pushing back - elbows up - he might find a better fit elsewhere. As Canada awaits its F-35 decision and braces for the next US salvo, we deserve a neighbour who builds trust, not division.
References
COMMENTS
It's no accident someone with Hoekstra's aggressive and dismissive approach was appointed by Trump as ambassador to Canada. Trump obviously is looking to leverage a number of things from Canada and is intent on either pushing until we give in, or until he can claim we have become "anti-American" and somehow a threat to the U.S. that needs to be "dealt with". I suggest it's time to go full-court press with 2 very Canadian strengths: 1) strategic creativity; and 2) humour Focusing on the 2nd, while we need to individually continue our boycott of American goods and travel, publicly, rather than showing emotion, indignation and anger over his remarks, we should just make fun of him (and Trump) mercilessly. Every small action or attempt by Hoekstra to chastise, threaten or otherwise purport to "tell Canada what to do" , must be met with nothing but pure comic derision from all quarters of our country. From average citizens posting on comment boards; and writers & comedians, all the way through to reporters and members of Parliament. Show him for the foolish wanna-be, feckless bully he is.
More like the other way around. Canadians are profoundly disappointed in America electing a fascist Prasident. Hoekstra is his mouthpiece. If we’re up to me, he wouldn’t have been allowed to serve as ambassador to Canada.
