vice-president Jd vance was advised to visit Canada By one of his closest friends, a Canadian politician.
Jamil Jivani, 37, who became friends with Vance when they were both students together at the Yale Law School and who is now a conservative deputy, had extended an open invitation to the American to visit his circumstances of Ontario.
However, he now decided that it was not a “constructive” moment to welcome his old friend, given the strength of Anti-Trump feeling in the country earlier in reaction to the president Donald Trumpthe threat of annexing Canada as State of 51 Americans And its taxation of 25% tariffs on its exports.
Vice-president JD Vance faced a cold reception in a number of countries he has visited since November (AFP / Getty)
“Right now, we have strong political disagreements, and that's sort of how it is”, Jivani said Politico.
“They probably have to reconsider part of their rhetoric and their policy before coming to Canada. Our country should deserve more respect before we can welcome them. ”
Jivani dined with Vance in Arlington, Virginia, in December during the presidential transition period and attended the inauguration of Trump in Washington, DC, in January. His comments illustrate how fast the atmosphere has changed in response to the rhetoric of the Trump administration to his neighbor in the North.
The Bowmanville-Oshawa North Canadian suburban district houses a GM factory where the Chevrolet Silverado is manufactured and whose employees are worried about the future of the automotive industry following the Trump disruptive trade war.
Jamil Jivani said his country “deserved more respect” (Robert T Bell)
For its part, the VP and its advisers will be wary of inviting a rehearsal of cold reception Him and his wife USHA VANCE received when they flew to Greenland At the end of March. A certain number of events planned have been canceled and the couple was reduced to a brief lunch at a American military base due to an obvious lack of local enthusiasm for their trip.
Trump's comments on Canada have overturned the country's policy in recent months, allowing Prime Minister newly elected Mark Carney And his liberal party to win the general elections of this week when, at one point, the party had dropped and turned, blamed for strong inflation under Justin Trudeau While the conservative leader Pierre Hairy was just waiting in the wings of his opportunity to seize power.
Jivani's friendship with Vance was used against him during the April campaign and may have counted against his party, an experience he described as “frustrating”.
“They created advertisements on me and JD being friends,” he said. “They tracked photos of us and dropped them into mailboxes in my constituency. The false declaration of who I am, in what I believe, the false declaration of my commitment to this country, this thing, was very, very frustrating. ”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was recently elected on an anti-Trump platform (AFP via Getty Images)
Asked about the current state of his friendship with the vice-president, he said: “We have not spoken for a while. He is busy, I am busy. It's just the nature of the work we do.
“Admittedly, the way they talked about Canada were a problem for me personally. I am a Canadian proud. I focus on my community and we will see what will happen next. ”
On the prospect of their link that lasts in the future, Jivani said: “We were friends before politics, we will be friends after politics.
“It's a guy with whom I have played fantastic football for 15 years. It is now vice-president and it is a unique situation.
“It's just the nature of having a friend in a situation like this. I simply recognize that we are in different places, we have different priorities.
“He's doing his thing, I'm doing my thing. And when everything is finished, I'm sure we will talk again. ”
