The following is the transcript of an interview with Kirsten Hillman, U.S. ambassador to Canada, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on March 9, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That was our Ed O’Keefe in Ottawa. We’re joined now by Canada’s Ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman. Ambassador, it’s good to have you here.
CANADIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. KIRSTEN HILLMAN: Thanks for having me, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You just heard the Homeland Security Secretary say there are conversations with your government. She seemed optimistic that there would be follow through on fentanyl. Does that make you think the threat of tariffs on April 2 is something that can be managed and avoided?
HILLMAN: Well, I hope so. I mean, I think that we are in a very good place in our discussions with the U.S. administration on fentanyl. We have invested a lot of new resources, we have given our law enforcement new powers and we have responded to the requests of the Trump Administration with respect to cooperative effects in getting at the sources, so the organized crime, the precursors coming from China. We’ve had some really, really good discussions, so we’re optimistic. And, you know, I just would say, and I think it’s important for your viewers to know fentanyl is a very serious problem in Canada too. On some days we have more deaths per capita than you have here in the United States. So we take this very seriously. It is not a big issue between our two countries. Less than 1 percent of the fentanyl that is seized in the United States is coming from Canada, but every ounce can kill families and people. So we’re taking it very seriously,
MARGARET BRENNAN: But, you are indulging the premise that that is the actual motivation for the tariffs, rather than leverage for a free trade deal, or just because President Trump believes in them?
HILLMAN: Well, I think that this set of tariffs, the 25 and 10 percent set of tariffs, are- we have been told repeatedly that it is about fentanyl and security at the border. There are other tariffs that have been discussed and the President has raised other issues as motivations for other tariffs, reciprocity and fairness, and you know, maybe some changes that he’d like to see to our USMCA, our trade agreement. So those conversations are going to have to happen as well.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, President Trump said Friday he may put tariffs on Canadian lumber and dairy Monday or Tuesday. Here’s what he said. Take a listen:
SOT DONALD TRUMP: Canada has been ripping us off for years on tariffs for lumber and for dairy products. 250 percent, nobody ever talks about that. 250 percent tariff, which is taking advantage of our farmers. So that’s not going to happen anymore. We’re going to be- they’ll be met with the exact same tariff unless they drop it. And that’s what reciprocal means.
MARGARET BRENNAN: On another network, the Commerce Secretary said, no, that’s actually on hold till April 2. It’s confusing for us to follow this along. Is the clarity with the two governments any better?
HILLMAN: You know we are in active discussions with Secretary Lutnick, and those discussions are heading towards April 2, and that, I think, is we are putting our energy in the substantive discussions that we are having with the secretary, with USTR, with the White House. And you know, that is, I guess, how I can answer that question. The President- the President does have a variety of concerns, and I think also sees tariffs as a tool for a variety of policy objectives, but really, all we can do is focus on the real work at hand, which is to get at these issues. Like, for example, lumber, Canada doesn’t have a tariff on lumber. It’s zero. U.S. lumber can come into Canada duty-free. On dairy, the U.S. sells three times as much dairy into Canada as we sell into the United States. So what’s more, I think productive for us is to talk about the facts around the actual trading relationship and try and get at where the concerns are.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But, Canada does put a tariff as high as 241 percent on dairy imports, but it’s a sliding scale that only kicks in at a certain level, and that’s under the free trade deal.
HILLMAN: That’s right, and it’s like the United States. In agriculture, the United States is the same in sugar and dairy. You allow a certain amount of product in, and then after that level is hit, you put restraints in on imports. And we do the same to protect our farmers and families and you know, small family farms that- that need to be sure that they can have a bit of the market.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So there was this 50-minute phone call Wednesday with the Vice President, the Commerce Secretary and President Trump, with your Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. Afterwards, the president posted that Trudeau was unable to tell him when the election was taking place, which made him curious. Like, quote, “what’s going on here? I then realized he’s trying to use this issue to stay in power.” Do you think this is like a personal issue here? Do you think it’ll change when your leadership changes?
HILLMAN: It’s hard for me to- hard for me to say. I think that the prime minister and the president- Prime Minister Trudeau and the president, they’ve done big things together, right? They did renegotiate NAFTA together–
MARGARET BRENNAN: They have a history together.
HILLMAN: Right. They have a long history. They did good things together. They managed our 6,000- practically 6,000 mile border during COVID very successfully, in my opinion. So it’s a long relationship, and has many- has had many phases to it. We will have a new prime minister this week. Today, the Liberal Party will elect a new leader. That new leader will be sworn in in the coming days, and that person will become Canada’s Prime Minister. Those are facts that are not going to change.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you think it will stop the vows from the president to talk about threatening to annex Canada?
HILLMAN: You know, I guess–
MARGARET BRENNAN: What is that?
HILLMAN: I- I’m not sure what that is. What I can say is that Canadians don’t really appreciate it. They’re getting a little bit frustrated with that kind of rhetoric. But more importantly, Canadians are frustrated with our neighbors. You know, the country that we feel closest to, the country that is partners, allies, often family that we’ve gone to war with, that we’ve died with, that we come to each other’s aid, most recently in LA, but obviously 9/11. You’ve come to our aid over the years so many times, and we feel- Canadians feel under attack, under economic attack, and that is causing some challenges, for sure, across Canadian society. I think our new prime minister, when that person comes in, will prioritize trying to have a good and- and healthy and productive relationship with the present. I am sure that that’s going to be possible. Relationships go both ways, but I know that on our side, that’s going to be a priority.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Ambassador, thank you for joining us, and we’ll be right back with a lot more Face the Nation. Stay with us.
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