Disparaging comments from the American administration towards Canada have continued, as during a tour of a manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan, US VP JD Vance said that Canada had been "taking advantage" of American workers.Vance was asked about President Trump's previous comments about the newly built Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor and whether he agreed with the president's comments."The president's attitude to Canada is they are an important ally, they are an important trading partner... but Canada has taken advantage of the United States of America for far too long," the vice president said.Vance mentioned that the examples of this "taking advantage of" included the United States subsiding Canada's military and Canada not treating American workers "fairly."."They have allowed us to subsidize their entire military; Canada pays virtually nothing, at least until a couple of years ago, for their own security," Vance said, addressing the point about Canadian military dependency."If we're going to be true friends, you have to treat our workers as fairly as we've treated Canadian workers for 40 years," Vance continued, adding a further point that seemingly alluded to Canadian tariffs on dairy and other industries.However, Vance also expressed optimism about the Canada-US relationship, saying that "my hope with Canada... is we get to a point where Canada treats our workers fairly, we treat their workers fairly, and they're going to be a true ally and a true friend."The next major trade discussion between Canada and the United States is expected to be the 2026 review of CUSMA, where Canada, the United States, and Mexico must review the trade agreement and agree if they want to extend it until 2042.
