Photo: Sean Kilpatrick The Canadian Press Bruce Heyman, who served as ambassador from 2014 to 2017, has issued a “tsunami warning” to Canada, saying that if Mr. Trump takes the White House, Canada is at great risk.
Kelly Geraldine Malone – The Canadian Press in Chicago
Published at 9:56 a.m.
- United States
A former U.S. ambassador to Canada is warning that a second Donald Trump presidency could cause chaos in Canada. He urges Americans abroad to consider that their vote could be crucial in the presidential election.
Bruce Heyman, who served as ambassador from 2014 to 2017, has issued a “tsunami warning” to Canada, saying that if Mr. Trump takes the White House, Canada is at great risk.
Mr. Heyman’s warning came on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention, where thousands of party faithful gathered to support Kamala Harris and revel in the excitement that has been building around the vice president since she took over as the front-runner for the November presidential election.
The enthusiasm, while palpable in the halls of the convention, does not guarantee victory in November, and Mr. Heyman says it is critical that Americans everywhere make sure their vote is account.
He specifies that at least 6.5 million eligible voters live in other countries, mainly in Canada and Mexico.
Americans in Canada, you can help decide who wins the U.S. election
— Bruce Heyman
During the 2020 election of President Joe Biden, Mr. Heyman noted that votes from Americans abroad played a significant role in the victory in key states.
Mr. Heyman explained that much of that support was bolstered by a website and outreach efforts targeting American voters abroad.
Those efforts helped boost the number of Americans who voted abroad by more than 73 percent in 2016, and half of those votes went to swing states.
“Americans in Canada, you can help decide who wins the election in the United States,” Heyman said Wednesday.
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Border impacts for Canada
Ms. Harris is scheduled to formally accept the party's nomination on Thursday and deliver a speech formally introducing her as the Democrats' choice for president. The theme for the day is “For Our Future.”
The former ambassador said the election could also be crucial to Canadians’ future. Heyman, who was appointed under former President Barack Obama, became known for strengthening Canada-U.S. relations under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Heyman and his wife, Vicki, left office when Trump took over the U.S. government but have remained connected to Canada, even writing a book about their experiences with Canadian diplomacy. They have since supported Democratic campaigns.
The first Trump administration was tumultuous for Canada, he said, with the former president’s policies affecting more than just trade.
Thousands of people in the United States, frightened by rumors of deportation, have begun crossing into Canada outside regular border crossings.
Mr. Trump has promised to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants if he wins a second term. Mr. Heyman believes people, once again motivated by fear, would begin fleeing north in even greater numbers.
“I don’t think Canada is prepared for that kind of [volume of people] coming across the border,” he said.
If the abortion ban expands further in the United States, Mr. Heyman warned, people could turn to Canada for help. If Mr. Trump rolls back his environmental policies, it could affect Canada's investments in green technologies, Mr. Heyman added.
And if a Trump administration cuts U.S. support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and other alliances, Canada’s stature in the world would diminish alongside the U.S., Heyman said.
He added that Canada would likely have to accelerate its NATO defence funding commitments to avoid Trump’s wrath. Prime Minister Trudeau said last month that Canada expects to reach its target of spending 2 per cent of gross domestic product on defence by 2032.
The Republican Party platform points to new protectionist policies, and Trump has signalled his intention to impose a 10 per cent tariff on imports.
“I think the Trump administration is a high risk for Canada, if they implement the policies they say they're going to implement,” Heyman said.
“And the biggest risk for Canada is if they do it all at once, as a mob attack tactic to attack the Democrats.”