Ambassador says Canada is 'ready and prepared' for a second Trump presidency

Canada's ambassador to the United States says Ottawa isn't worried about the prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House.

«The relationship between our two countries is not about one individual and another individual,» Kirsten Hillman said Tuesday in Philadelphia, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed a conference of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which has members in both Canada and the U.S.

Hillman said the Canadian government is obviously aware of the upcoming U.S. presidential election contest between incumbent Joe Biden and former president Trump — who is vowing to champion a staunchly protectionist «America First» trade policy.

«A U.S. presidential election, given the depth of integration between our two countries, is always important,» Hilmman said.

«But what matters here is that we are ready and prepared and able, as we've demonstrated, to work with both of the candidates that are up for election in the fall.»

Hillman, along with Industry Minister Francois Philippe Champagne and International Trade Minister Mary Ng, has been spearheading the government's Team Canada approach by preparing for whatever outcome the U.S. race produces.

Hillman, Champagne and Ng, along with other federal ministers, have been meeting with American business and political leaders at the national, state and local levels to strengthen the economic bonds between the two countries and prepare for potential sources of tension, such as a second Trump White House.

When he announced his Team Canada plans at a cabinet retreat in Montreal in January, Trudeau acknowledged Trump «represents a certain amount of unpredictability» but said Canada needs to able to deal «with whatever gets tossed at us and make sure we're