‘Kelly Craft Was An Integral Part Of The Negotiation Of The USMCA’

Ambassador Craft ‘Sat In On Almost Every Canada-U.S. Encounter’ And ‘Can Take Pride In The Fact That The Most Important File Had A Successful Outcome’

“As U.S. ambassador to Canada, [Kelly Craft] played a role in facilitating the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), an overhaul of the North American free-trade agreement.” (“Trump Picks Kelly Craft, Ambassador To Canada, As Nominee For UN Post,” The Associated Press, 2/22/2019)

• “Canada’s ambassador to Washington, David MacNaughton, said she was helpful in frequently relaying high-level messages between the U.S. and Canada as they navigated the NAFTA negotiations.” (“Trump Taps Kelly Knight Craft As UN Ambassador,” Politico, 2/23/2019)

• “Kelly Knight Craft, the U.S. ambassador to Canada … sat in on almost every Canada-U.S. encounter …” (“Save NAFTA? Check. What’s Next For Canada’s Top Trade Negotiator?,” Maclean’s, 2/25/2019)

• “In an interview with CBC Radio's The House, U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft said she and her Canadian counterpart, David MacNaughton, will embark on a series of town hall meetings to assuage fears from investors over the USMCA.” (“Ambassadors From Canada And U.S. Launch Town Hall Meetings To Allay USMCA Fears,” CBC News, 10/10/2018)

FEN HAMPSON, Carleton University professor of international affairs: “[Kelly Craft] was there during the toughest moment between our countries in recent history, and she can take pride in the fact that the most important file had a successful outcome…. She kept her head down and did her job at a time when the U.S. administration was not very popular in Canada, and in a sense she’s acquired thick skin for her next job.” (Bloomberg News, 6/18/2019)

Canadian And American Business Leaders Laud Kelly Craft’s ‘Effectiveness In Guiding US Policy With Our Key Ally And Neighbor Canada’

CANADIAN AMERICAN BUSINESS COUNCIL CEO Maryscott Greenwood: “Our members have had the privilege of working directly with Ambassador Craft on a number of crucial bilateral issues over the past year.  Without fail, we have found her insights and guidance to be enormously valuable as we navigate the challenging waters of a massive trade negotiation in the largest commercial relationship in the world.  Behind the scenes, Ambassador Craft was as tough and direct on behalf of US interests as she was graceful.  Her effectiveness in guiding US policy with our key ally and neighbor Canada can not be understated.” (Maryscott Greenwood, Statement, 6/18/2019)

J.D. IRVING, LIMITED CEO James D. Irving: “J.D. Irving, Limited employs approximately 16,000 employees in the United States and Canada. Our Company has a number of production facilities in the United States including in New York, North Dakota, Maine, and Georgia. I have had the pleasure of working with Ambassador Craft in her role as Ambassador to Canada. She has provided great support and advice to us with regard to our very important trading relationship with the United States, and she has facilitated important discussions with senior US Government officials. Our company, and I personally, strongly support Ambassador Craft’s nomination to be the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations.” (James D. Irving, Letter to Sen. McConnell, 6/18/2019)

• J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) “has operations in: Agriculture, Construction & Equipment, Consumer Products, Food, Forestry & Forestry Products, Retail & Distribution, Shipbuilding & Industrial Fabrication, Transportation & Logistics.” (“Products and Services,” J.D. Irving, Limited Website, Accessed 6/18/2019)

Ambassador Craft Has Worked To Reaffirm The Friendship Between The United States And Canada

“The U.S. ambassador joined the small Newfoundland community of Appleton on Tuesday as it marked 9/11 with a service honouring those killed and those who opened their homes to thousands of stranded passengers. Ambassador Kelly Craft said the events in Newfoundland following the U.S. terrorist attacks told the true story of the Canada-U.S. friendship. ‘Forget what you read about NAFTA negotiations and Twitter wars, that's not who we are,’ Ms. Craft said in her prepared remarks … ‘Sure, it's business and it's important, but Gander is the place that - in a snapshot - illustrates the Canada/U.S. relationship.’” (The Canadian Press, 9/11/2018)

“U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy to Canada told guests at her cosier-than-usual Fourth of July party in Ottawa on Wednesday night that the countries’ strained relationship will overcome the tough times…. ‘Canada and the United States have an enduring partnership that I am confident will stand the test of time – and believe me, these are testing times,’ [Ambassador Kelly] Craft told the crowd … Craft, who was hosting her first Fourth of July party as ambassador, also quoted former U.S. president Thomas Jefferson in her remarks to drive home her message. ‘I have never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy as a cause for withdrawing from a friend,’ she said. Then she added: ‘By your presence here tonight, I would assert that we all agree with Jefferson on that fundamental point of friendship.’” (“U.S.-Canada Friendship Will Stand Test Of Time, Trump Envoy Tells Fourth Of July Party,” The Canadian Press, 7/04/2018)

Ambassador Craft Defended Canada Against Unlawful Behavior And Accusations From China

“When the Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested by the Canadian authorities in the Vancouver airport while changing flights, she suddenly became one of the world’s most famous detainees. Her December arrest — made at the United States’ request for her extradition on fraud charges — provoked a storm of recriminations from China, landed Ms. Meng in legal limbo, and put Canada in the middle of a fight between two world powers that are both rivals and trading partners. Since then, relations between China and Canada have become increasingly strained, and China has arrested two Canadians, accusing them of espionage, and sentenced a third to death on a drug charge.” (“What You Need to Know About the Huawei Court Case in Canada,” The New York Times, 3/06/2019)

• “From the day of Ms. Meng’s arrest, Canada has said it was legally bound to detain her at the request of its ally…. Shortly after her arrest, the Chinese authorities arrested two Canadians, Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a businessman. Just days after Canada approved Ms. Meng’s extradition hearing, the Chinese government accused them of espionage. The two men have been held in secret detention sites in China with no access to lawyers or visits from their families. A third Canadian, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, was sentenced in January to death for drug smuggling. All three cases have caused alarm in Canada, where many have pointed to Ms. Meng’s comparatively cushy detainment.” (“What You Need to Know About the Huawei Court Case in Canada,” The New York Times, 3/06/2019)

“Ambassador Kelly Craft said Tuesday it was ‘absolutely false’ to assume a political motive behind the controversial arrest of Meng Wanzhou, [Huawei’s] chief financial officer. Canada detained Meng at the request of the United States when she was passing through Vancouver on Dec. 1. The United States wants Meng to face charges related to possible violations of trade sanctions against Iran. ‘It is a very delicate process, and I don't want to be involved in something that is an ongoing, independent judiciary process. Our law enforcement work very closely together,’ Craft told a small group of journalists at her Ottawa residence on Tuesday. Craft's view is in lockstep with the Trudeau government, which has repeatedly stressed the role of an independent law-enforcement and legal system in Meng's case.” (“Trump To Envoy Canada Says Huawei Arrest Not Political, But China Rise Is Worrying,” The Canadian Press, 12/11/2018)

“The U.S. ambassador to Canada said Saturday her country is ‘deeply concerned’ about China’s ‘unlawful’ detention of two Canadians. Ambassador Kelly Craft said in a statement to The Associated Press the arrests of ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor are ‘unacceptable’ and urged China to end the arbitrary detentions. It is her first public comments on the cases. China detained the two Canadians on Dec. 10 in an apparent attempt to pressure Canada to release Chinese executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested Dec. 1 at the request of U.S. authorities…. Craft said the U.S. Department of Justice’s criminal case against Meng is based solely on the evidence and the law. ‘The United States appreciates Canada’s steadfast commitment to the rule of law,’ she said.” (“US Ambassador: Arrests Of Canadians In China Unacceptable,” The Associated Press, 2/09/2019)