JD Vance: Canadian ambassador on Trump’s VP pick

Canada’s ambassador to the United States says Sen. JD Vance, the recently announced pick for former U.S. president and Republican nominee Donald Trump’s running mate, “knows Canada well.”

Kirsten Hillman spoke with CTV News’ Chief Political Correspondent Vassy Kapelos at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., on Monday, on the heels of Trump’s announcement that Vance — a senator for Ohio — is his pick for vice-president.

“I think, actually, he’s somebody who knows Canada well, who’s been very important for his state, who is essential to the success economically of his state, and we have already a bit of a relationship built, so that’s good,” Hillman said.

Hillman said she’s met Vance — a Yale Law School graduate who rose to fame thanks to his 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” — “a couple of times,” due to his state’s close economic relationship with Canada.

“Ohio is the third largest exporting state to Canada, at over $20 billion a year,” Hillman said. “We’re a huge customer for Ohio, so (Vance has) come to a lot of our Canada-U.S. events and I’ve chatted with him there.”

In her interview, Hillman also discussed her reasons for attending the Republican National Convention, the heated tone of political rhetoric in the U.S., and Canada’s recent announcement it plans to reach the NATO target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence by 2032.

You can watch Hillman’s full interview in the video player at the top of this article.