Hoekstra out as conservative conference speaker

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra will skip a planned appearance at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Ottawa on Friday.

A spokesperson for the U.S. embassy said Hoekstra stayed in Washington, D.C., for meetings at the White House with senior officials in President Donald Trump’s administration.

Hoekstra attended the SelectUSA Summit with a delegation of Canadian businesses earlier this week. He had been named as one of the top speakers at this week’s Canada Strong and Free conference in Ottawa, which is billed as the largest gathering of Canadian conservatives.

This year’s conference has featured a significant focus on Canada-U.S. relations.

On Thursday, former U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo spoke for an hour about the ongoing talks on the continental trade pact.

Pompeo told the crowd Canada should “move past the irritation” with Trump and remember which countries share its values. He argued that China is not a reliable partner and said Prime Minister Mark Carney’s efforts to deepen ties with Beijing are misguided and “short-sighted.” 

“Canada is important to the United States. We are incredibly important to Canada,” he said.

Later Friday, the conference is set to feature a panel on the Canada-U.S. relationship that includes Conservative MP Jamil Jivani.

Jivani counts Vice President JD Vance as a close personal friend and recently returned from a second trip to D.C., where he and representatives of Canadian oil and gas companies met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

The conference is also set to hear from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2026.

By Sarah Ritchie | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.