A former United States ambassador to Canada is sounding the alarm that a second Donald Trump presidency would cause chaos for Canadians as he urged Americans abroad that their votes could prove crucial in the presidential election.
Bruce Heyman, who served as ambassador from 2014 to 2017, gave Canada a 含羞草研究社渢sunami warning,含羞草研究社� saying if Trump takes the White House, Canada is at great risk.
Heyman含羞草研究社檚 warning came on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention, where thousands of party faithful have gathered to rally behind Kamala Harris and bask in the excitement building around the vice-president since she quickly ascended to the top of the ticket.
The enthusiasm, while palpable in the halls of the convention, does not guarantee a win in November and Heyman says it critical that Americans around the world ensure their vote counts.
He says there are at least 6.5 million eligible voters living in other countries, mainly in Canada and Mexico.
When President Joe Biden was elected in 2020, Heyman says votes from Americans abroad played a key role in clinching battleground states.
Heyman said much of that support was shored up through a website and outreach targeting American voters from abroad.
Those efforts resulted in the amount of votes from Americans elsewhere in the world increasing by more than 73 per cent in 2016, and half of those votes went to battleground states.
含羞草研究社淎mericans in Canada, you can be part of the decision of who wins the election in the United States,含羞草研究社� Heyman said on Wednesday.
Harris is set to officially accept the party含羞草研究社檚 nomination Thursday and deliver a speech that will formally introduce her as the Democrats含羞草研究社� pick for president. The day含羞草研究社檚 theme is 含羞草研究社淔or our Future.含羞草研究社�
The former ambassador said the election could prove critical for the future of Canadians, too. Heyman, who was appointed under former president Barack Obama, became well known for strengthening the relationship between Canada and the U.S. under both former prime minister Stephen Harper and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Heyman and his wife, Vicki, left as Trump took America含羞草研究社檚 reins but remained connected to Canada, even writing a book about their experiences with Canadian diplomacy. They since have supported Democratic campaigns.
The first Trump administration proved tumultuous for Canada, he said, with the former president含羞草研究社檚 policies affecting more than trade.
Thousands of people in the U.S., afraid of rumours of deportation, started travelling into Canada outside of regular border crossings.
Trump has promised to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants if he gets a second term. Heyman said he believes that people, once again motivated by fear, would start to flee north in even higher numbers.
含羞草研究社淚 don含羞草研究社檛 believe Canada is prepared for those kinds of numbers to come across the border,含羞草研究社� he said.
If bans against abortion expand further in the U.S., Heyman forewarned, people may look to Canada for help. If Trump claws back environmental policies, it could affect Canada含羞草研究社檚 investment into green technologies, Heyman said.
And if a Trump administration removes support from NATO and other alliances, Canada含羞草研究社檚 stature around the world would diminish alongside the U.S., Heyman said.
He added that Canada would likely have to fast-track its NATO defence funding commitments to avoid Trump含羞草研究社檚 wrath. Trudeau said last month that Canada expects to hit its target of two per cent of national gross domestic product on defence by 2032.
The Republican party含羞草研究社檚 platform hints at further protectionist policies, and Trump has signalled plans for a 10 per cent tariff on imports.
含羞草研究社淚 think that for Canada, it含羞草研究社檚 a high risk 含羞草研究社� the Trump administration 含羞草研究社� if he implements the policies he says he wants to implement,含羞草研究社� Heyman said.
含羞草研究社淎nd the greatest risk for Canada is he does it all at once as 含羞草研究社� swarm tactic to attack Democrats.含羞草研究社�
