OTTAWA — The United States ambassador to Canada says Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is “highly respected” by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and his NAFTA negotiating team, in sharp contrast to remarks made by President Donald Trump. Kelly Craft said Freeland has been personally very helpful to her since she arrived last October as Trump’s envoy to Canada, and that Freeland has earned the respect of the U.S. team for her conduct in the negotiations. Kelly Craft, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, said Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland has been very helpful to her since she arrived in Ottawa last October. Freeland was hand-picked by Trudeau to act as the political lead for Canada’s negotiating team and is the direct counterpart to Lighthizer. While the ambassador said she had not seen the full news conference, she was quick to express admiration and friendship for Freeland.

Source: thestar September 27, 2018 16:47 UTC