New U.S. envoy Kelly Craft faces challenges representing Donald Trump

nationalpost.com

Image from article, with caption: Ambassador of the United States Kelly Craft, left, shakes hands with Governor General of Canada Julie Payette in Ottawa on Monday Oct. 23, 2017. Craft is among several new diplomats who are formally submitting their credentials to Payette at Rideau Hall.

Excerpt:

OTTAWA — Kelly Craft’s first acts of public diplomacy in Canada involved quoting John F. Kennedy — a Democrat — and acknowledging the country’s collective loss of Gord Downie [see].

As for her boss, President Donald Trump, and all his talk of tearing up the North American Free Trade Agreement, that was consigned to the back burner on her first day on the job in Canada.

Craft became Trump’s new U.S. ambassador to Canada, but offered a reference to Kennedy — the only deviation from her carefully scripted and delivered public remarks — after she formally took office Monday, becoming the first woman to ever occupy the role.

“If I may echo the sentiments of President Kennedy, I truly feel amongst friends,” she said after joining several new diplomats who submitted their credentials to Gov. Gen. Julie Payette at Rideau Hall.

The Kennedy remark was not in the first version of her speaking notes, which were distributed by the U.S. embassy after her swearing-in.

Craft also gave a respectful nod to the lingering national grief over the death of Downie, acknowledging the passing last week of the beloved Tragically Hip frontman.

“It is clear that he deeply loved Canada; his poetic voice fell silent too soon,” she said.

“He once said that in recent years, it was hard for him to leave a song without a glimmer of hope. He viewed art, his music and his writings to help bring people closer in. I believe this is important business that we should all be about.”

As Trump’s ambassador, she is likely to find herself negotiating some tough issues with her Canadian hosts, including the NAFTA renegotiation and climate change. ...

Roland Paris, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first foreign policy adviser, said Craft faces the tough task of representing a president who is unpopular in Canada.

“It won’t be easy to put a kinder and saner face on this administration,” said Paris.

“Among other things, she will be asked to explain why President Trump seems inclined to treat Canada, America’s closest ally and friend, as an economic adversary rather than as a partner.” ...