Ottawa should block Donald Trump91裸聊视频檚 chosen ambassador to Canada until the U.S. president stops questioning Canada91裸聊视频檚 sovereignty, says one expert.

91裸聊视频淲e could potentially use (this) as a way of signalling the seriousness with which the Government of Canada is viewing this unwelcome talk,91裸聊视频� said University of Victoria international relations professor Will Greaves.

91裸聊视频淚t is an overt, aggressive policy that (Trump) seems to be shifting his administration to endorse. And if we are remotely serious as a country, we should regard that as a hostile action and embrace a wider array of tools in our response towards it.91裸聊视频�

Trump has said repeatedly for weeks he wants to make Canada a U.S. state and has threatened to do so through economic coercion, prompting his officials to make similar comments.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initially characterized those comments as jokes. But he told business leaders last Friday that the idea of absorbing Canada 91裸聊视频渋s a real thing91裸聊视频� for Trump, because of Canada91裸聊视频檚 resource wealth.

Trump said Sunday that he could easily enact economic policies that 91裸聊视频渨ould not allow Canada to be a viable country,91裸聊视频� such as shutting down Canada91裸聊视频檚 auto sector.

91裸聊视频淲ithout the U.S., Canada doesn91裸聊视频檛 really have a country. They do almost all of their business with us,91裸聊视频� Trump said.

The diplomatic protocols governing how countries appoint a head of mission involve making a formal request for the receiving country to accept the appointment prior to the ambassador91裸聊视频檚 arrival. Arriving ambassadors later present their formal credentials to the governor general.

Trump announced last November that he had tapped former Michigan congressman Pete Hoekstra to serve as the next American envoy to Canada.

While Hoekstra still needs to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly has welcomed him as someone who understands the importance of cross-border trade.

Greaves said the U.S. ambassador to Canada is a 91裸聊视频減atronage appointment91裸聊视频� used by presidents to reward a key supporter with a plum post that involves overseeing an embassy whose staff do the heavy lifting of diplomatic relations.

91裸聊视频淭o reject, or not accept, the credentials of the next U.S. ambassador would be to deprive Donald Trump of that plum patronage appointment that he can give to one of his supporters,91裸聊视频� Greaves said. 91裸聊视频淭hat costs him something.91裸聊视频�

While Canada91裸聊视频檚 ambassadors in Washington sometimes have political ties, they91裸聊视频檙e generally appointed due to their diplomatic skills and have a major role in managing the country91裸聊视频檚 most important bilateral relationship.

Greaves said he came up with the idea once it became clear that Trump wasn91裸聊视频檛 going to stop talking about annexing Canada.

He said diplomacy exists to provide countries with 91裸聊视频渁 way of increasing the costs91裸聊视频� of hostile acts, without resorting to economic or military responses.

Greaves argued Canada would block the appointment of an ambassador of any other country exhibiting the same behaviour 91裸聊视频� if, for example, Russia sent an ambassador after suggesting the Canadian Arctic was actually Russian territory.

91裸聊视频淲e shouldn91裸聊视频檛 allow the fact that it91裸聊视频檚 the United States to overly colour what is an appropriate reaction under these circumstances,91裸聊视频� he said.

Greaves said that if Trump doesn91裸聊视频檛 change his tune, Canada should seriously consider barring him from the G7 leaders91裸聊视频� summit, planned for mid-June in Alberta.

91裸聊视频淲hy would Canada host, as an honoured guest on its soil, the head of state of the country that is publicly, repeatedly and directly challenging our very sovereignty over the place that he would be coming to visit?91裸聊视频� he said.

Greaves said the U.S. likely would retaliate if Canada sought to block its ambassador, but he described that as part of the 91裸聊视频減rice91裸聊视频� Canada will have to pay to fight for its sovereignty.

91裸聊视频淭hat is the price of our independence, as decided by Donald Trump,91裸聊视频� he said.

Refusal to accredit an envoy is a response reserved for serious international disputes. In Canada, it91裸聊视频檚 even more rare than expulsions of foreign diplomats.

In 2023, Joly told Parliament that Ottawa had declined to issue a diplomatic visa for 91裸聊视频渁 political operative91裸聊视频� from China because they were deeply linked to the Communist Party of China.

In 2018, Ottawa barred three of Russia91裸聊视频檚 proposed diplomats from serving in Canada, and expelled four who were already accredited to Canada, in response to the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the U.K.

In 1987, Ottawa refused to accredit Israel91裸聊视频檚 chosen military attach茅 Amos Yaron following reports of concerns about militia attacks on Palestinian civilians in Beirut during the 1982 Lebanon War.

There have been unconfirmed reports in recent weeks that the Trump administration could block the U.K.91裸聊视频檚 chosen ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, who recently walked back previous comments that Trump was 91裸聊视频渞eckless91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频渁 bully.91裸聊视频�