The United States ambassador to Canada says Canadians avoiding U-S travel and banning American alcohol are among the reasons President Donald Trump thinks they are "nasty" to deal with.
Pete Hoekstra told a conference audience on Monday that such steps "don't send positive signals" about Canada treating the United States well.
Hoekstra was speaking at the annual Pacific NorthWest Economic Region Foundation summit in Bellevue, Washington.
The Canadian Press was provided with a recording by the office of B-C Premier David Eby, which says it received the audio from someone in the audience.
A statement from Eby says Hoekstra's remarks show Canadians' efforts to stand up to Trump are "having an impact," and he encouraged people to "keep it up."
A subsequent statement from a U-S embassy spokesperson says Hoekstra had also expressed ``optimism'' about the future of the relationship between the United States and Canada during remarks that lasted nearly an hour.
It says Hoekstra also told the crowd there will be "more opportunity to grow (the) relationship in a much stronger" way.
It adds that Hoekstra has expressed on several occasions that he sees provincial bans on U-S alcohol as counterproductive to resolving broader issues between the two countries.