In the midst of strained relations between Canada and the U.S., Premier Wade MacLauchlan welcomed Donald Trump’s point person in Canada to the province during Old Home Week.
Kelly Craft, who was appointed the U.S. ambassador to Canada in October of 2017, spent four days in Prince Edward Island with her husband, coal tycoon Joseph Craft. The two met with seafood and agriculture industry leaders and attended both the Gold Cup Parade and The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer race on Sunday night.
Kelly Craft also had a chance to meet with Rene Allard, the trainer of the winning horse, Somewhere Fancy.
The Crafts were key donors to Trump’s inaugural and presidential campaigns and are highly influential in the current White House. Joseph Craft, the CEO of Alliance Resource Partners LP, the seventh largest coal company in the U.S., was a key lobbyist of Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt, who resigned in July amid an ethics scandal. Joseph Craft is the current chairman of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
Craft, the first woman to hold the post of U.S. ambassador to Canada, has been a long-time Republican. She was appointed a U.S. delegate of the UN General Assembly during the George W. Bush administration. She has also been a key fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who remains a key confidant.
"These things matter. It's probably the most important time ever to be building relationships. They fell in love with the Island, and I'm quite sure they'll be back."
-P.E.I. Premier Wade MacLauchlan
For MacLauchlan, the visit began with a shared interest of horse racing. The ambassador, who hails from Kentucky, has been a life-long horseback rider. She is a regular attendee of the Kentucky Derby.
"It started with a conversation she and I had in our very first telephone conversation about Prince Edward Island being the Kentucky of Canada,” MacLauchlan said.
“She's very knowledgeable about horses, both thorough-bred and harness, and grew up on a horse family."
MacLauchlan had a recent one-on-one meeting with Craft during last week’s meeting of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Conference in Stowe, Vermont. The two spoke about the ongoing trade dispute between the two countries. MacLauchlan said he stressed the importance of Canada’s system of agricultural supply management.
But, more than advocating for a Canadian trade position, MacLauchlan said the visit to the Island allowed him to establish a close rapport with Kelly and Joseph Craft.
"These things matter. It's probably the most important time ever to be building relationships," MacLauchlan said.
"They fell in love with the Island, and I'm quite sure they'll be back."
Craft was unavailable to speak to media during the weekend. In her 10 months as ambassador, she has given few interviews.
The visit of Craft follows the June visit of U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and his wife to Prince Edward Island on the invitation of Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay. The Perdue visit took place shortly following a volley of tweets, directed at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, from President Trump. In the tweets, Trump castigated Trudeau over Canadian trade tariffs, calling him “weak” and “dishonest”.
However, MacLauchlan said visits of high-level U.S. officials to P.E.I. are about more than a “charm offensive,” as such efforts have been described.
He said the visit of the Crafts allowed them to see first-hand the competitive advantages that P.E.I. seafood and agricultural producers had in their relationship with U.S. consumers.
“It’s to understand the value proposition that exists between Prince Edward Island and the United States. We've got more than a billion dollars a year going across the border,” MacLauchlan said.
MacLauchlan said it was rare for an official like Craft to spend four full days in a single province outside of Ottawa.
"Prince Edward Island is going to be a big part of their relationship with Canada. It's the first time that's happened, to my knowledge, with the U.S. ambassador.
Twitter.com/stu_neatby
Enjoying some fantastic food and wonderful company on my first evening in Prince Edward Island. Happy to be in #PEI for Old Home Week and looking forward to exploring the island! #OHW18 pic.twitter.com/RFU47TDK4X
— Ambassador Kelly Craft (@USAmbCanada) August 17, 2018
