Chris Sands, director of the Canadian Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., said: “She may be the person who knows Canada best among the leaders of the Republican House of Representatives.” “So I think it’s a good thing, and she’s working hard to ensure [even though] She is a supporter of Trump, and she did not do so at the expense of good US-Canada relations. “

The New York congresswoman’s region borders Canada, has always been a staunch supporter of free trade, an opponent of tariffs, and has been working hard to relax border restrictions.

Stefanick said in 2019: “Canada continues to be our strongest economic ally, and we must actively work to maintain our partnership with them to make it productive and beneficial to both countries. When she became the co-chair The members of the Northern Border Caucus consist of members of the bipartisan House of Representatives who focus on the core policies of the US-Canada partnership.

If Republicans regain control of the House of Representatives in the middle of 2022, her image may be further improved, just to let someone “have a serious understanding of Canada, the importance of trade… [her] It is indeed a good thing to be at the top of the party,” Jinsha said.

From 2016 to 2019, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, David MacNaughton (David MacNaughton) agreed that if anyone is keenly aware of this country’s leadership, it would be good for Canada.

He said: “Who knows what will happen in the future. She is still very young. She may stay for a while.”

Defended Trudeau

Last week, Stefanik was elected as the chairman of the conference, the position belongs to Wyoming. Republicans threw Cheney out of the post because he kept calling on Trump to help spur the violent uprising against the U.S. Capitol on January 6 and made false claims that vote fraud had caused him to last year. Re-election failed in November.

Stefanick has always supported Trump’s unfounded claims about cheating in the election. Hours after the Capitol attack, she voted against the formal approval of Pennsylvania’s state-certified electoral vote for Joe Biden.

However, Stefanick has always been at odds with the former president on trade and tariff issues, especially in Canada.

In the 2018 interview On the Northern Rural Public Radio, Stefanik said she “has been receiving attention [Trump’s] “Remarks on the threat of trade and tariffs” and “a trade war with important allies and economic partners like Canada is not a strong economic policy.”

She emphasized the importance of strengthening the trade relationship between the United States and Canada and enhancing its ability to export American products to Canada.

Stefanick also defended Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for Trump’s Twitter barb. The former president once called Trudeau a “weak” and “very dishonest”.

She told NCPR: “This is an example of my disapproval of the president’s remarks.”

“Very practical”

At the same time, in January of this year, Stefanick and the Democratic co-chair of the caucus, Brian Higgins, wrote an open letter in a bipartisan push requesting the new Biden administration to shut down due to COVID-19 restrictions. , Immediately prioritize the opening of the northern border. .

McNaughton said that in his dealings with Stefanik, he found that she was “very pragmatic and very focused.”

“I know she is ambitious and she is a visionary. I can only say that I didn’t really see her as someone who was particularly close to Trump at the time.“

Sanders, who has worked with Stefanik, said that he believes voters in her area, even those who love Trump, will say: “Okay, but please wait. Canada-US relations are very important.”

Sands praised her for always focusing on making plans, “so that people can predict when they can visit relatives and family across borders.”

Liberal Congressman Wayne Easton, co-chair of the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Association, said that given Stefanick’s new chairmanship, “we need to strengthen our ties with her.”

Easter said that as the chairperson of the conference, she can highlight issues such as the US’s dependence on Canada’s energy and point out how much hydropower is coming from Canada.

“Even using these things as chairs will at least attract people’s attention. This gives them some ideas… This is a very important neighbor in the north.”

Reopening the border is the key theme

Kathryn Friedman, an associate professor of law and planning at the University of Buffalo and an expert on Canada-US relations, said that Stefanick’s support for Canada-US relations and the rapid and efficient opening of borders will continue to exist. Her theme is only because of the ingredients she represents. “

Friedman is not sure what effect Stefanick’s loyalty to Trump will have on these documents. She said progress will ultimately depend on the level of cooperation between her and the Biden administration and her Democratic colleagues on these issues.

Friedman said that Stefanick’s position and stance in the 2020 election may be unfavorable.

“I have to believe that because she is a strong supporter of the former president, people, especially Democrats, may be reluctant to cooperate with her.”