Sylvia Cesaratto, Consul General of Canada to the United States in Miami, kindly spoke with Le Soleil de la Floride about Canada-Florida relations after one year of the Trump administration.
When asked how the situation affects the work of the Consulate here in Florida, Ms. Cesaratto replied, « Broadly speaking, our work remains unchanged. Our role here is to build networks of contacts and influence, both in the business community and among elected officials and politicians, as well as to help Canadians in distress, with legal matters or in prison. Basically, our job is to create these networks of contacts and ensure that they are aware of the importance of Canada and our presence in the United States, particularly in Florida.
According to the Consul General, “what has changed significantly over the past year are our key messages. This is what we wanted to emphasize in our discussions with businesspeople, politicians, etc.” Ms. Cesaratto points out that at the beginning of the year, there was a reaction to the imposition of tariffs and that Canada was the first country to be impacted.
The country’s interests were defended because the reason given was unfounded. The influx of fentanyl was debated, while emphasizing the importance of promoting good cooperation to secure the border between Canada and the U.S. “Even though that wasn’t the problem, we took the president’s concerns seriously,” said the diplomat.
Afterwards, there were other reasons for other tariffs, and the consulate installed billboards along Florida’s highways to denounce the impact of tariffs on businesses and their consumers. “But the more time passes, the less we push these arguments because, ultimately, we understand that this is a tool that the president uses with all countries around the world, not just Canada.” » Ms. Cesaratto adds that Canada is doing quite well thanks to the Canada-United States-Mexico Free Trade Agreement, which covers about 90% of bilateral trade between the two countries, but that there are specific tariffs on aluminum, steel, and Canadian value on automobiles, for example. However, these tariffs have also been imposed globally.
The Consul General points out that the current focus is on the mid-term review of this agreement between the three countries, namely whether the desired benefits are being achieved and whether there is a way to further modernize the agreement. So far, after consulting with businesses, chambers of commerce, etc., “there is great interest in all three countries in seeing the agreement continue because it benefits our three economies, including Florida,” says Ms. Cesaratto.
She adds: « Canada continues to assert itself as a stable, reliable partner, friend, ally, and neighbor, and our relationship cannot be undone overnight. We are simply too important and our economies are too intertwined for that to happen easily. That is my message here.“ The other big message? ”We want to continue to be Florida’s partner of choice and to work with the state government and businesses to remain competitive, continue to innovate, and grow the economy. »
Statistics
The consulate presents here an overview of Canada’s ranking with Florida on various aspects of the trade relationship in 2024:
– Florida imported (purchased) US$6.4 billion from Canada (a 23% increase over 2023);
– It exported (sold) US$5.3 billion to Canada;
– Bilateral trade in goods was US$11.7 billion.
In total, bilateral trade increased by US$2.7 billion between 2019 and 2024, and it will be interesting to see the statistics for 2025.
Here are the five key areas in which Canada is consistently Florida’s leading partner, unmatched by any other nation. Canada ranks first in terms of foreign direct investment, real estate, and visitors, second in exports from Florida, and fourth in imports.
