U.S. ambassador to Canada says democracy will 'easily' survive outcome of Tuesday election
CBC
Ahead of a highly consequential election on Tuesday, the U.S. ambassador to Canada said "democracy is easily going to survive" the outcome of the race and reminded Canadians to be patient as results from across the United States come in.
David Cohen said in an interview on CBC's Rosemary Barton Live that U.S. democracy "has survived and thrived in the face of many challenges to that democracy." He cited both world wars and the U.S. civil war as examples.
"I firmly believe that regardless of the outcome of the election, the United States is going to remain the most durable democracy in the world," Cohen told host Rosemary Barton.
"Democracy is something that's important. It's valuable. It's something I treasure as an American. ... I think democracy is easily going to survive the outcome of this election."
Some state officials have said clearer results are expected by the end of Wednesday as they process mail-in ballots.
There are also concerns over whether Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will accept the results.
At a campaign event in Arizona on Thursday, Trump repeated false claims about election fraud and claimed he was "way ahead" in the race against Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
In another interview on Rosemary Barton Live, International Trade Minister Mary Ng was asked how Canada will respond if Trump refuses to accept the election results.
Ng said "the American democratic system will need to do its work."
"What I want to say to the Canadian people is that Canada stands ready to work with whoever the American people choose to work in the White House," Ng said.
Canadian officials have reached out to both the Harris and Trump campaigns to seek a congratulatory phone call with the winner, according to a senior government source.
One of the top questions for Canadian officials is how the election will affect the country's trade relationship with the United States.
Trump called for a minimum tariff of 10 per cent on all imports entering the United States. Sources have told CBC News that Trump's allies have offered no assurances of a reprieve for Canada.
It's also unclear whether a Harris administration would want to renegotiate the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) that's up for review and renewal in 2026. Harris voted against the trade agreement when she was a senator, saying it wasn't sufficient to protect workers.
Winnipeg’s Granite Curling Club has asked a judge to decide whether the City of Winnipeg can ignore a provincial decision about residential housing slated to rise next to the club.
A Saskatoon woman says she watched her neighbour's police standoff play out in real time on social media.
One person is dead from carbon monoxide poisoning, following an incident Friday at a building in Regina.
A wind storm that caused the cancellation of all daytime ferries between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland stranded passengers on both sides of the Salish Sea, adding challenges for travelers in an already hectic holiday travel week.
Maritime Electric has officially filed plans with the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission for the rotating power outages it says may be necessary this winter to prevent a provincewide blackout.
A Toronto hotel has organized a Christmas Eve buffet lunch for some Thorncliffe Park residents forced out of their condo units by a complex fire.
Residents in Fort Liard, N.W.T., are being advised to use filtered or bottled water and take other measures to protect themselves from high levels of disinfection byproducts called trihalomethanes in the tap water.
Alberta's election agency announced Monday it has approved a proposed referendum question on the province separating from Canada.
One person has been shot by police after allegedly stabbing two people in Toronto's northwest on Monday, police say.
Prince Edward Island's housing market is becoming more balanced, according to new data.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is presenting a new plan worth more than $35.5 billion to keep First Nations children connected to their communities, culture and families.
The RCMP arrested two men who allegedly used a classified ads website to recruit women to smuggle cannabis out of Canada to Nigeria via the country’s biggest airport.
One person is in a critical condition after an incident in Inukjuak, Que., which led to a shoot-out with police.