Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the United States and the chief negotiator with the Trump administration on trade, has announced that she will step down next year.
"I have advised Prime Minister Carney that I will be ending my tenure in the United States in the New Year," Hillman said.
"It has been the greatest privilege of my professional life to have served and represented Canada and Canadians during this critical period in Canada-U.S. relations," Hillman added in her resignation letter.
Prime Minister Mark Carney praised Hillman in a statement.
"Ambassador Hillman's intelligence, determined action and diplomacy have contributed immensely to the advancement of a new economic and security relationship with the United States," Carney said.
Hillman had served in the post for eight years and comes months after President Donald Trump announced he was canceling bilateral trade talks ahead of the next round of negotiations on the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
"Ambassador Hillman is a class act, we worked closely with her not only in recent years, but even during the original USMCA," U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Politico.
Greer said he didn't think her departure would affect negotiations between the two countries.
"I don't think it will, but she's a good actor," Greer said.
Hillman said she believes her departure gives Canada a chance to put its own team in place for the next USMCA agreement.
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau credited Hillman with helping to boost Canada's economy and her ability to resolve trade disputes.
Hillman is "a real patriot who has served Canadians proudly and effectively in the face of unprecedented challenges against our economy and our sovereignty," Trudeau said.
She will meet Thursday with members of the House Ways and Means Committee, Politico reported.
Hillman said before her announcement that she would lobby for a 16-year extension of the U.S.-Mexico trade agreement ahead of its review in 2026.
"We certainly think it's worth continuing the USMCA," Hillman said.
"It's been extremely successful for us, but I guess what I'm trying to say is it's also extremely successful for the United States ... and that it contributes to U.S. competitiveness."
A replacement for Hillman has not been announced.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.