As the eyes of the world shift to Canada and the citizens rising up against pandemic restrictions, one Kentuckian worked alongside the Canadian prime minister who is now imposing emergency measures seen by conservatives as a “power grab” in an attempt to quell freedom convoys.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a rarely-used Emergencies Act this week as Canadian police have failed to disperse semi-truck blockades constructed by protestors against pandemic restrictions.
Glasgow, Kentucky, native Kelly Craft was appointed in 2017 as the Canadian Ambassador by President Donald Trump after serious donations made by Craft and her husband billionaire coal executive Joe Craft to both Republicans and Trump’s 2016 inauguration.
In 2018, Craft lauded Trudeau in an interview with Matt Jones that was later replayed on MSNBC. Craft compared the Canadian Prime Minister to President Donald Trump for his work with blue-collar people.
“He’s very charming. He’s very smart. He is all about the Canadians,” Craft said in 2018. “He reminds me a lot of our president as far as he really looks after the working class people here.”
The statement stands in stark contrast with what some on the right are saying about Trudeau, including one trucker who took part in the blockade, saying Trudeau “doesn’t understand the working class.” Canada’s conservative lawmakers are calling Trudeau “a dictator” as he sought to defend his use of emergency powers not seen in the last half-century.
The former Canadian Ambassador has not made public comments about the happenings in Canada. She does often comment on geopolitics, and one of the mainstays of her Twitter account is a stuffed Taiwanese bear dubbed ‘Taibear.’
Canadians part of the “freedom convoy” are using their semi-trucks and farm equipment to block several border crossings into the United States. The protests started in reaction to Canadian and U.S. laws requiring truckers crossing the border to be fully vaccinated, but they’ve shifted into a roving rally against pandemic restrictions, according to Fortune.
The statement from Craft could be interesting to watch in the Kentucky governor’s race. Craft is “leaning heavily” at running and as KFP first reported she is likely to hire the same political strategist Glenn Youngkin used in developing a path to the 2021 gubernatorial win in Virginia.
Craft would bring serious wealth into the Kentucky governor’s race in 2023, but she will also have to navigate the record of statements she has made about liberal leaders like Trudeau and Gov. Beshear and connect to conservative voters that make up the GOP primary base.
The entire interview with Craft and Matt Jones is available below.
