The U.S. Senate has granted unanimous approval to President Donald Trump's pick to be the new American representative in Canada. Kelly Knight Craft received bipartisan congressional approval to take up her post just days before critical multilateral talks on NAFTA renewal are set to get underway.
Ms. Knight Craft has deep roots in the U.S. Republican Party, with a history as a fundraiser for high-profile members of Congress, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell. She was one of a large batch of nominations hurriedly approved in the dying days of the current congressional sitting.
The two-week confirmation process for the Ambassador-designate has been remarkably fast compared to her predecessor Bruce Heyman. Heyman was nominated by then-President Barack Obama in September of 2013 and confirmed months later, in March of 2014.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland offered her congratulations to Knight Craft over Twitter late Thursday evening.
Congratulations #KellyKnightCraft, new US ???? Ambassador to Canada ????. We look forward to working with you to strengthen #CanUS ties! #cdnpol
— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) 3 August 2017
Knight Craft can only take up official duties as Ambassador once she has presented her credentials to Governor General David Johnston at Rideau Hall. A date for that meeting has not been publicly set.