“Offer you his Timbits”: What we know about Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, and his ties to Canada

US Vice-President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate earlier this week, and now some Canadians are trying to scour the internet to see if he has any connection to his neighbours up north.

It may seem that Walz’s most obvious tie to Canada is his proximity to his neighbours up north, as Minnesota shares a border with both Winnipeg and Ontario.

Terry Duguid, MP for Winnipeg South, posted a photo with Walz on X from a recent meeting they had earlier this year.

“I had the pleasure of meeting Governor Walz earlier this year on a special trip as part of Team Canada where we discussed shared priorities and how our countries can best work together,” wrote Duguid.

MSNBC host Luke Russert posted about Walz being the kind of guy who “chats you up in line at a Tim Hortons” while offering you his Timbits.

He added that he has a “very glass half full” outlook and is an “effective communicator.”

Charlie Feldman, president of the Canadian Study of Parliament Group, did a bit of a deep-dive “for those grasping at straws to find a niche Canada-Walz parliamentary angle.”

He highlighted that Walz “met with members of the Canadian Senate’s Committee on Agriculture and Forestry during their 2017 fact-finding trip to DC.”

Gaphel Kongsta also pointed out that Walz led a business development mission to Canada, stopping in Toronto and Montreal.

In a press release regarding that trip, Walz noted that Minnesota’s “relationship with Canada is based on more than just proximity. Our trade and investment ties are strong and expanding, and this trip will help both Minnesota and Canada drive economic growth and create jobs.”

Even with all that, Walz’s Canadian connection isn’t quite as strong as Harris’.

She lived in Montreal during the 1970s and 1980s while attending Westmount High School. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a teacher at McGill University at that time.

In 2021, she even chatted with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about her experience living in Canada.

“I spent many of my teenage years living in Montreal when my mother was teaching at McGill University… I have fond memories of my time in Montreal,” she told Trudeau at the time.

Harris spent five years in Montreal before returning to the US to attend Howard University in Washington, DC.

She secured the Democratic presidential nomination after President Joe Biden announced he would no longer be running in the 2024 presidential race.

With files from Ty Jadah

Source