JD Vance's Friend from Canada to Him: "Please don’t visit"
The Ottawa lawmaker has parted ways with his law school friend due to disagreements over Trump's threats and policies.
TroibNews 
OTTAWA — JD Vance's Canadian friend is retracting his invitation for the vice president to visit.
Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, who has shared a close friendship with Vance since their time at Yale Law School 15 years ago, expressed that a visit would not be "constructive" at this time due to the tensions arising from the Trump administration's actions towards Canada.
"Right now we have strong political disagreements, and that’s kind of how it is," he stated.
This marks a shift from December, when Jivani had accepted an invitation to dine with Vance in Arlington, Virginia, and was present in Washington for Inauguration Day.
“They need to probably reconsider some of their rhetoric and their policy before coming to Canada,” Jivani told PMG. “Our country should deserve more respect before being able to welcome them.”
Jivani represents a suburban and rural community that employs a significant number of auto workers at a GM plant responsible for manufacturing the Chevrolet Silverado. He highlighted the community's concerns regarding tariffs impacting the auto sector and President Donald Trump’s annexation threats.
“We haven’t talked in a while,” he commented on their friendship. “He’s busy, I’m busy. It’s just the nature of the work that we do. Certainly, the way they’ve talked about Canada has been a problem for me personally. I’m a proud Canadian. I’m focused on my community, and we’ll see what happens next.”
Following his re-election in Canada’s recent federal election, which resulted in the Liberal Party maintaining power as a minority government, Jivani pointed out that Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre lost his seat, triggering discussions regarding his leadership future.
Jivani clarified that he is not pursuing the leadership position. “Pierre Poilievre is our leader, and I’m focused on how we get ready for the next election,” he mentioned.
During the five-week campaign, Jivani faced attacks from Liberal opponents who emphasized his ties to the vice president, accusing him of neglecting his country.
“They created commercials about me and JD being friends. They doctored pictures of us and dropped them in mailboxes in my riding,” Jivani explained. “The misrepresentation of who I am, what I believe in, the misrepresentation of my commitment to this country, that stuff, was very, very frustrating.”
Despite the challenges of proving his dedication to Canada, Jivani felt the experience made his victory all the more meaningful, marking his second term as MP.
“People were saying: We know you, we got you, we see who you are and we’re choosing you to go and fight for us,” he said.
Looking ahead, Jivani is eager to return to Ottawa when the House reconvenes to advocate for his constituents on pressing issues related to cost of living, housing, and the ongoing trade conflict.
Although his friendship with Vance has evolved, Jivani remains optimistic about reconnecting over their shared passion for football.
“We were friends before politics, we will be friends after politics,” he reflected. “This is a guy that I played fantasy football with for the last 15 years. He’s now the vice president and that’s a unique situation.”
Like many friendships, Jivani noted that political disagreements have always been present.
“It’s just the nature of having a friend in a situation like this. I kind of just acknowledge that we’re in different places, we have different priorities. He does his thing, I do my thing. And when this is all over, I’m sure we’ll talk again.”
Anna Muller for TROIB News
Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, who has shared a close friendship with Vance since their time at Yale Law School 15 years ago, expressed that a visit would not be "constructive" at this time due to the tensions arising from the Trump administration's actions towards Canada.
"Right now we have strong political disagreements, and that’s kind of how it is," he stated.
This marks a shift from December, when Jivani had accepted an invitation to dine with Vance in Arlington, Virginia, and was present in Washington for Inauguration Day.
“They need to probably reconsider some of their rhetoric and their policy before coming to Canada,” Jivani told PMG. “Our country should deserve more respect before being able to welcome them.”
Jivani represents a suburban and rural community that employs a significant number of auto workers at a GM plant responsible for manufacturing the Chevrolet Silverado. He highlighted the community's concerns regarding tariffs impacting the auto sector and President Donald Trump’s annexation threats.
“We haven’t talked in a while,” he commented on their friendship. “He’s busy, I’m busy. It’s just the nature of the work that we do. Certainly, the way they’ve talked about Canada has been a problem for me personally. I’m a proud Canadian. I’m focused on my community, and we’ll see what happens next.”
Following his re-election in Canada’s recent federal election, which resulted in the Liberal Party maintaining power as a minority government, Jivani pointed out that Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre lost his seat, triggering discussions regarding his leadership future.
Jivani clarified that he is not pursuing the leadership position. “Pierre Poilievre is our leader, and I’m focused on how we get ready for the next election,” he mentioned.
During the five-week campaign, Jivani faced attacks from Liberal opponents who emphasized his ties to the vice president, accusing him of neglecting his country.
“They created commercials about me and JD being friends. They doctored pictures of us and dropped them in mailboxes in my riding,” Jivani explained. “The misrepresentation of who I am, what I believe in, the misrepresentation of my commitment to this country, that stuff, was very, very frustrating.”
Despite the challenges of proving his dedication to Canada, Jivani felt the experience made his victory all the more meaningful, marking his second term as MP.
“People were saying: We know you, we got you, we see who you are and we’re choosing you to go and fight for us,” he said.
Looking ahead, Jivani is eager to return to Ottawa when the House reconvenes to advocate for his constituents on pressing issues related to cost of living, housing, and the ongoing trade conflict.
Although his friendship with Vance has evolved, Jivani remains optimistic about reconnecting over their shared passion for football.
“We were friends before politics, we will be friends after politics,” he reflected. “This is a guy that I played fantasy football with for the last 15 years. He’s now the vice president and that’s a unique situation.”
Like many friendships, Jivani noted that political disagreements have always been present.
“It’s just the nature of having a friend in a situation like this. I kind of just acknowledge that we’re in different places, we have different priorities. He does his thing, I do my thing. And when this is all over, I’m sure we’ll talk again.”
Anna Muller for TROIB News
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