I spend a good part of my day talking to people who know what is going on with the trade talks with the Americans. When I’m not doing that, I’m trying to analyze what each side is doing.
Yesterday morning, I responded to Trump’s new tariff announcement with a column under the headline, “Trump owns the trade war. Carney owns his response.”
Trump started this, but as I explain, Mark Carney is very interested in keeping it going.
I spent the day talking to more people, gaining intel, and listening to what folks were saying. Then I filed the second column, “Donald Trump’s tariff ultimatum leaves Mark Carney out of time.”
Trump is using the threat of these new tariffs to force us back to the table.
Despite the claims by Carney that the Canadian team has been submitting comprehensive proposals, that is simply not true.
As I explain in the video above, they are playing the waiting game, they are ragging the puck.
Interesting that Trump advisor Peter Navarro has a piece in the National Post laying out the American argument.
“Canada has long cultivated the image of America’s friendly, free-trading neighbor. The reality is less polite.
Behind the maple-leaf branding is a protectionist system that singles out American farmers, distillers, automakers, and workers. Canada demands access to the American market while reserving the right to close its own when competition becomes inconvenient.”
The whole thing is worth the read, so too is the rebuttal from Carson Jerema.
