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If Lutnick leaves will we get a deal…
If Canada is finally able to get a new trade deal with the Americans, it might have more to do with Howard Lutnick than Mark Carney. No, Lutnick hasn’t finally become a fan of trade with Canada. It’s just that he might get the boot from the White House.
Seems it was Lutnick who failed to put Megaspeed on the list of entities to be watched. As Commerce Secretary, Lutnick was responsible for overseeing that file, and he failed to add Megaspeed to the blacklist.
Megaspeed is the company that Jensen Huang’s paramour, and possible spy, worked for. Angela Huang is believed to have not just acquired and shared intel, but computer chips as well.
Donald Trump is adamant about the United States winning the AI race over China, and Lutnick’s failure to act could do damage to that goal.
Appearing on CNBC this morning, Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wasn’t defending Lutnick. In fact, he threw Lutnick under the bus.
It was Lutnick who entered the trade talks at the 11th hour last August, and it is believed it was Lutnick who insisted on keeping 25% tariffs on medium- and heavy-duty trucks. That tariff was the sticking point that wouldn’t allow Ontario Premier Doug Ford to accept the deal and put American booze back on the shelves.
Without Ford, Carney had no deal.
Numerous reports are detailing frustrations with Lutnick at the White House. Perhaps if Trump sends him packing back to Wall Street, Canada can finally get a deal.
Not if Melanie Joly has her way…
Melanie Joly is the most incompetent cabinet minister I have covered, and I’ve been doing this for 25 years now.
She was a disaster at Heritage, a disaster at Foreign Affairs and now a disaster at Industry. In my column for the Toronto Sun today, I asked whether she wants to chase the remainder of the Stellantis jobs out of Canada.
With assembly plants in Windsor and Brampton, a stamping plant in Etobicoke and an R&D centre in Windsor, Stellantis employs more Canadians than any other auto company, with about 10,000 employees. With the Brampton assembly plant being sold and closed for good, Stellantis will drop down to just around 7,800 employees, which would put it second behind Toyota for Canadian employees.
Listen, though, to Joly when asked about her plans to get money back from the company for closing Brampton despite a funding agreement.
That sounds vaguely threatening to the rest of the company. Not a good look and not how you win friends and influence people. As I wrote in my Sun column, Stellantis won’t appreciate the threats, and it won’t help talks aimed at finding a resolution.
Speaking of talks…
I’ve been saying that Carney has whipped up the population so much that if he ever does get a deal, it will be hard for him to sell it to the public. I’ve been hearing from plenty of the Elbows Up brigade over the past few days, protesting my calls for Carney to try and get a deal.
A deal remains the only way to ensure we keep viable auto and steel industries, but many of Carney’s voters don’t want anything to do with the USA.
Well, Friday morning, Joly was asked by CBC’s Meagan Fitzpatrick about what the government she serves in was doing to get a deal, and she seemed indignant.
Joly is right that Trump started the trade war. That doesn’t mean we don’t need to do anything to assist.
As I was reporting yesterday, there is no sense of urgency on the Canadian side, and the talks are weak at best.
You can read my full description in yesterday’s column.
I really do wonder how much economic pain Canadians are willing to put up with just to poke Trump in the eye and feel morally superior. Never once have I called for Canada to capitulate. I have pointed out that we need a deal and that jobs are on the line.
Looking out for Canadian workers should be Carney’s top priority, not looking out for votes from the Elbows Up brigade.
That she will. Self-important tart that she is.
Scapegoats are easy.
Carney failed. Joly is sadly ridiculous.