PP was the face of it, but it wasn’t just him.
As a leader, he should have figured out that the game had changed, and told his team to come up with a better strategy. But by the same token, his team should have realized this as well, and made him listen when they said they needed a new plan.
CPC leadership failed, from top to bottom.
Carney has a terrible task ahead of him with Trump pretending to “not know what the meeting is about”. Further, he’ll have closet separatists Danielle Smith, Scott Moe and PP sabotaging him every step of the way.
I don’t envy the guy at all. Here’s a preview of what’s happening today.. One of the lunatics in Trump’s cabal (I think it was Lutnick) was insulting Carney even before his plane landed in Washington. They’re basically all a bunch of hostile reprobates, chosen exclusively for loyalty to Trump and absolutely nothing else.
It would be unreasonable to expect much to come of this first meeting, but it will be successful if Carney establishes that he’s reasonable and congenial, but takes a firm position on Canada’s interests from which he will not waver. Trump bragged that Carney is probably there because he wants “to make a deal – everybody does”. Carney will say sure we can make a deal, but only if it’s fair, otherwise, no.
The article says that JD Vance, probably still badly in need of a shave, will be perched on the same couch from which he attacked Zelensky. This is going to take all the skill that Carney can muster.
I’m watching it now. It’s basically a bog-standard Trump rambling/venting session with our PM sitting there watching. His biggest challenge will probably be not rolling his eyes or crack up.
Trump’s borderline going off the rails with a stream of consciousness rant about Gavin “Newscum”
And he’s constantly slagging Biden and Trudeau with a side of Obama.
And the shit show’s over. Carney had almost no opportunity to speak though he did manage to politely speak to Canada’s interests but generally couldn’t get a word in edgewise.
He did clearly say that Canada is not for sale a few times.
There’s not much else he can do.
I hate to say this but David Frum is right: Canada should be in no rush to renegotiate, because Americans aren’t suffering enough yet. Let Trump’s trade wars empty the shelves and put people out of work, and we’ll get a better deal later this year.
Americans aren’t our friends anymore and we shouldn’t pretend they are. If a lot of them lose their jobs and homes and Trump is under pressure, that will be better for us long term. Let their mortality rate increase from recession. It’s what’s good for us and nothing more.
That was the viewpoint of a grocery clerk I was talking to a while go.
I happened to mention that the price of eggs had shot up in the US.
“Good”, she replied right away. “Let them suffer.”
Carney has shown himself to have better political instincts and retail political skills than I expected. He is serious and competent, not particularly charismatic. It is early days, so it is hard to judge him on performance.
I do not agree with an early renegotiation of USMCA. I see Trump as unilaterally abrogating a signed treaty. I think Trump’s embrace of mercantilism is unwise and will prove progressively more unpopular as people realize tariffs are taxes and make little economic sense. Better to renegotiate things after this realization is more widespread. I understand the desire for stability, but that won’t happen with Trump anyway. And the issue is not just signing a treaty but respecting and upholding its terms. Which means respecting the rule of law and its processes.
That said, Carney has to meet with Trump to try to influence him. A lot of ways that could go sour, but initially things do seem to be off to a promising start. The fact Carney is rich already means Trump thinks he is smart, and those European connections do help him.
Although the meeting seemed cordial, Trump won’t back down on tariffs until he has to. Better to influence people like state governors who can emphasize the downsides, as inflation rates and the markets will. The best outcome is not much changes as a result of this meeting, maybe some signs the agreement has value and benefits.
As for Ford’s letter, one hopes Carney handles the provinces well. The highway tunnel idea remains crazy on the face of it. I would not mind if resources were better and more efficiently developed, and Bill 69 repealed.
From the clips I’m seeing on CBC, the Trump meeting went as well as I had hoped, and nothing substantive is going to come out of it immediately as I had expected. But it was cordial and Trump was respectful, which lays the groundwork for the future and is as much as one could have expected at this early stage. I suspect not much will happen on tariffs until CUSMA comes up for renegotiation next year. Hopefully by that time it will be clear that tariffs are damaging the US economy.
ETA: I also thought the press conference Carney held at the Canadian Embassy which wrapped up just now was well handled. Carney was eloquent, optimistic, and quite appropriately pushed back on reporters demanding to know exactly what went on in the closed-door working meeting, as opposed to the mostly symbolic Oval Office meeting.
If anyone is interested, CNN has the full video of the public part of the meeting:
I see that Carney said that Trump has “revitalized NATO.” That’s some weapons grade snark right there. It seems to have gone completely over Trump’s head.
It’s probably not entirely wrong – if the US is no longer a dependable ally, NATO countries have to strengthen their own militaries.
Any opinions on Ford’s letter to Carney?
Canada has no risk compared to Europe.
Why should Canada spend scarce funds on buying military equipment of limited value.
Coast defense and patrol yeah…offensive weapons fugedaboudit except to send to Ukraine and I’d rather funds were sent so Ukraine can buy what they need instead of cast offs.
Whatever Canada buys these days is best sourced in Europe as their industries need the support as they do have a ground threat.
I don’t know enough about the proposals to comment on them intelligently, but in principle I approve of more nuclear power and improved commuter train service. And yes, the 401 through Toronto is one of the most incredibly congested highways in North America despite the large number of lanes – there’s just no room for any more – but I’m not sure a very expensive tunnel is the right way to do it. Boston solved a similar problem by creating two-level expressways. And probably neither one would be long enough to do anything more than move the congestion out east and west of the main Toronto corridor.
I wasn’t particularly thinking of Canada but of European NATO members. However, Canada does need to beef up its pathetic military in order to better defend our Arctic sovereignty. If we depend on the US to defend it against Russia and China, the far north will become de facto US territory and the Northwest Passage de facto US waters.
To a point it already is and in reality there is only the North West Passage to “defend” nothing else and that has been by passed by the
The Russian Arctic passage, also known as the Northern Sea Route (NSR) or Northeast Passage, is a shipping route through the Arctic Ocean that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans along the northern coast of Russia. It’s a key component of what’s been called the Northeast Passage. The NSR is a vital route for Russia and is increasingly being utilized by other nations as well, particularly China and India.
I guess other people didn’t see the same thing I did. Carney said it to Trump’s face in the oval office right after Trump made another joke about buying Canada.
I saw it as a direct FU to Trump to his face. And well deserved.
I’m pretty sure that was just your own interpretation. Carney’s priority is to build a cordial relationship with Trump in advance of the CUSMA trade negotiations coming up next year, and for many other reasons to promote productive Canada-US relations over the next four challenging years. That’s who Carney is, and that’s why we elected him.