“Pretty fancy entrance, eh?” Trump told Carney, after the prime minister drove up to the White House, with the driveway flanked by flag-carrying guards.
“It’s amazing,” Carney replied, beaming. “I wore red for you,” the prime minister added, stroking his tie.
But it didn't stop there:
Sitting next to Trump, Carney once again praised him as a “transformative” president. He said he’d transformed the U.S. economy, got unprecedented commitments from NATO partners on defence spending, praised him for getting “peace” between Pakistan and India, and between Azerbaijan and Armenia, for “disabling Iran as a force of terror,” and for making the prospect of peace possible in the Middle East.
Maybe I'm just getting old, and the world has moved on, but I find Carney's latest visit, which saw both leaders lavish praise upon each other, off-putting, to put it diplomatically. And given that the times spent ego-stroking yielded no tangible results, it is right that the Prime Minister's behaviour toward the fascist Trump was not well-received by many.
In the Commons, the opposition spent the day noting that the Liberals had campaigned on ‘elbows up’ but backed down on reciprocal tariffs, the digital services tax, and appeared to be willing to trade away dairy concessions, too. For all of Carney’s efforts to strike a deal, the Conservatives charged, all Canada has gotten in return are more tariffs.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford urged Carney to take a tougher stand. But the prime minister doesn’t have Ford’s luxury. He has repeatedly told Canadians he’d rather sign no deal than a bad deal.
“We can’t just keep rolling over to President Trump. As he strengthens his case, we seem to be weakening our case by continuously pulling off tariffs,” Ford said.
Later, United Steelworkers’ national director Marty Warren said the lack of tangible progress on Tuesday was a “big letdown” for the sector struggling under 50 per cent import duties into the U.S.
“The last time Trump said what good friends we are, a week later he increased the steel tariffs,” Warren said.
The union head added that the chummy atmosphere in the Oval Office also rubbed him the wrong way. “I know that’s a strategy, but as a Canadian, it disgusted me,” he said.
Since nothing was resolved in the tariff war, Canadians are right to be disappointed in the lack of results from this 'charm offensive.' The only thing, perhaps, that might have turned the tide in Canada's favour was chocolates and flowers. Oh well, perhaps the next time Mr. Trump summons Mr. Carney to Washington, they will be included to bookend what will likely be another visit marked by obsequious deference to the 'leader' of the free world.
Sooner or later Carney will have to tread on Trumps toes.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot be nice Canadians forever.
TB
That does seem inevitable, TB. Many will not be sorry when that day comes.
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