Canada’s fight with the US has far bigger stakes than trade
Many world leaders are closely monitoring Carney’s gamble as America’s demands go beyond trade and strike at national sovereignty.
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaking at a press conference in Ottawa, on Aug 22, after trade talks with the US collapsed.
PHOTO: AFP
No other country has unilaterally walked away from trade negotiations with US President Donald Trump. Yet in a stunning decision on Aug 21, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney did precisely that: He said “no” to a proposed deal with the United States, the country that buys about 70 per cent of all Canadian exports.
The collapse of the Canada-US trade talks has generated two alternative narratives. The media and the commentariat in much of Canada and Europe are now spinning the story of a grand, heroic national epic, of how a Canadian leader who spent most of his life as a central banker has suddenly decided that national pride is more important than money.
