I recently joined Derek Davison and Danny Bessner of the excellent American Prestige podcast for a broad-ranging discussion amid the recent collapse of trade talks between Canada and the United States.
As I explained to the hosts of AP, I’ve been quite skeptical from the outset that any kind of deal was ever going to be desirable here — let alone possible when one of the parties was Donald Trump. The Carney government practically bent over backwards to get one anyway, but this outcome always seemed probable to me. Why? Mainly because Canada’s strategy of non-stop concessions and endless cajolery were only going to convince the White House it could keep asking for more. And, sure enough, the Trump administration added a roster of last minute demands that no Canadian government would ever be able to accept.
Anyway, you’ll hear me discuss all this and more with Derek and Danny in the video below. I also talked about what may be coming next, how Canada’s domestic politics have responded to the collapse of trade talks, and (perhaps predictably) field a question about Doug Ford. Hope you all enjoy!
-L
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