The premier of a Canadian province launched a blistering attack on U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, calling him a “bad person” and “not to be trusted” and urging Canada to keep fighting rather than rush to make concessions in trade talks with Washington.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Canada has leverage in the talks even as his province weighs restoring U.S. alcohol sales at Prime Minister Mark Carney’s urging to help secure a deal that would avert threatened 50% U.S. tariffs.
“Everybody knows the American president by now, he’s erratic, he’s irresponsible, and he’s not to be trusted. And this is the person that we were supposed to make a deal with, and we’re going to make additional concessions for it. That’s why I say you can’t make a good deal with a bad person, because who’s to say it’s not going to be undone?” Kinew said.
So you recognise that the US is unlikely to honor a deal, yet in the same breath ask not complicate negotiating the deal?
If the deal is a sham, why put any stock in it? Standing up for ourselves will only put us in a stronger postion down the road if the US ever becomes rational again. We’ll be just sitting there on the next administrations doorstep, with easy economic opportunity a signature away (and a list of demands).
Making a deal now is a fools errand. All Carney has to do is stem the bleeding to keep us afloat until then.
I think people here don’t understand that I’m not advocating for capitulation. I’m saying “let the negotiation team manage the negotiations”, including deciding what pressures we’re applying and what we’re not willing to concede.
This is the political equivalent of going to buy a used car or something and bringing your kid along and the kid starts begging to buy the car. Wab and Ford are not party to these negotiations, and should not be undermining federal government’s negotiations.
“It might rain later and ruin my sign I created for the parade later. No one really can predict the rain. I should piss on my sign because it doesn’t really matter anyways.”
A thoughtful approach to foreign policy.