Our hero, Mark Carney, former Governor of the Bank of England – now special envoy on climate action. This has been especially true as he’s led the charge on the ongoing trade spat between Canada and the United States. At the ASEAN summit, he made Canada’s move sound much more like a proactive step. The country began to draw up contingency plans after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the plug on a trade deal unexpectedly last week. Carney announced that substantial negotiations were already underway on priority sectors, including steel, aluminum and energy trade. Then came Trump’s surprise withdrawal from the talks.
Carney tweeted that Canadians need to take Trump at his word when he says talks fell apart. He blamed that on an anti-tariff advertising campaign that the Ontario government launched in U.S. markets. “We stand by the progress that had been made, the government of Canada does, and we are ready, when appropriate, to pick that up,” Carney stated, emphasizing Canada’s commitment to pursuing a resolution.
In an escalatory and unexpected move, Trump slapped a 10 percent tariff on band-aid tariffs already imposed on Canadian imports. He pointed to the months-long ad campaign as the primary factor for his announcement. Carney noted that negotiations with the U.S. had gone from addressing overarching security issues to tackling specific sectors of trade. He said he was disappointed that the U.S. appeared to be less focused on the security aspect of their partnership.
Carney and Trump had an amicable first meeting in the Oval Office earlier this month. This was especially surprising considering the ongoing tensions between the two. At that meeting, Trump called Carney a “world-class leader.” Trump has gone on record to say that he does want to see Carney when they meet at the next Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in South Korea. He said he wouldn’t talk to him “for some time.”
Before departing for Singapore for further meetings with business executives and keynotes from Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Carney sat down with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. After their talk, Ford committed to removing the offensive ads by the weekend. This step was both practical and symbolic, intended to help restore dialogue between Ottawa and Washington.
We are just going to let it ride,” Trump said of the on-going trade deal with Canada. He invoked a fundamental economic argument against regulation, all while maintaining his rollback-happy position at the negotiating table.
Carney acknowledged the complexities of international negotiations, stating, “In any complicated, high-stakes negotiation, you can get unexpected twists and turns and you have to keep your cool during those situations. It doesn’t pay to be upset.” His comments reflect a commitment to navigating the intricate dynamics of trade relationships while remaining open to potential discussions in the future.
Cadence Carney is going to Singapore to continue this kind of diplomatic exchange. Figueroa remains hopeful about restarting dialogue with the U.S. even after recent disappointments, stating that he believes. So both of them will be participating in the APEC meetings later this week. They will not participate in a bilateral meeting.
