Inside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Campaign Against President Trump

President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

New York Times: First Canada Tried to Charm Trump. Now It’s Fighting Back.

Inside Justin Trudeau’s campaign against the American trade war.

The Canadians could see the trouble looming in the summer of 2016. Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s trade minister at the time, found herself, along with millions of Canadians, fixated on the unfolding United States presidential election, and it was becoming impossible to overlook the gathering clouds of protectionism. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were each casting aspersions upon Nafta as if it were self-evidently a bad deal for American workers, especially for the hollowed-out working and middle classes in the Midwestern states, like Ohio and Michigan, that would decide the election. Incredibly, at least according to Trump, America’s seemingly benign and milquetoast northern neighbor was an economic predator taking advantage of its naïve neighbor; America was the victim and Canada the villain.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I never expected the New York Times would publish such a story .... how Canada is actively trying to influence U.S. government policy .... but here it is. As I had mentioned a week before the G7 mess that when this news story was deliberately leaked to the U.S. press .... Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau's Office Leaks Story That President Trump Accused Canada Of Burning The White House In 1812 (June 7, 2018) .... and later admitted by the Prime Minister's office that what President Trump said was just a joke (which the U.S. media did not follow-up) .... there was going to be blow-back. But while the focus has been on what President Trump is doing .... what has been missed in the noise is what the Canadian government has been doing in response to the trade measures and tariffs that the White House has implemented. IMHO there are two elements to this Canadian strategy .... the first one is to work with U.S. allies who are against President Trump's trade strategy/policies and to denigrate it (and the President). The second one (and in my book the more important one to the Prime Minister and his staff), is to build support among the Canadian public and the media for the Prime Minister's approach towards President Trump. Will this Canadian strategy work .... hmmmm .... I do not know. President Trump's support among his base is strong,  the U.S. economy continues to grow, and there are enough members in Congress who will support and/or stay neutral to not block the President's tariff strategy.  I also know that when a country with a small economy goes up against a country that has an economy 10 to 12 times bigger .... the smaller country will always lose .... and lose bad. And how will Canada lose .... industries with manufacturing facilities in Canada who export to the U.S. are going to look at relocating their factories in the U.S.. With cheaper tax rates and other pro-government measures that are available in the U.S., plus the threat of tariffs .... the temptation will be there for Canadian companies to move .... and yes, some of them will move.