Commentary
The post-election tone from Prime Minister Carney regarding the United States has changed from the adversarial and provocative “elbows up” theme maintained during the campaign. Many Canadian counter-tariffs imposed on American products were quietly dropped, and Carney’s meeting with President Trump was congenial. The Carney government is becoming pragmatic in the trade war rather than aggressive now that it is no longer chasing votes.
While many of President Trump’s accusations against Canada were bombastic or even untrue, such as the allegation that the USA subsidizes Canada to the tune of $200 billion per year, Trump has a valid point when noting Canada doesn’t pull its weight when it comes to defence spending. Canada has long been an international laggard when it comes to NATO commitments for defence spending. While Canada is supposed to spend 2 percent of its GDP on defence, spending has languished at 1.3 percent, with lukewarm commitments made to reach the 2 percent mark by 2032. The United States and other NATO members have long been critical of Canada’s lack of commitment….