https://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Never in the modern era was Canada’s economic well-being so threatened as by the current presidency. Donald Trump’s aggression was based on the phony-as-baloney, fatuous premise that the northern neighbour was ripping off his bounteous land.
He was prepared to demolish the bilateral relationship’s cornerstone, the continental trade accord. If not that, he would have ruined the Canadian economy with backbreaking auto tariffs.
With an 11th hour agreement on a tentative trade pact, the big scare is over. Kaput. Stability returns. All’s well that ends hell. What happened was that the American side finally got reasonable.
From the get-go, this was a lopsided negotiation. The Trump team threw haymakers, making demands and threats, some of them outrageous. The Canadian side played defence, standing in the corner fending off punches until the big guy finally backed off a bit, making important concessions.
In coming to a proposed agreement that has won the blessing of free-trade architect Brian Mulroney, patience paid off. So did having the President’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at the bargaining table.
For the rest of this column: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-against-the-odds-usmca-is-a-deal-worth-making-for-canada/