U.S. officials are threatening major changes to a trade agreement with Mexico and Canada that could upend the way business is done and leave Canada on the outs.
The Trump administration has a list of things it wants Mr. Carney to concede, including longstanding grievances about protected industries in Canada, such as the dairy sector. Another pressing issue for the U.S. administration is the fact that liquor distributors controlled by Ontario and other provincial governments in Canada pulled U.S. liquor off their shelves last year, in retaliation against Mr. Trump’s tariffs on Canada.
Trump administration officials have also been irked by Mr. Carney’s global charm offensive as he seeks to bolster Canada’s trade relationships with other countries, including China. Responding to a modest tariff deal that Mr. Carney struck during a visit to Beijing last month, Mr. Trump threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on Canadian goods, and claimed that China would “take over” Canada and even ban hockey.
. . .
Mr. Trump and his advisers have indicated that the three-country pact could be scrapped altogether. Instead, the United States could end up with bilateral deals with Canada and Mexico, the advisers have suggested. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
32 Comments
panda_abyss@lemmy.ca · 38 pts · 188d
This is just an attempt to get Canada and Mexico to play lowest bidder.
Really transparent and weak move.
LeFantome@programming.dev · 9 pts · 187d
And totally ineffective if the other two parties are already colluding (which we are).
kent_eh@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 187d
I would call it collaborating, nor colluding.
NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone · 32 pts · 188d
Agreements made with Trump are not worth the paper they’re written on.
Zaraki42@lemmy.ca · 12 pts · 188d
It's toilet paper. One ply.
Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 188d
And used.
sparky@lemmy.federate.cc · 9 pts · 188d
Yep, why would anyone bother spending the time and effort to negotiate anything if the US will rip it up a few months later?
weew@lemmy.ca · 24 pts · 187d
What's a trade pact worth when the US won't honor it anyways?
smuuthbrane@sh.itjust.works · 20 pts · 188d
Coming soon: TACO night. Again.
ikidd@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 188d
Ignoring these idiots and carrying on without them must be working. Make a pact with Mexico and revisit it when they bring in an administration that honors agreements that are more than 10 minutes old. At this point, agreeing to anything is pointless.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 16 pts · 188d
That would be a Mexican trade pact.
veeesix@lemmy.ca · 15 pts · 188d
Since every accusation is typically a confession with Republicans, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of Trump’s next moves is to ban Canadian teams from playing in the States.
Nils@lemmy.ca · 15 pts · 188d
Dude "wrote" a book on negotiations, but only knows how to play one tune.
And USA congress keeps trying to vote to end those tariffs on Canada.
If Carney's team is smart, by the time USA move on, we would have stronger ties with the rest of the world and business with USA would be optional.
kent_eh@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 187d
That appears to be the plan.
Aralakh@lemmy.ca · 14 pts · 188d
What an odd way to describe diversifying trade.
breakfastmtn@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 188d
I dunno, seems like a perfectly fine way to describe what he was doing. What's your issue with it?
He wasn't diversifying trade in his speech at Davos, even if that was ultimately his goal.
Aralakh@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 187d
No issue? Simply observing the language being used to describe something rather normal on the global stage.
breakfastmtn@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 187d
I wasn't attacking you. You took issue with the language used and I didn't understand why. Still don't -- it seems like a common way to describe a common occurrence to me -- but you don't have to explain it if you don't want to.
Aralakh@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 187d
Thanks for the clarification! I don't have an issue with the meaning of what I quoted to be clear, rather to me the description used is not a common occurrence. Can't say I've come across it often.
breakfastmtn@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 187d
Thanks!
wampus@lemmy.ca · 14 pts · 188d
So Canada's already had trade delegations in Mexico, very recently even, discussing 'things' with their partners. Both Mexico and Canada could easily read the room as soon as Trump was elected, that 'nafta' was toast -- and have likely got their own bilateral agreements shelf-ready for when Trump shits himself during trade negotiations later this year.
Trump throwing a pants-shitting hissy fit isn't a surprise to anyone. Nor is him responding with more threatening bullshit, when people are shying away from the US because of their threatening bullshit.
Kyle_The_G@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 188d
fuck em.
Reannlegge@lemmy.ca · 12 pts · 188d
And he thinks Mexico is going to go on with a trade deal without Canada.
maplesaga@lemmy.world · -7 pts · 188d
I'd assume Mexico like us is fully dependent on the US for access to USD. All he needs to do is threaten tariffs, whose going to play chicken with their entire economy?
Not that anyones happy about it, its a sad reality. When the US did protectionism with the Smoot Hawley tariffs some say it caused a world war, as every country owes debt in USD and went into a debt crisis.
FaceDeer@fedia.io · 4 pts · 188d
Oh well I guess we'd best all surrender then.
maplesaga@lemmy.world · -5 pts · 188d
Ya that's pretty suicidal as a country, and all to protect a few monopolies that shouldn't exist.
Even if we did inevitably diversify away from the US, who takes 80% of our exports, its going to take a decade. Its not going to be pleasant.
grey_maniac@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 187d
Are you talking about protecting american monopolies that shouldn't exist? Or are you buying/spewing heritage talking points?
LeFantome@programming.dev · 11 pts · 187d
It would hurt but honestly I would be ok if Canada stopped trading with the US completely.
Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 188d
Oh no! Anyways….
TheDoctorDonna@piefed.ca · 4 pts · 188d
So a MexUSA trade pact, not a North American. I mean, he can call it whatever he wants I suppose, but it will still be what it is regardless of the name.
ZombieCyborgFromOuterSpace@piefed.ca · 1 pts · 185d
So a trade pact with only the U.S. in it? Sounds good.
ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca · -4 pts · 188d
I hate Trump for being American but he keeps winning with these trade deals.
He got us out from under the American thumb with NAFTA. If he can get us out if CUSMA then he'd be the best American president in my lifetime.