Major Canada-U.S. talks are coming — here's what's in play
CBC
Canada's prime minister, whoever that is in a few weeks, is about to walk straight into a historic crossroads.
We learned Friday the next government will start wide-ranging negotiations on a new economic and security arrangement with the United States.
This could lead to drastically different places — down one path, a long-term deep freeze in U.S. relations; down the other, a tighter relationship than ever in a metaphorical continental fortress.
This development comes on an unusual day. After months of belittling and browbeating, U.S. President Donald Trump is suddenly sounding more congenial.
"I've always liked Canada," Trump told reporters Friday on Air Force One. At another point Friday, he said he had a very good first talk with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
"I think things are going to work out very well between Canada and the United States."
Easier said than done. Let's not pop the champagne corks just yet in celebrating a return to normalcy, shall we?
Tariffs are still in place, and Trump is still a notoriously fickle figure. Today's warm words could easily turn into tomorrow's mean tweets and more tariffs.
Negotiations will be further complicated by the fact Canadians are still fuming at Trump, with little appetite for concessions from their leader, says one analyst.
"Canadians have a deep loathing for Donald Trump," said Eric Miller, a Canadian-born trade consultant based in Washington.
"[Ottawa is] going to have a hard time, a really hard time, navigating through this."
That said, it's obvious, in Miller's view, that Trump felt motivated to cool the temperature with Canada, for one of several possible reasons.
The American economic mood is souring rapidly. Americans aren't keen on bickering with Canada. And, well, Carney isn't Justin Trudeau.
"You see a basic level of respect [for Carney, from Trump] and the sense that things need to move in a bit of a different direction," Miller said.
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