Chantal Hébert

television news shows of White House mouthpieces on a mission to throw accelerants on the fire by doubling down on Trump’s criticisms. This they did with a vengeance. In the immediate aftermath, Canada’s strategy to bring the ongoing tariff dispute between the two countries to an early and amicable end seems dead on arrival.

When Trudeau announced a retaliatory round of tariffs against the U.S. two weeks ago, he delayed their application for a month. The hope was that Trump could be brought around to exempt Canada from his latest protectionist volley before the countertariffs came into effect. That now sounds like wishful thinking. As for the NAFTA negotiations, they