Allies in the north yearn for ‘ return to rationality’

TORONTO — Donald Trump called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest” and attacked Canada’s vital trade. He threatened tariffs on cars and imposed them on steel.

The unprecedented tone of attacks on America’s closest ally the last four years left a bitter taste, and most Canadians will be relieved if Trump is defeated in the election.

“He’s been willing to threaten Canada with dire consequences in a way we have never seen before,” said Roland Paris, a former senior foreign policy adviser to Trudeau.

Canada is one of the most tradedependent countries in the world and Trump’s move to rip up the North American Free Trade Agreement and call to impose a 25 percent tariff on the auto sector posed an existential threat.

About 75% of Canada’s exports go to the U. S., so preserving a free trade deal was critical, and the two countries, along with Mexico, reached a new agreement last year. But just six weeks after it was implemented, Trump announced new tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.

“Trump has been an unpredictable nightmare,” said Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto. “The government and the overwhelming majority of Canadians are looking and hoping for Trump’s defeat.”

About twothirds of Canadians had a favorable view of the U. S. in 2016, Barack Obama’s final full year in the presidency, according to the Pew Research Center. By this year, that number had tumbled to 35% — the lowest figure since the center began polling in Canada two decades ago. Only 20% of those polled said they trusted Trump to do what is right regarding world affairs.

Trump’s Democratic rival, Joe Biden, meanwhile, described Canada as “like family” when Trudeau hosted a state dinner in Ottawa after Biden left the vice presidency. Biden knew Trudeau’s father, the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and Democratic and Liberal leaders are ideologically aligned.

“Personal relations would improve by about 3,000%” with Biden, historian Robert Bothwell said. “There would be a return to rationality and friendliness. The Biden administration would bring with it a whole bunch of people who value American alliances, so Canada would benefit not just bilaterally and multilaterally in trying to restore the various Western alliances.”

Bothwell said he was concerned about enduring support for Trump: “The fact that 40% of Americans support this guy no matter what is deeply discouraging.”

Some Canadian analysts complain the Trump administration did little to back their country — beyond issuing statements of support — when China detained two Canadians in apparent retaliation for Canada’s arrest of a top Chinese tech executive wanted on a U. S. warrant. No support at all came when Saudi Arabia expelled Canada’s ambassador and told its own students to leave Canada after the foreign minister called for greater human rights in the kingdom.

“Emboldened authoritarian regimes are betting that the United States is not going to punish them for targeting U. S. allies, and Canada has borne the brunt of that,” said Paris, now professor of international affairs at the University of Ottawa.

But there could be an early irritant if Biden wins. Biden has said he would cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, a project meant to expand critical oil exports for Canada, which has the thirdlargest oil reserves in the world. Biden’s call for a “Buy American” trade policy also concerns Canada.