Greater need for Canada, Denmark to lead on world stage, new envoy says
Even before arriving in Canada last month, Denmark’s new envoy had plenty of connections to work with: colleagues from Ottawa’s international legal community, a few trips under his belt, and the familiar responsibility of covering a vast, cold country given his recent stint in Russia—never mind Thomas Winkler’s expertise drafting one of the key documents […]
Trade deal with U.S., Mexico muted political win for Trudeau Liberals: observers
After more than a year of gruelling negotiations over a signature trilateral trade agreement with an often mercurial administration, the Trudeau government emerged with a deal that, some trade observers say, is the best one it could have reached, handing it a political win even in the face of immediate backlash from the dairy lobby. […]
NAFTA deal a win for Trudeau, but not a get-out-of-jail-free card
OTTAWA—Justin Trudeau has a trade deal. Over the weekend, Canada and the United States were able to come to a preliminary agreement on a successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), henceforth to be known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). While its acronym could be confused with a Village People song popular […]
USMCA: better than nothing, but don’t expect a breakthrough with Trump
OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has put as positive a face as possible on his government’s rearguard action to save Canada’s trading relationship with the United States. And, given President Donald Trump’s paranoid view of international dealings as commercial warfare in which everyone is trying to take advantage of the U.S., the new version of NAFTA […]
Post-NAFTA fight is Trudeau’s to lose
If Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are defeated in next fall’s federal election, it will almost certainly not be on account of their management of the NAFTA file. Notwithstanding a poor initial reception in his home province, the prime minister is not likely to lose Quebec over the concessions he made on the way to keeping Canada […]
Trudeau touts new trade deal as victory for three countries
OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday touted the benefits of the new trade pact binding the three North American neighbours, while conceding that the ground it gave to the U.S. on greater market access to its dairy industry was not “ideal.” Speaking to reporters at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) […]
Frightening to see Trump’s alternative truth exposed on the world stage
OTTAWA—President Donald Trump’s free-range press conference last week simply confirmed the obvious. He suffers from a narcissistic personality disorder that distorts reality and creates his own alternative truth. The first sign of a potential disorder was his claim that world leaders were laughing with him when he told the United Nations that he was amongst […]
One year on and CETA is gaining strength
Global trade impacts the lives of middle-class Canadians every day. From the blueberries you put in your oatmeal in the morning,to the mackerel you cook at night for dinner, Canadians are very much a part of important global relationships that impact the lives of millions of people around the world every day. As we mark […]
Retiring G7 sherpa explains what every new diplomat should know
Be nimble and learn the local language: these are two pieces of advice Canada’s G7 sherpa Peter Boehm hopes to pass along to new diplomats before he retires from a 37-year career in the foreign service on Sept. 28. Getting out from behind a desk and experiencing the culture of a posting, including learning the […]
Time to rethink Canada-U.S. ties
OTTAWA—With the United States-Canada NAFTA trade talks currently at an impasse, maybe it is time that we as Canadians do a little rethinking as to how we appease our major trading partner. It has long been something of a given that Canada either supports or refrains from condemning U.S. military adventures around the globe, in […]
