Wednesday, August 29, 2018

On NAFTA, Canadians wonder if they've been outmaneuvered by Trump

Trudeau has taken political hits since then for minor lapses, such as a luxury family holiday visit to a Caribbean island and an ill-fated trip to India, but his biggest challenge, just a year before Canadians go to the polls, has come from the leader of Canada's longtime military ally and economic partner.

Now, Canadians worried that their government has been sidelined in crucial trade talks and may be forced to back down on important economic issues, having been outmaneuvered by President Trump and possibly sold out by an erstwhile Mexican ally.

Canadians are keenly aware of their country's "Asymmetrical economic relationship" with the United States, and that in general the United States has 10 times the population and 10 times the influence.

Canadians are proud, even nationalistic at times, happy to boast of their kinder, gentler public discourse, their single-payer health-care system, their low crime rates and their stricter gun laws.

Asked in an Environics Institute 2018 World Survey about what country they considered a "Positive force in today's world," only 11 percent of Canadians polled named the United States, compared with 15 percent in 2008.

Trump responded by insulting Trudeau, calling him "Dishonest" and "Weak." Canada was excluded from NAFTA talks soon after that, but Canadians rallied around the prime minister, vowing to boycott U.S.-made products and cancel holidays in the United States.

The latest turn in the talks makes the "No deal" option particularly dangerous for Canada if Trump goes ahead with his threat to impose tariffs on Canada's substantial exports of cars and automotive components to the United States.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/on-nafta-canadians-wonder-if-theyve-been-outmaneuvered-by-trump/2018/08/28/5a070f4e-aacf-11e8-9a7d-cd30504ff902_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.eaaf5118bebb 

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