Prime Minister Mark Carney is heading to the White House on Tuesday for his first face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump since being sworn in on March 14.
The two leaders are set to discuss Trump's trade war on Canada, potentially setting the stage for negotiation of a new trade and security pact with the United States.
At a Friday news conference, Carney was hesitant to talk about his specific strategy for dealing with Trump, saying he would prefer not to negotiate in public.
But last week, during an exclusive interview with our Inside the Village podcast, Carney did speak broadly about how he plans to approach discussions with his American counterpart.
“I say this often: we can't change President Trump," Carney told the podcast. "He's got fixed ideas. He's 78 years old."
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The prime minister repeated his belief that Canada's trade relationship with the U.S. has been forever altered — and there's no going back.
"The President has slammed the brakes hard and wants to turn it around," Carney said. "The question is: ‘How much integration do we want with the U.S.? How much do we want to rely on trade with them? Because it brings risks, right? We just saw the opportunities. It brings big risks.”
"I think it's important to recognize that it's over," he continued. "If we sit here and think: ‘Oh, well, you know, we're going to have a negotiation, it's going to go back to where it was before.’ No. The President has taken these steps, and if you look at broader American business, he's got a lot of support. This is the second time in several years that they've ripped up a trade deal with us, and the mindset has moved on."
Instead of expending so much energy on Trump, Carney said he is focused on expanding trade with other countries while building a stronger economy at home. He specifically pointed to his party's plan to double the rate of home building and spend more military procurement dollars on Canadian materials.
“I often make this point, but I'm going to make it again: we can give ourselves far more than the Americans can ever take away," he said. "We can more than cover what Trump tariffs will do to us negatively.”
“The stronger we are at home — the more we have that plan — the stronger we're going to be negotiating with them," he continued. "Because that allows us to walk away from the table when there's a bad deal. I know the guy, I know the way he negotiates. The first offer is going to be a bad deal, and we're going to walk away from it.”
You can watch the full interview HERE.
Hosted by Scott Sexsmith and Michael Friscolanti, the Editor-in-Chief of Village Media, Inside the Village is a news and current affairs podcast that provides a weekly window into some of the best local journalism from across our chain of Ontario newsrooms. Produced by Derek Turner, the program also explores bigger-picture issues that impact people across the province.
Every episode can be found HERE.
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