Trade War with Canada
From the Western Ag Network, I’m Bob Larson. When it comes to the current economic and diplomatic conflict between U.S. and Canada, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer thinks the term Trade War is an exaggeration, saying "for us, it’s economics."
Former Canadian ambassador to the US Kirsten Hillman says it’s been a failure by the American team to understand just how extremely important a fair and solid agreement is to, and for Canada …
HILLMAN … “The Prime Minister said that what was on the table was un-economic. The US came back and said but we were putting the very best deal on the table, the best deal we’ve given anyone. That’s not the metric. The metric that we have to judge this by is not whether it’s better than anyone else’s. It’s whether it works for Canada.”
But some Americans understand. Former US Ambassador to Canada and Michigan Governor, James Blanchard says as Ontario’s neighbor and largest trading partner, this economic mess has made no sense from the start …
BLANCHARD … “I don’t know what other things Prime Minister Carney could do, and your government, than respond. Most people realize, the President - you can’t attribute rationality to him. Like Canada’s been ripping us of for decades, when indeed, with the exception of energy which we need, we have a trade surplus with Canada. There’s no excuse for all this, really. None. We’re going to have to rely on calm leadership on your side, to get our side to come to the table and act reasonably. And tell them the truth.”
In short, when it comes to trade, Canada and the U.S. are very different.
