PM Carney Sheds Light on Unfair Trade Deal

Carney explains why Canada walked away from the trade deal

Tonight in Vancouver there are flashes of light and then the ominous loud crack of thunder can be heard outside as the rain is pouring down tonight. 

It's been a long day that started this morning with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressing the nation about why the country walked away from negotiating a trade deal with the United States, and that it's time to buckle up for a trade war.

"We cannot accept what they've offered, and we will not give what they've asked," he said, adding the US 'asked too much and offered too little.'

Carney also revealed the US had issues with Canada's subsidies for French culture, the prevalence of French-language media online and even the federal requirement to have bilingual labels on products sold in Canada.

"It was unacceptable right from the start, but the Americans kept trying and trying and we said no," the prime minister said. "Ultimately it's simple. That was never on the table for Canada and it would not have been acceptable to Canadians."

For the auto industry, the Americans demanded to treat Canadian-made parts unfairly and to exempt some cars and pick-up trucks from US tariffs, but not others without any explanation.

The US also expected to determine Canada's trade deals with other nations.

"The US introduced, in the last hours, efforts to restrict our ability to have other trade deals," Carney said. "Because we believe in free trade, we're the partner of choice, in many respects, for countries around the world, and Americans wanted to restrict that, they had language to restrict that. Unacceptable."

Perhaps he was referring to Canada striking a trade deal with China worth $3 billion, where 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles will be allowed into the country, along with lower tariffs for canola oil, and seafood like lobsters and crabs into the Middle Kingdom.

But anyway -- why would Canada allow the US -- or rather Donald Trump -- decide who it trades with?

As Toronto Star columnist Justin Ling told CBC Radio today, what the US was doing was basically extortion.

Carney also noted that the US sometimes signs trade deals "in pencil," a hint that it is negotiating in bad faith.

Despite the financial hardships that will come -- layoffs and more money flowing out of wallets -- Canadians seem to be more patriotic than ever. The slogan "Elbows Up" continues to resonate across the country, with all politicians, federally and provincially on board.

As British Columbia Premier David Eby said today, "There is no question that there will be economic pain associated with this, there already is," he said. "But it is necessary to stand up to a bully, and if you don't, they'll just keep coming back for more."

Interestingly, Trump hasn't responded at all to the trade deal collapse. Did he think he had it in the bag?

Canada Walks Away from US Trade Deal

Trade talks between the US and Canada have collapsed

At the last minute, Canada walked away from negotiations with the United States tonight which means 50 percent tariffs will be imposed on specific Canadian goods, from honey to hockey sticks, though Prime Minister Mark Carney warned Canada would retaliate "dollar for dollar".

"I have decided to suspend trade negotiations with the US and have directed Canada's negotiators to return to Ottawa," Carney said in a statement.

"They have worked hard, in good faith, to defend the interests of Canadians throughout these negotiations up until the very last minute. However, last-minute changes in the US proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal."

Meanwhile US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said it was Canada who walked away from the table just minutes before the deadline.

"Tonight, Canada declined to finalise the trade deal under the terms agreed earlier this week, despite the US offer to Canada to receive the best treatment of any major exporter to our market," Greer told the media in a virtual briefing.

"New demands and walk backs of other commitments by Canada have upended the careful balance reached in the past days," he added.

Quite the surprise to see how the negotiations ended this way, considering Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc has been going back and forth to Washington DC to hammer out a deal with Greer, which got a reprieve earlier this week.

There was talk that Canada would put American wines and spirits back on the shelves of liquor stores as part of the trade deal, and some provincial leaders had bristled at the directive.

But now it looks like they won't have to do that anytime soon.

When the news broke of the failed trade talks, the chatter on social media among Canadians was that of giving Carney thumbs up.

Many were pleased Canada walked away, saying "no deal is better than a bad deal", and that American President Donald Trump was not trustworthy. 

"It may be painful, but better to bite the bullet now," writes @67 Sound on Bluesky. "There is no deal with the USA that can be trusted. All that a 'deal' does is mark yourself as a sucker that can be extorted for more tomorrow."

Stay tuned.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Visits Beijing

Joly met with Wang in Beijing today, first visit in seven years

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly made a surprise visit to Beijing, the first in seven years following the detainment of the two Michaels, and an investigation into China's alleged interference in Canada's elections, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Joly met with her counterpart Wang Yi with the hopes of stabilising bilateral relations between the two countries. 

"The two ministers took note of recent positive developments in relations, including the resumption of consular consultations, and the recent exchanges at senior levels," says a readout (summary) of the meeting released by Global Affairs Canada.

The discussions were described as "pragmatic"

"Minister Joly's visit reaffirms the Minister's commitment to pragmatic engagement with China and the development of sound and stable bilateral relations."

The statement goes on to say that China "indicated a willingness to explore opportunities to strengthen engagement" on such issues as climate and the environment, curbing the fentanyl crisis and working to improve trade relations.

China's readout echoed Canada's description of the talks, saying: "As two major countries with important influence in the Asia-Pacific region, both countries share extensive common interests and complementary advantages."

During the meeting with Wang, Joly did bring up the thorny issue of reports of Chinese interference in Canadian politics, such as the elections in 2019 and 2021, China accused of setting up police stations in Vancouver and Toronto, and the targeting of Conservative MP Michael Chong.

However China's statement said: "Issues related to Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong are all China's internal affairs and no external interference is allowed."

Detainment of two Michaels put relations on ice

Nevertheless, China experts say this is a good first step. Former China diplomat Guy St Jacques says the Chinese economy is in the doldrums and wants to convince foreign companies to invest in China. "They know that after the arrest of Meng Wanzhou and the two Michaels, that Canadian executives are still reluctant to travel to China," he said in an interview with CBC.

He added that despite political relations not doing well, last year Canada established a new record in terms of exports to China of C$31 billion, in terms of minerals and agri-food products. 

St Jacques thinks Wang will seek Joly's opinion about what is happening in the US presidential election and perhaps she will invite him to come to Canada at an appropriate time.

Well take this visit as a positive step, and perhaps China conferring approved destination status on Canada in the near future?

Fort Langley: Visiting the National Historic Site

An elderly woman shows kids how to make wooden buckets

Our next stop in Fort Langley was the fort itself, which dates back to 1827 and was a vital part in the fur trade as it is located on the banks of the Fraser River.

It's now a national tourist attraction, where visitors can roam around the actual fort and see recreations of the various buildings and some people there bring the time back then to life.

Fur pelts hanging from the ceiling in a building

The fort was once part of the British trade route that traded with indigenous people for furs and fish, who got blankets and other goods in return. 

This also resulted in the birth of the Metis people, when European men married aboriginal women in a bid to gain better access to goods and trade networks.

In the fort, visitors can see furs hanging from the wooden ceiling, various blankets, including those from the Hudson's Bay Company with the distinctive red, blue, green and yellow stripes. 

We were intrigued to see boxes made of woven bamboo with labels that said "Shanghai" and "San Francisco", while the dining room table had crockery with blue and white chinoiserie designs.

There's also a room showing aboriginal embroidery and beading that is modern but beautiful nonetheless. An impressive piece is part of British Columbia shown in embroidery and beading, while other handicrafts including woven baskets and hats.

Woven bamboo boxes with Shanghai labels

Another building showed woodworking, and an elderly woman demonstrating to a group of children how buckets were made out of wood, and in another outdoor area, a blacksmith talked to kids about making objects out of metal, with a real fire nearby.

At the back of the fort is a home, where a man is dressed as a steward and says he manages the household, with the kitchen just behind the house and to the right of it is a small hutch for three rabbits, and another caged area for three goats. There's also a small but impressive looking garden that is growing kale.

One of the last stops is where visitors can go through a slurry and pan for gold. Any chances of finding anything?

It's an educational visit and young people get a bit of a taste of the history in an interactive way.

Chinoiserie crockery with tartan tablecloth!

Fort Langley National Historic Site

23433 Mavis Avenue

Fort Langley, BC

604 513 4777