GIVE Justin Trudeau credit for emotional intelligence. Paying his first visit to Washington after Donald Trump took office, on February 13th, the Canadian prime minister brought his host the perfect gift: a photograph of the president in his youth with Mr Trudeau’s father, Pierre, a glamorous prime minister of the 1970s. The subtle caress of Mr Trump’s vanity seemed to go down well. Mr Trudeau went home with Mr Trump’s promise that Canada has little to fear from his plan to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which gives Canada, Mexico and the United States preferential access to each other’s markets.
Before the meeting, the Canadians were nervous. Mr Trump’s repeated threats either to renegotiate NAFTA or to rip it up were aimed almost entirely at Mexico (which, unlike Canada, has a big trade surplus with the United States). Yet Canada has almost as much to lose if the United States rescinds the 23-year-old agreement or demands one-sided revisions. The value of Canada’s trade worldwide is equivalent to 65% of its GDP; the United States buys three-quarters of...Continue reading
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