Canadian government seeks to placate Trump following NAFTA comments
By
Roger Jordan
22 April 2017
Sharply critical comments on Canada’s trading practices by US President Donald Trump this week prompted a conciliatory response from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose Liberal government is doing all it can to deepen Canada’s strategic partnership with the US. At the same time, harsher remarks by David MacNaughton, Ottawa’s ambassador in Washington, indicate the presence of tensions between the two countries on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Trump targeted Canada in a speech Tuesday in the border state of Wisconsin, where he signed a reactionary “Buy American, Hire American” executive order. “We’re going to stand up for our farmers,” Trump said, because in “Canada, some very unfair things have happened to our dairy farmers… It’s another typical one-sided deal against the United States. And it’s not going to be happening for long.”
The immediate trigger for Trump’s comments was complaints from American farmers about a new protectionist law adopted in Canada which provides incentives for businesses to purchase ultra-filtered milk, a concentrate used in yoghurt and cheese, from Canadian producers. American farmers’ organizations have also long demanded the abolition of Canada’s supply management system, which restricts production levels by farmers and market access so as to guarantee prices.
But Trump linked the dairy issue to the broader question of renegotiating NAFTA, stating Thursday, “NAFTA, whether it’s Mexico or Canada, it’s a disaster for our country.” Insisting that problems existed in the Canadian timber and energy sectors as well, Trump went on to warn, “We can’t let Canada or anybody else…