What the presidential rants have most clearly accomplished is to bolster domestic support for Prime Minister Mark Carney, Christopher Sands, an expert in Canada-U. S. relations based in Washington DC, said recently.
asserted
Sands → accomplish → DC
Sands posits that Carney might even be moved soon to call an election in order to score a bigger majority government than he has now.
uncertain
he → posit → government
Sands told his Houston, Texas, interviewer that Trump misread Canadians.
asserted
Trump → tell → Canadians
In fact Trump is a champion at misreading people and situations.
asserted
Trump → misread → people
Referring to Canadians, Sands has concluded that Trump “underestimated them.”
asserted
Trump → refer → them
Obviously, another thing Trump has achieved is to stymie a bilateral trade deal, boosting uncertainty on both sides of the border, hampering investment and making life miserable for anyone trying to do business in either country.
asserted
life → achieve → country
On the other hand, as the Macdonald Laurier Institute’s Heather Exner-Pirot, pointed out in the Hub last August, Trump has lit a much-needed fire under Canadian decision makers: “Canada is moving in the right direction when it comes to energy and resources.
asserted
it → point → energy
And propitiously it comes at a time when the world is particularly hungry for such resources.
asserted
world → come → resources
“Canada is a commodity-exporting country, and right now commodities are ripping.”
asserted
commodities → export → ?
The “blame Canada” initiative was foolhardy from the get-go.
asserted
initiative → blame → go
Americans tend to like Canadians and bear them no ill will.
asserted
Americans → tend → will
No one in the U.S. was pushing to have Lake Ontario renamed.
asserted
Ontario → push → U.S.
And Canada, beyond some tariff retaliation, did not take any hostile action that would justify Trump’s relatively sudden vilification of a country that has long been a loyal ally.
asserted
that → take → country
As recently as August, the Angus Reid Institute found nearly 80 per cent of Americans had a favourable view of Canada, and 78 per cent believe the U.S. should approach Canada as a friend or ally.
asserted
U.S. → find → friend
(On the Canadian side, meanwhile, nearly 50 per cent had an unfavourable or very unfavourable view of Americans.)
asserted
cent → have → Americans
The Trump tirades against Canada feature an assortment of lies, and have been significantly ramping up as the Nov. 3 midterm elections approach and he conducts more rallies.
asserted
he → feature → rallies
Apparently cognizant of his constituents’ fondness for Canada, Trump always stresses how much he “loves” the Canadian people.
asserted
he → stress → people
It’s our political leaders that are the problem.
asserted
that → ’ → ?
Justin Trudeau, he asserted, was “a loser.”
asserted
he → assert → ?
Lately, he has been grousing that Canada has been taking advantage of the U.S., suggesting the U.S. is paying $90 billion a year for the care and feeding of Canada.
asserted
U.S. → grouse → Canada
Money, he says, Canada turns around and uses to finance its universal health-care system.
asserted
Canada → say → system
Trump fails a fact check here.
asserted
Trump → fail → check
That $90 billion figure is a distortion of the bilateral trade balance that portrays a trade deficit with Canada as if it were a direct cash transfer or loss.
asserted
it → portray → Canada
It ranges in any given year from $33 billion to $55 billion.
asserted
It → range → billion
Canada funds its Medicare system through federal and provincial tax revenues from its own residents.
asserted
Canada → fund → residents
Another Trump theme is that Canada needs the U.S. but the U.S. doesn’t need Canada.
asserted
U.S. → need → Canada
He insists Canada relies on the U.S. for 90 per cent of its trade.
asserted
Canada → insist → trade
And if Trump has no need of Canada, why is he trying so assiduously to make it a 51st state?
asserted
it → have → Canada
In any event Americans aren’t buying what Trump is selling regarding Canada.
asserted
Trump → buy → Canada
So, why does he continue beating the drum?
asserted
he → continue → drum
It appears he feels personal animosity toward Canada.
asserted
he → appear → Canada
Trump is known to resent countries he perceives as taking advantage of the U.S. and it is true, Canada has long been free riding on the robust defence capability of the U.S.
asserted
Canada → know → U.S.
That has changed now, but Trump cannot seem to move on.
asserted
Trump → change → ?
Trump also believes strongly in American territorial expansion.
asserted
Trump → believe → expansion
He sees Canada as a genuine impediment to his goal of gaining territory.
asserted
He → see → territory
This is part of his aspiration to have the U.S. dominate the Western Hemisphere.
asserted
U.S. → dominate → Hemisphere
Because Trump is so inflexible when it comes to his policy agenda, his posture regarding Canada is likely to persist at least until the day he leaves office in early 2029.
asserted
he → come → 2029
If he leaves office.
asserted
he → leave → office
The Aporia
