Because everything is so stupid all the time, we began the weekend with more threats from Trump that he was going to slap 100 percent tariffs on Canadian products if we come to a trade deal with China to avoid them trans-shipping into the US. Oh, and they had “Governor Carney” in them, because of course they did. This was, of course, days after he said it was a great idea that we were pursuing a deal with China, because he would to, and he is doing so. So why the change of heart? (Because he’s addled?)
Cue Dominic LeBlanc, and others, to tell the Americans that no, we’re not pursuing a free trade deal with China, but that this was a fairly discreet tariff issue, which Carney himself repeated for the cameras on the way into the Liberals’ caucus retreat on Sunday. Nevertheless, this has a bunch of people panicking about the future of the New NAFTA review and the potential that the deal could be torn up entirely, because of course they remain our largest trading partner even as we try to diversify (and yes, because of geography, and because Canadian industry is frankly lazy, they are likely to remain so). But it got most of the premiers lined up in support behind Carney, for what it’s worth.
And then, of course, everything backed down, with a bunch of TACO jokes aside, but there is nevertheless a very serious underlying concern that if Carney and the government were to try and walk back their agreement to appease Trump, that this would essentially confirm that we have become little more than a vassal state to the US. We’re not entirely there, but Carney has made so many appeasements in the pursuit of a trade deal that isn’t going to happen that we are in very serious danger of that being the case if we relent on anything more.
Ukraine Dispatch
More than 1300 apartment buildings in Kyiv are still without power after last week’s attacks. Some people in Kyiv, particularly those with disabilities, are trapped in their apartments amidst the blackouts. President Zelenskyy says the security guarantees document with the US is ready to be signed and ratified (not that any agreement with Trump is worth the paper it’s written on).
Good reads:
- Following the Cabinet retreat, Mark Carney is set to unveil a new round of GST credit cheques/”grocery rebates” for low-income Canadians.
- Here is a look at some of the travel Carney has planned in the next few months.
- Steven MacKinnon says he welcomes the “spirit of cooperation” from the Conservatives on certain bills (but I’ll believe it when I see it).
- Senator Paula Simons is agitating for a domestic trusted traveller programme.
- While Poilievre is likely to survive his leadership review, there are rumblings in the party between the pro- and anti-MAGA factions in the base.
- At the Bloc’s convention over the weekend, Yves-François Blanchet claims that Carney didn’t have the “mandate” to come to a trade agreement with China.
- The Parti Québécois have weaponised the speech Carney gave in Quebec City about the Plains of Abraham, and are using it to ramp up a referendum campaign.
- Kevin Carmichael suggest that we invest our scarce resources into doing more with our financial sector to bring better returns than the middling ones we’re getting.
- Dan Gardner looks to history to find the opportunity for Canada and Europe in this current moment of crisis, provided we don’t squander it or let our attention wander.
- Lauren Dobson-Hughes questions the logic (and wisdom) of cutting the foreign service at a time when we need to stand up more diplomacy.
- Justin Ling keeps an eye on the far-right “philosopher” pushing the Trump regime toward use of government terror to advance their fascist agenda.
- Stephen Saideman points out that no, it’s not a civil war (yet) in the US, but rather a whole lot of state repression, which is not the same thing.
- Patrick Lennox asks if Canada is prepared if the US does enter into a civil war, and warns that we need to start planning for that possibility right now.
- Jennifer Robson has a number of suggestions for the government to improve their budget implementation bill, particularly around “red tape reduction.”
- Paul Wells reflects on three other speeches—Carney in Quebec City, Zelenskyy at Davos, and Poilievre’s upcoming speech at his party convention on Friday.
- My weekend column suggests that Zelenskyy’s speech at Davos deserved a lot more attention than it got, as it was a much more blunt assessment of the moment.
Odds and ends:
Ahem. Perhaps some words of wisdom for certain Canadian politicians right now.
— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-01-25T23:57:56.072Z
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