Here is what to monitor during the first meeting between Donald Trump and Mark Carney

Five months after the announcement of Justin Trudeau’s resignation, the American president will welcome his successor to the White House, former banker Mark Carney, freshly elected after campaigning on the defense of Canadian interests against the United States of Donald Trump. Here are things to watch for this day that wants to be historic for the future of Canada as for the political career of Mr. Carney.

• Read also: Mark Carney in Washington: “I imagine he wants a commercial agreement,” says Donald Trump

The handshake

Donald Trump’s vigorous handshakes with other world leaders are part of his trademark.

They are scrutinized, dissected and played in loop on information networks.

Many ink had flowed when Justin Trudeau had “resisted” the aggressive handle of President Trump in 2017 during a visit to Washington.

Mr. Trudeau had even worked in secret to avoid falling into the trap of his counterpart and becoming viral for bad reasons.

There is no doubt that Mark Carney understands the symbolic load of the moment and will seek to embody firmness when tightening the pliers of this president hostile in Canada.

Respect

To paraphrase the legendary singer Aretha Franklin, Mark Carney’s mission is to go to the White House “a little respect” for Canada.

It was also one of the Prime Minister’s watchwords during the federal elections.

“We deserve respect, we expect respect, and I expect to be obtained in due time,” he repeated in an interview with the BBC, after his victory in the elections.

If he has spared his threats in the past few months, Donald Trump has put the table to meet a funny way: in an interview in NBC on Sunday, he reiterated his wish to make Canada on 51^e State … without taking up arms.

The right words for a new relationship

Mark Carney warned on Friday that negotiations with the United States would be “complex” and that it could extend over months or even more than a year.

We should not expect the conclusion of a great understanding in this context.

The new Prime Minister especially hopes that his arrival at the head of Canada will make us forget Justin Trudeau, for whom Donald Trump had very little esteem.

After talking about the “betrayal” of the Americans during the elections, what words will use Mr. Carney to describe the form that the new Canadian-American relationship will take?

Will the United States still be allies? Friends? Business partners?

The future of prices

Even without an agreement signed on Tuesday, Mark Carney and his delegation will try to convince Trump to put his prices on pause, the time to arrive at a new long-term global agreement between Canada and the United States.

This is likely to arrive on Tuesday, because an immediate break in prices would be perceived as a defeat for the Republican President.

However, it is allowed to believe in it short or in the medium term: with the fall in scholarships and the fears of a recession, the American president is in trouble in the polls and his aura has pale since his return to Washington, at the end of January.

The prices imposed by Washington include 25% on steel and aluminum.