Four Liberal Lessons for Dealing with a Bully

The resigned faces of the Trudeau Cabinet ministers spoke volumes. The day after Donald Trump’s announcement of the imposition of 25% customs tariffs on all products from Canada and Mexico, the Liberal government has an unpleasant feeling of déjà vu.

Here we go again, my kiki! Welcome back to this era where a message on social media from south of the border screws up the Canadian government’s agenda for months.

Once again, Ottawa is placed in the difficult position of being pushed around according to the moods of the strongest.

Canada’s Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, described Donald Trump as bully in the past to justify the firm tone it adopted during the renegotiation of theALENAin 2017.

In children’s comics Resourceful by Jacques Goldstyn, the bully is personified by Bif, a big brute who is twice the size of the members of the gang of Resourceful and who uses his muscles to lay down the law in the schoolyard.

It is then up to the most intellectual of the group, Van, fragile with his big glasses, to create inventions to pay him back. His original gadgets to corner Bif make the reader smile and allow him to believe that, sometimes, intelligence triumphs over strength.

The American economy is more than twice the size of Canada’s, hence the need for Ottawa to demonstrate a good dose of astuteness and ingenuity.

In responding to Donald Trump’s threats on Tuesday, the government appears to be putting into action four lessons learned from its past interactions with him.

Lesson #1: flatter with the grain

Rather than turning away from the message of the American president-elect, the liberal ministers wanted to agree with him… at least in part.

The Government of Canada fully and completely shares the concerns of the American government, of President Trump, regarding border security [et à] border integrityreported Dominic LeBlanc in the press scrum. The federal Minister of Public Safety says he is totally responsible and appropriate that the Americans want to determine who enters their country.

Even if the porosity of the borders seems more of a pretext put forward by Donald Trump to brandish the threat of imposing tariff barriers, the Liberal government is sending the signal that it not only listens to his concerns but also shares them.

Liberal troops seem open to the idea of ​​giving the president a victory on the issues that now concern him. They have done so in the past: during the first Trump administration, they notably agreed to make a dent in the system of supply management in agriculture.

Lesson #2: focus on speed

Very little time passed between the publication of the Republican politician’s message on Truth Social and the call from Justin Trudeau. The fact that Donald Trump accepted his appeal on such short notice is very significant in the eyes of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

A highly placed Liberal source perceives this speed in picking up the phone as an advantage for Justin Trudeau over Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. The two have had friction in the past, but they have also gotten to know each other and are able to talk.

Lesson #3: try to reason with him…but kindly

The Liberals believe they have the facts on their side. Donald Trump cannot ignore the fact that when tariff barriers are imposed, it is consumers who pick up the bill. It’s hard to imagine that someone who campaigned by denouncing the rising cost of living is preparing to sow the seeds of an inflationary crisis that would certainly make him look bad in the history books.

Many are wondering if his threat to impose tariffs is not just a bluff aimed at placing himself in a position of strength before the next renegotiation of a free trade agreement.

However, bluff or not, the Liberals are taking the threat seriously and are working to demonstrate the mutual benefits of free trade.

With our economies being integrated, they will shoot themselves in the footargued the Minister of Immigration, Marc Miller.

Lesson #4: Show a united front

As for this fourth lesson, it will be much more difficult to implement this time. At the time of the renegotiation of theALENAin 2017, the Trudeau government managed to set up a multi-partisan “Team Canada”, leveraging the talents of conservatives like Rona Ambrose and James Moore.

According to our information, there is no question of repeating this experience for the moment, while the work in the Commons is marked by unprecedented partisanship.

The Liberal government can perhaps hope that the provinces – even if most of them have criticized Justin Trudeau’s approach – will be more open to the idea of ​​getting their hands dirty, particularly because they also have interests at stake. The virtual meeting scheduled for Wednesday between Justin Trudeau and his provincial counterparts should set the tone for the future.

The second Trump administration is not even in place yet and many twists and turns are expected.

It is impossible to know at the moment whether it is the strongest or the smartest who will get out of this situation.