For the first time in a long time, Canada seems to have leadership that understands the global economy isn’t a hockey rink with one exit door leading south.
Carney looks at the world the way central bankers and serious economic planners do...
diversify relationships, reduce dependency, protect stability, and stop
acting like proximity automatically equals security.
The “outside the parking lot” part matters now because the old assumption...
that America would always be predictable, rational, and reliable...
I love this post Fred! I see Mexico as the new lover that Canada took on, & now the jealous lover in the whitehouse is fuming. Canada got tired of placating & started looking around. Good move! We won the checker game! haha
I agree Fred. Having spent a couple of weeks in Mexico, years back, tourists spend a lot of money there & I was no exception! I HAD to have this white dress trimmed with homemade crafted red lace, but, it was $300.00 USD! They wouldn't budge on the price, I walked away a few times, cause that was like 3 grand now! I wanted it for 1/2 price! The last time I walked away, both husband & wife chased me...ok $150.00 I paid them, wore the dress that night & was mistaken for Shania Twain! We had to leave the entertainment & basically run for our rooms! I will LOVE seeing more Mexican products on our shelves! Trading with other countries & not just our neighbours will give us a lot more choices & I love that! Most people will!
There isn't much point in working on agreements if he just throws it out at will... Waste of time/money/energy. Take what he gives but he is untrustworthy and unafraid of consequences so get your's upfront with him.
Mexico betrayed us and themselves by throwing us under the bus. They cut a deal with Trump and announced that not only will there be no deal with Canada but that Canada will be treated no differently than any other expendable trading partner.
What did Mexico get for their betrayal? A promise to maybe support their auto industry. You know, the auto industry Trump insists must only be on US soil. He promised to maybe talk about it. Of course he promised to push the tariffs back six months.
No extra tariffs for six months, if the promise holds. Then Trump comes to destroy their industry now that he has them divided from Canada. They caved because they didn't believe that we were stronger together. They didn't have the courage to stand up or the patience to win.
We're switching to EV production. Mexico would have been fine in the trilateral negotiations and insulated against future Trump shocks with a bilateral agreement with Canada.
I really thought the Mexicans were smarter and stronger. I thought they'd learn after seeing every other Trump agreement get reversed. They'll get the same treatment. They betrayed us for nothing. Fear won this round. Canada knows no fear. It executes with precision without feeling. This is business. For Trump and his cronies, it's personal. That's why they'll get nothing from us that isn't reciprocated in turn. We know the difference between a trade review and a pissing contest.
An entire world outside the parking lot, and thank God we have PM Mark Carney with us.
Exactly Carol-Ann.
For the first time in a long time, Canada seems to have leadership that understands the global economy isn’t a hockey rink with one exit door leading south.
Carney looks at the world the way central bankers and serious economic planners do...
diversify relationships, reduce dependency, protect stability, and stop
acting like proximity automatically equals security.
The “outside the parking lot” part matters now because the old assumption...
that America would always be predictable, rational, and reliable...
clearly isn’t guaranteed anymore.
Canada adapting to that reality isn’t betrayal.
It’s adulthood.
I love this post Fred! I see Mexico as the new lover that Canada took on, & now the jealous lover in the whitehouse is fuming. Canada got tired of placating & started looking around. Good move! We won the checker game! haha
Haha… that’s actually not far off, Patsy. 😄
For decades Canada kept trying to “keep the peace” no matter how chaotic or demanding Washington became.
Now suddenly Canada’s having coffee with Europe, chatting with Mexico,
making new trade friends…
and the ex is standing at the window yelling tariffs through the blinds.
That’s what happens when one side mistakes dependency for loyalty.
The smart move was never “replace America.”
The smart move was “stop acting like America is the only table in the food court.”
And honestly?
Mexico has been quietly becoming an economic powerhouse while a lot of people weren’t paying attention.
I agree Fred. Having spent a couple of weeks in Mexico, years back, tourists spend a lot of money there & I was no exception! I HAD to have this white dress trimmed with homemade crafted red lace, but, it was $300.00 USD! They wouldn't budge on the price, I walked away a few times, cause that was like 3 grand now! I wanted it for 1/2 price! The last time I walked away, both husband & wife chased me...ok $150.00 I paid them, wore the dress that night & was mistaken for Shania Twain! We had to leave the entertainment & basically run for our rooms! I will LOVE seeing more Mexican products on our shelves! Trading with other countries & not just our neighbours will give us a lot more choices & I love that! Most people will!
There isn't much point in working on agreements if he just throws it out at will... Waste of time/money/energy. Take what he gives but he is untrustworthy and unafraid of consequences so get your's upfront with him.
That’s exactly the problem, Andrew.
Trade agreements only work when all sides believe the rules will still exist next Tuesday.
Once unpredictability becomes the norm, countries stop planning around trust...
and start planning around damage control.
That’s why Canada, Europe, Mexico, Japan... basically everybody... is now talking more
about resilience, redundancy, and diversification instead of “deep integration.”
Because if agreements can be reversed by mood swings, rally politics, or overnight...
tariff threats, then nobody can safely build 20-year industrial strategies around them.
And you’re right about one thing in particular...
Countries are increasingly trying to secure benefits upfront now
because future guarantees feel weaker than they used to.
That changes how everybody negotiates.
Mexico betrayed us and themselves by throwing us under the bus. They cut a deal with Trump and announced that not only will there be no deal with Canada but that Canada will be treated no differently than any other expendable trading partner.
What did Mexico get for their betrayal? A promise to maybe support their auto industry. You know, the auto industry Trump insists must only be on US soil. He promised to maybe talk about it. Of course he promised to push the tariffs back six months.
No extra tariffs for six months, if the promise holds. Then Trump comes to destroy their industry now that he has them divided from Canada. They caved because they didn't believe that we were stronger together. They didn't have the courage to stand up or the patience to win.
We're switching to EV production. Mexico would have been fine in the trilateral negotiations and insulated against future Trump shocks with a bilateral agreement with Canada.
I really thought the Mexicans were smarter and stronger. I thought they'd learn after seeing every other Trump agreement get reversed. They'll get the same treatment. They betrayed us for nothing. Fear won this round. Canada knows no fear. It executes with precision without feeling. This is business. For Trump and his cronies, it's personal. That's why they'll get nothing from us that isn't reciprocated in turn. We know the difference between a trade review and a pissing contest.
I understand the frustration, Tiger...
but I’m not convinced Mexico’s playing this emotionally the way people online are framing it.
Mexico’s government has to protect Mexico first...
same as Canada has to protect Canada first.
That means sometimes they’ll coordinate with us…
sometimes they’ll negotiate separately…
and sometimes they’ll buy time if they think a direct collision with Washington hurts them more in the short term.
That’s not betrayal.
That’s survival math.
The bigger issue...
and I think this is the part you’re really getting at... is trust.
Trump’s pattern has been consistent...
pressure allies individually, create uncertainty, force concessions,
then move the goalposts later.
That’s why long-term diversification matters so much now.
Canada learned it.
Europe learned it.
Mexico is learning it too, whether they admit it publicly or not.
And honestly, you nailed one important thing...
This isn’t just economics anymore.
Washington increasingly treats trade like personal loyalty politics,
while countries like Canada are approaching it more like risk management
and strategic planning.
That difference changes everything.