Today's Edition
THE NEW YORK TIMES SERVICE (OTTAWA)
Just days after winning a stunning election on an anti-Trump platform, Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada on Tuesday will meet with President Donald Trump, who has imposed tariffs on Canada, America’s closest ally, next-door neighbor and top trading partner, and repeatedly threatened its sovereignty.
With the relationship between the two countries in tatters, the two leaders will sit down in the White House for their first face-to-face discussion, a high stakes encounter that could easily go sideways.
Trump has claimed that Canada doesn’t deserve to be independent because of its reliance on US trade and defense, and has spoken about making it part of the US.
Carney swept to power because Canadians saw him as a steady hand to negotiate with Trump, and guide Canada through economic turmoil because of his background as a policymaker and private-sector executive.
Carney served a governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 global financial crisis and of the Bank of England during Brexit, establishing himself as one of the world’s most prominent central bankers. He faces an unenviable balancing act.
There was no firm agenda going into the meeting. On Monday, Trump said he was "not sure” what Carney wanted to discuss. Canadian officials framed the meeting as a first step in the two leaders becoming acquainted, and beginning talks that would likely go on for a while.
