(NAFB) In response to threats of punitive trade tariffs from the new Washington administration, earlier this month, Ottawa announced the formation of a Council of Canada – U.S. Relations.
Comprised of experienced leaders in business, innovation, and public policy, this new Council has been given a mandate to investigate and advise Canadian policymakers about the current and potentially changing relationship between Canada and the United States.
Jean Charest (ZHAN sha-RAY), a corporate lawyer, and a former Conservative deputy prime minister who later became Premier of Quebec, is co-chairing this new Council of Canada – U.S. Relations.
Charest admits that he is baffled by conflicting statements coming from President Trump, with Trump saying he wants to improve the American economy while, at the same time, threatening his primary trade partners with damaging and inflationary tariff actions.
In the event of a full-blown trade war, the loss of Canadian resources would severely damage a wide range of American production sectors. These Canadian resources are defined as critical within the U.S. marketplace, and some cannot be replaced without being sourced from Canada.
But Charest believes that Canada should view the U.S. tariffs as an opportunity to take a hard look at its own economy and that perhaps now is the time to question Canada’s longstanding dependence on the U.S. marketplace.
Again, Jean Charet, co-chair of the Council of Canada-U.S. Relations.
