The premier of a Canadian province launched a blistering attack on U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, calling him a “bad person” and “not to be trusted” and urging Canada to keep fighting rather than rush to make concessions in trade talks with Washington.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Canada has leverage in the talks even as his province weighs restoring U.S. alcohol sales at Prime Minister Mark Carney’s urging to help secure a deal that would avert threatened 50% U.S. tariffs.
“Everybody knows the American president by now, he’s erratic, he’s irresponsible, and he’s not to be trusted. And this is the person that we were supposed to make a deal with, and we’re going to make additional concessions for it. That’s why I say you can’t make a good deal with a bad person, because who’s to say it’s not going to be undone?” Kinew said.
I understand that Trump and the US are highly volatile and unreliable people unlikely to honor any agreement they make. That doesn't mean we should make our negotiating team's job harder by intentionally poking the wasp nest.
And no, provinces generally don't have jurisdiction over foreign policy like trade agreements. That is a federal power, hence why its "CUSMA" (Canada-US-Mexico Agreement) not "BCASM...NFUSMA". Provinces generally do not set their own foreign policy, and having emotions about Trump, the US, and threats to our sovereignty shouldn't change that. At best provinces are allowed to make their own deals within the confines of existing frameworks set up by the federal government(s).
There is no concrete win from Wab totally owning MAGAts other than a cheap political stunt for Canadian audiences, and a concrete downside. See: Ford's infamous Reagan ad and the fallout from that.