John Ivison: Carney may lead the Trump ‘resistance,’ but Canadian casualties are mounting

While Donald Trump might pass as a Bond villain, Mark Carney is no James Bond. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images; Blair Gable/Postmedia

Article content

Article content

It’s almost as if the authors had an eye on the movie version. President Donald Trump watching the TV on Air Force One, seeing Carney deliver his speech in Davos, earning rapturous applause for calling on western nations to stand up to great powers, “or be on the menu.”

Article content

Article content

Article content

The account of western leaders gathering for a clandestine meeting in a Belgian castle to discuss reducing their dependency on America, after dropping their cellphones into a signals-blocking case, had Hollywood blockbuster biopic written all over it.

Article content

Article content

Perhaps Daniel Craig could be cast as the Canadian prime minister, engaged in trying to save the world from a White House that British secret service agency, MI6, characterized as “The Crucible meets Wolf Hall.” Gary Oldman would make a fine Trump, having already proven his chameleon-like qualities as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.

Article content

Many Canadians who read snippets of the WSJ account will cheer their prime minister for standing up to the bully.

Article content

But the timing was unfortunate.

Article content

Real life does not follow the binary framework of the movies, where a Bond-like hero vanquishes a grandiose, arrogant, greedy villain.

Article content

While Trump fits the part, Carney is not Bond.

Article content

Canada is embroiled in trade talks that have the potential to be existential to the country’s future prosperity.

Article content

One senior trade official involved in the CUSMA review said the Journal article is likely to be received badly in the White House.

Article content

Article content

“Even Trump’s detractors are saying to me: ‘It’s one thing to stand up to him. It is quite another to lead the resistance when he is your biggest customer.”

Article content

Article content

Carney has proven remarkably nimble at walking the line between submission and overt confrontation.

Article content

But there are signs that the government’s holding pattern on trade negotiations with Washington is becoming untenable.

Article content

A KPMG report released earlier this week said four in 10 Canadian manufacturers have moved production to the United States, or are considering doing so, because of trade uncertainty and competitive pressures.

Article content

The survey of 275 manufacturers said 57 per cent have paused, reduced or cancelled capital expenditure plans.

Article content

Shuv Majumdar, the Conservative critic for Canada-U.S. relations, said the survey results reflect the cost of the Carney government’s “wait and see” approach to trade negotiations.

Article content

The Canadian trade official said the subject is raised anecdotally in consultations “all the time.”

Article content

“Many have already moved distribution south. Now, they are saying this has not alleviated the impact sufficiently and the risk remains high,” she said.