[direwolf]

The British put on quite the show for Trump yesterday, giving him the full royal pageantry treatment, while buttering him up with flattery. Pretty pathetic, although flattery seems to be the only way to get anything out of him. I get it. They're still trying to hammer out some kind of trade deal with him and get him to commit to the defence of Ukraine, etc... But man, the whole thing is just so vomit inducing.


Speaking of trade deals-- and this could fit in the Canadian politics thread as well, but I figured I'd put it here-- it was reported yesterday that the U.S., Canada, and Mexico have all started consultations in preparation for the renegotiation of CUSMA, which is expected to begin early in 2026. So I guess we're not getting any sort of bi-lateral deal with the U.S. any time soon in regards to reducing tariffs, etc..


https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/can...ment-1.7636356

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said that evening the U.S. is moving ahead with consultations because it's now "obvious at least at this point in time" that Canada and the U.S. aren't going to reach a bigger agreement.


"The Americans were hopeful that we could negotiate a bigger deal," Hoekstra said during a keynote address at a Canadian International Council event.


"Whether it's on trade, whether it's energy, whether it's automotive, whether it's nuclear defence and all those types of things, we were hoping that we would not just renegotiate CUSMA but that we could take it into being something much bigger," he said.


"It's obvious, at least at this point in time, that that's not going to happen."

Asked about Hoekstra's comment about a bigger deal, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Canada proposed an economic and security partnership after the U.S. turned its back on the country with its tariff agenda.


U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs remain in place, including a 50 per cent tax on steel and aluminum imports.


"We've been engaging very actively with the U.S. administration since the beginning," Champagne said. "Canada's always been, I would say, proactive, forthcoming, positive in how we engage."


Prime Minister Mark Carney originally said he was seeking a new security and economic agreement with the U.S., but this month said the government is now in talks over a series of smaller deals to help industries hit hard by Trump's tariffs.

Also, Carney is headed to Mexico this week to meet with Sheinbaum.


https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/car...usma-1.7636623

Prime Minister Mark Carney heads to Mexico Thursday with two separate, but related, goals.


The first is to find ways to work with Mexico to preserve North America-wide free trade, or at least as much of it as can be saved from the most protectionist U.S. administration in a century.


The second is to develop a bilateral trading relationship with Mexico that operates independently of the whims of the White House, and can survive whatever fate lies in store for the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) when its renegotiation finally happens.