Mark Carney’s Team Canada (opposition parties need not apply)

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s improbable rise to power after a decade of Liberal governments under Justin Trudeau was much thanks to the belligerence of U.S. President Donald Trump. So, is it any wonder that he is hoping to build on his success with a little (more) help from the United States? The political posturing from the Canadian government on its relationship with the U.S. seems to be primarily for a domestic Liberal audience, and one that does not seem rooted in the desire for a thawing of relations. Instead, they are more geared towards boxing out their political rivals in the Conservative Party. Carney’s conception of a united Team Canada front against an aggressive American posture includes a fractured provincial coalition. But most notably, it excludes his political rivals. This contrasts noticeably from the all-hands-on-deck approach from Trump’s first term, when a bipartisan effort to secure Canada’s interests was famously employed. During the last federal election campaign, President Trump famously asserted that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was “stupidly, no friend of mine” and “not a MAGA Guy,” all while fielding a more positive tone during interactions with the Liberal leader. As sentiment from the White House toward Canada changed throughout the election, Carney successfully presented himself as both a competent deal maker who wasn’t afraid to scrap, but also someone who commanded far more respect from the Americans than his predecessor. Fast forward to today, and the Canada-U.S. relationship is teetering on a cliff, fraught with ill-timed advertising in the U.S., a rapprochement with China, and a speech from the prime minister in Davos that poked the administration in the eye. Today, political operatives in all parties are strategizing as to what the U.S. relationship will mean in the next federal campaign, and what ground and tone they need to stake out to connect with the fickle mood of the electorate. One thing remains certain: the Liberals need Trump, and they need him in office and at his most confrontational self. Whether we like it or not, our relationship with the U.S. will again determine the outcome of the next election. But if the prime minister believes that the jobs and livelihoods that depend on CUSMA  are so important, it shouldn’t need to. Carney has a unique opportunity to take this issue out of the political arena entirely and build a political consensus that is right under his nose. But don’t hold your breath. Political expediency governs our politics, and what may be best for the country isn’t necessarily what’s best for one political party or its leader. Take, for example, the recent trip made by maverick Conservative MP Jamil Jivani. He had for weeks been musing on the thought that his relationship with college mate and U.S. Vice President JD Vance could be supportive in the country’s efforts to restore calm to the Canada-U.S. relationship. But his offer was met with relative silence, albeit for an informal briefing from Dominic Leblanc, the minister responsible for the Canada-U.S. trade relationship. Jivani went anyway, knowing full well the political risks and commentary that would follow. The political elite in this country thumbed their nose and groaned on the political networks, questioning his motives, his seniority in the party, and his expertise in complex trade negotiations. By all accounts, Jivani pulled off an impressive itinerary of meetings that senior cabinet ministers could only dream of. There are surely well-based arguments and recent history to attest to what happens, in the absence of political leadership in Ottawa, when provincial premiers travel to Washington to pursue their sometimes-competing interests with American lawmakers. Therefore, some concerns around  Jivani’s trip could be warranted. But, ultimately, any repercussions land at the feet of the prime minister. “Team Canada,” the obnoxious and overused moniker from Chretien-era trade missions, continues to be reused to evoke a sense of national unity and pride when it suits the Liberals’ political fortunes. But those words ring hollow in their actions and inaction, which are driven primarily by their own political fortunes. Conservatives and New Democrats should surely be part of the government’s ‘Team Canada’ agenda.  Conservative leader Pierre Poilevre has offered as much, saying, “Members of our Conservative team are ready to travel to the United States or other markets to open up trade, including in bipartisan delegations, to expand exports,” and that “Conservatives are, as always, willing to work with him [Prime Minister Carney] to turn these words into results.” But the government seems determined to play gatekeeper that only lets in those who will give the government the space to use America as a future political wedge. It is time for the politicians and pundits who support this approach bury their own ideology and narrow political self-interest and put their country first. With a fractured political system and both parties using various wedges and political cleavages with the U.S. relationship to their own benefit, we risk handing the Americans a literal “Trump” card to determine the outcome of our own election and what suits their national interest. The actions of late seem to suggest Prime Minister Carney is quite content without a deal. Or that he believes the better deal for Canada would come after the next presidential election. But if he believes it is imperative for the Canadian economy to see a successful renegotiation of CUSMA and to de-escalate trade tensions with the U.S., he must move quickly to use every lever available. This includes joining with his political rivals to find a constructive path forward. To do that, he may need to concede his own political future and risk the ballot question changing entirely.