Michael Higgins: Trade war was never about sovereignty

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A week ago, in a spirited, resolute and bombastic press conference, Prime Minister Mark Carney framed the tariff war with the U.S. as nothing less than the survival of Canada.

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Carney was determined to “protect Canadian sovereignty,” maintain our “independence and sovereignty,” and “not compromise our sovereignty.”

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“The new U.S. tariffs are designed to hurt us and divide us,” he said.

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But a week later the prime minister’s belligerent rhetoric is looking increasingly like political theatre. And it is a show where the script has been shared with his ministers.

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“We cannot accept what they have offered and we will not give what they have asked,” said Carney on that Saturday.

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By Monday, ministers were on board.

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“They asked too much of Canada and offered too little in return,” said Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne.

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“We will not accept a bad deal which asks too much of Canada and offers too little in return,” said Industry Minister Mélanie Joly.

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It is unfortunate that the Liberal government is still refusing to reveal exactly what the U.S. was asking and why Canada felt unable to accept.

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What we do know is that of the three examples that Carney cited on that Saturday as being a threat to our sovereignty one has been settled, and may never have been an issue, and we largely appear to agree on a second.

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The third issue, tariff levels on medium and heavy-duty trucks is an outstanding irritant and a large one. The potential economic harm to Ontario especially is such that it is likely to have always been a red line for Canada.

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But tariffs on trucks isn’t a sovereignty issue, it’s a trade one and best dealt with at the negotiating table.

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Carney told Canadians, “We are masters of our destiny.” Fine, but we are not masters of the U.S. and if they want to impose tariffs, it may be unreasonable, unfair, uneconomic and ultimately disastrous, but that’s what a sovereign nation can do.

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However, framing tariffs on trucks as an existential threat to Canada was never going to be enough for Liberals. Arguing over 25 per cent tariffs on medium and heavy trucks is a legitimate aim for trade negotiators but lacks the drama needed by a fiery prime minister to fire up Canada.

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A week ago, a steadfast Carney warned that “American was trying to break us so they can own us and I promised that would never, never happen.”

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If the backdrop to that was tariffs on trucks, then Carney might have been accused of being less Churchillian and more Shakespearean.

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Hence, Carney introduced two other factors: the risk to our language and culture as well as our ability to make trade deals with other countries.

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These are things to rile up the masses.