OTTAWA — Shake it off and move forward. That’s Ottawa’s game plan to deal with the bruising and personal attacks by U.S. President Donald Trump and his senior aides as Canadian officials vowed to stay focused on trade issues, a task made harder by the president’s continued criticism of Justin Trudeau.Conservative House Leader Candice Bergen kicked off Question Period on Monday with a statement of support for the Canadian position, which was met with applause.“Canadians witnessed, with shock and dismay, the U.S. administration hurl insults, verbal attacks, and threats of more tariffs at us. We are all Canadians first, and we will stand with Canadian workers and the families impacted by this escalating trade war,” she said.Outside the House of Commons, Canadian officials were decidedly low key on the issue, keen to not further inflame the situation or respond in kind.Despite the bitter acrimony from the U.S. side, the federal government intends to stick to its strategy so far, of reaching out to politicians and across the U.S. and on Capitol Hill in Washington. Canadian officials are buoyed by the voices of support they’ve heard since Trump and his advisers unleashed their weekend broadsides. They painted a picture of Canada-U. S. relations with interactions among officials that are described as extensive, at all levels and that were ongoing through the weekend and into Monday, despite the high-level spat.Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland heads to Washington on Wednesday, where she will meet with the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.And on Friday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will visit Prince Edward Island to discuss further co-operation in agriculture with Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay. That visit comes as Trump’s most recent critiques of Canada have put supply management in his crosshairs.Canada’s immediate priorities are making progress on a new North American Free Tr ...
|
