Carson Jerema: Trump wants trade — just not on terms anyone can decipher

Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomeNP CommentCarson Jerema: Trump wants trade — just not on terms anyone can decipherCanada must focus on what it can control and that isn't the American presidentLast updated 8 hours ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney attend a work lunch as part of the G7 summit, in Evian, France, on June 16, 2026. Photo by EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesU.S. President Donald Trump’s position in his trade dispute with Canada is that this country must absorb any and all unprovoked acts of aggression and possibly even ask the Americans if they can deliver more hardship, maybe even thank the president for imposing tariffs on us. It is difficult to draw any other conclusion from the new round of tariffs Trump has pledged this week to enact on Canada.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERSEnjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLESEnjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountThreats of new 50 per cent levies on a smattering of Canadian imports, ranging from cement to dairy, and from jewelry and essential oils to smartphones and gaming consoles, are intended as supposed retaliation for Canada’s supply management system, as well as the ban on American liquor sales in some provinces, and Canadian tariffs on American auto imports.Recommended VideosThe National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againIn an op/ed published today in National Post, Trump trade advisor Peter Navarro outlines the U.S. position, arguing Canada “singles out American farmers, distillers, automakers, and workers.” This country, in Navarro’s view, is supposedly demanding “access to the American market while reserving the right to close its own when competition becomes inconvenient.”This framing demands Canada accept that up is down and black is white. Since Trump has returned to the White House, he has levied tariff after tariff against Canada, nearly all of which violate the Canada U.S. Mexico Agreement, or CUSMA. These include tariffs on so-called non-CUSMA compliant goods, but also on Canadian-made autos and Canadian steel and aluminum.The president constantly dangles the promise of a new deal, while also threatening new tariffs unless other non-trade concessions are met. This has included demanding Canada forego plans to bring in a digital services tax that would have largely affected American tech companies, an admittedly ill-advised policy. Prime Minister Mark Carney relented and killed the tax last summer and for doing so Canada got nothing in return, beyond constant threats of yet more tariffs.Then again, in June, the government put a stop to a separate plan to force streaming companies, like Netflix, to pay into a fund to create Canadian content, which the Trump administration also opposed.And just this month, Carney agreed to split the revenues from the new Gordie Howe Bridge, despite Canada fronting the entire cost of its construction, bending to pressure from Trump to rewrite an agreement signed in 2012.A week later, the president threatened these new tariffs.When Trump regained the presidency, he promised his supporters that his trade policy would increase American exports, but his trade war has, so far, yielded the opposite results. As Navarro notes, “Canadian imports of American alcoholic beverages fell 81 per cent” and “U.S. vehicle exports to Canada fell approximately 22 per cent.” The Americans blame Canada for this, when in fact, Canadian tariffs on American autos are in response to Trump’s auto tariffs on this country, while the removal of liquor from Canadian shelves is in response to the general trade dispute that Trump began.This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Trump’s complaints about Canada’s supply management system of quotas and tariffs on dairy, poultry and eggs are not unfounded. However, the existence of the system violates no agreement. It exists as it did when Trump negotiated CUSMA during his first term.Navarro justifies the new tariffs under U.S. legislation that allows the president to bring in tariffs when there is evidence of discrimination against U.S. exports when compared to goods from other countries. To be clear, the audience for this justification is primarily American voters, congressmen, senators and the U.S. courts, as levying tariffs would normally be the purview of Congress, unless explicitly delegated to the president through legislation for specific reasons.Earlier tariffs, which were later successfully challenged in court, were justified to address a so-called national emergency, which is why the president use to talk constantly about fentanyl crossing the border, but rarely brings it up anymore.In any case, those American laws shouldn’t matter to Canada, as the Americans have been consistently breaking the trade deal that Trump himself negotiated. U.S. legislation may or may not justify the president levying tariffs without consulting Congress, but it should have little bearing on how Canadians view the U.S. constantly violating international treaties it has signed.Carney and Trump have apparently agreed to intensify negotiations for a new deal in the wake of these latest threats and after the Americans said they did not wish to renew CUSMA, moving the deal to yearly reviews until it expires. It’s possible a new agreement, maybe better, but most certainly worse, than what exists now will result from those talks, but given how Trump has treated CUSMA, it is not clear anything he agrees to can be trusted.There will always be another agenda on the table, another imagined slight, a goalpost to move, or just a need to make others dance. There isn’t much Canadians can do, except to look inward, cut taxes, deregulate and, yes, cut trade barriers, to bring up our productivity and incentivize businesses to invest here. Of all the things that Ottawa can control, Trump is not one of them.Carson Jerema is managing editor, comment at National Post.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.