British Columbia Politicians Voice Opinions During Carney's Initial Meeting with Trump: Not Up for Sale
Rewritten Article:
Smiles and vice grips
Prime Minister Mark Carney had a high-stakes meeting at the White House recently with U.S. President Donald Trump, a match made in political glory with handshakes and mutual compliments.
Trump couldn't help but gush about Carney, praising the recently elected Canadian leader as "talented" and "good." Carney, on the other hand, showed his gratitude with a "hospitality" and "leadership" remark, fawning over Trump in the Oval Office.
But the small talk quickly turned to a serious topic - the United States potentially annexing Canada.
Trump mused, "I do feel it's much better for Canada, but we're not going to be discussing that, unless somebody wants to discuss it." carney retorted, "from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale." As if they were talking about adding the CN Tower to their personal collection of real estate.
Trump couldn't resist bringing up the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state again, "Never say never," he reiterated. Carney's response was a simple, "Never."
Trump also made it clear that he's sticking to the tariffs he's imposed on Canada, stating that no amount of Carney's words could change his mind.
During the meeting, Carney brought up the issue of the USMCA trade deal, expressing concerns that the U.S. was taking advantage of certain aspects of the deal. Trump, on the other hand, reiterated his goal of reducing reliance on Canada's auto sector, but surprisingly, forestry was not discussed.
John Rustad, leader of the B.C. Conservatives, was disappointed that the softwood lumber issue was not raised during the meeting.
The meeting was a delicate dance of diplomacy, and Carney's performance received praise from Ravi Kahlon, the head of B.C.'s tariffs committee.
Following the meeting, Carney expressed optimism about the future of trade relations and the possibility of tariffs being lifted.
Despite their differences, Trump continued to heap compliments on Carney, calling the meeting "great" and the prime minister a "terrific guy."
The two leaders will meet again at the G7 in Alberta in June.
Footnotes: None of the transcripts and reports indicate that U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney discussed the possibility of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state during their meeting. They focused more on areas of mutual cooperation, the economy, and border security.
- In the meeting at the White House, President Trump reiterated his stance on the tariffs imposed on Canada, asserting that no amount of words from Prime Minister Carney could alter his decision.
- Prime Minister Carney, during the same meeting, expressed concerns about the United States taking advantage of certain aspects of the USMCA trade deal, arguing for a fairer policy-and-legislation basis in the sector.
- Amidst the discussion of economics and border security, the issue of Canadian annexation, a topic Trump proposed, was never officially addressed, as per the footnotes.
- In the general-news sector, John Rustad, the leader of the B.C. Conservatives, voiced his disappointment that the softwood lumber issue was not raised during the meeting between Trump and Carney.
- Despite the contentious issues and differences, crime-and-justice was not a part of their discussion, as their dialogue was mainly centered around diplomacy, economics, and trade relations. Both leaders maintained smiles and cordiality throughout the meeting, with Trump continuing to praise Carney as a "terrific guy."
