John Manley, previous Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, provides insights on Mark Carney's meeting at the White House.
Host MICHEL MARTIN's got us diving into the deets of Canadian PM, Mark Carney's White House visit. We're chattin' with John Manley – former deputy prime minister, foreign minister, finance minister, and CEO of a business leaders group. Yep, this cat's got credentialz galore!
MARTIN: So, President Trump's expectations for the meeting? He ain't reallysayin' much, just "Everybody wants to make a deal."What 'bout Carney, huh? What's he hopin' to achieve?
MANLEY: Well, if y'ask me, ol' Trump invited Carney over for that first meet-up, and Carney felt like he needed to show up. It's a risky move fer both sides. But Carney's like, "If invited, I'mma show up."
MARTIN: Alright, and a successful outcome? Ain't no policy movement, or it's more 'bout optics? I mean, Trump likes to dominate conversations in the Oval Office, ya'know?
MANLEY: For Carney, it's 'bout resistin' any comments 'bout Canada becomin' annexed by the U.S. or becomin' a 51st state, man. That's like, totally offensive to us Canadians. We got our independent history and institutions, and that's eeny meeny ours! Carney's got to remind Trump of that straight up if there's anything hintin' at Canada lose its independence.
MARTIN: So no policy movement per se, just preventin' Trump from takin' advantage of Carney's lack of confidence?
MANLEY: Pretty much. I think Carney'd see it as a successful meeting if Trump committed to early negotiations for the USMCA, but it's like, nearly impossible for Canada to agree to task without the United States bein' in compliance with the agreement Trump signed in 2020. So Carney'd want somethin' a little more stable when it comes to the economic relationship, less uncertainty beats out more uncertainty any day!
MARTIN: John Carney himself, what you think his chief assets are when it comes to dealin' with Trump?
MANLEY: Let me tell ya, Carney's a serious dude, man. He was the central bank gov'ner durin' the global financial crisis, and the British were so enamored with him, they brought him over to run the British Bank of England! He's experienced in business, government, and central banking! I don't think Trump ever took Trudeau seriously, but Carney's got a whole lot more to bring to the table!
MARTIN: ya'think business backgrounds might help Carney gain Trump's respect?
MANLEY: I reckon the business credentials give Carney somethin' more that Trump would take seriously. We always worry when it comes to dealin' with Trump that we trigger his bully reflex, and it ain't good for Canada.
MARTIN: Lastly, John, you got a lot of experience in wranglin' cross-border relationships yourself. What's different navigatin' the relationship now?
MANLEY: My biggest role was post-9/11, man, when I was in charge of Canada's response. We wanted to solve a common problem. In this case, we don't understand what problem Trump is tryin' to solve.
- Manley, with his extensive background spanning government administrations, politics, policy-and-legislation, and business leadership, offers a unique perspective on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's White House visit.
- In navigating the meeting with President Trump, Carney is cautious about avoiding any suggestions of Canadian annexation or loss of independence, as this would be offensive to the Canadian general public.
- Success for Carney during the meeting would be finding some level of certainty in the economic relationship between Canada and the United States, as opposed to Trump's unpredictable approach.
- Manley suggests that Carney's business background provides an advantage when dealing with Trump, potentially helping to gain Trump's respect and mitigate the risk of triggering his bully reflex.
