BARBER: You don’t insult your biggest customer — Ottawa’s diplomatic failure with Trump
- Jun 20
- 3 min read
Re-printed without permission.
Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney treated Donald Trump as a political foil. Now Canada faces the risk of losing the trade relationship that underpins its prosperity.
Published on:
19 Jun 2026, 4:30 am
According to reports, when Queen Elizabeth II met President Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, she hugged the Queen. Most people, noble or common, know that you are not supposed to touch the Queen. However, the Queen acted as if nothing had happened. This is an example of diplomatic etiquette.
While Justin Trudeau was Prime Minister, he repeatedly pushed the boundaries of — and sometimes over the edge of — diplomatic etiquette. He said that President Trump’s tariffs were “a very dumb thing to do.” Prime Minister Trudeau called the steel and aluminum tariffs “insulting.” He publicly criticized President Trump’s tweets about an American congresswoman, a completely internal matter in the United States (US). Brian Lilley wrote about how Prime Minister Trudeau had been insulting President Trump for years, for his own political gain. There are more such indiscretions, but these examples suffice.
Unfortunately, the worldly and sophisticated Prime Minister Mark Carney has acted no better. In his World Economic Forum/Davos speech, he talked about a “rupture in the world order,” and how “great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities…”
Various news outlets have reported this as an attack on President Trump. He has called Canada’s ties to the US “our former strengths … have become weaknesses — weaknesses that we must correct.” Prime Minister Carney is now positioning himself as the leader of “middle powers” fixated on opposing President Trump and forging a “New World Order.” Finally, candidate Carney popularized the juvenile “elbows up” campaign after deciding that President Trump’s tariff increases were an act of aggression rather than the beginning of negotiations. Curiously, other countries that had raised trade barriers against Canadian goods did not receive the same juvenile treatment.
The point here is about the lack of diplomatic etiquette. Even if we acknowledge that President Trump is a unique figure on the world stage who emerged from the very tough business environment of New York City — and remembering that Frank Sinatra sang “if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere” for good reason — the president often behaves more like a successful businessman than a traditional international diplomat. Still, this is no excuse for the Canadian prime minister or other Canadian diplomats to break protocol. Justin Trudeau, both before and after his election, made it clear that he was a “Never Trumper.” Prime Minister Mark Carney is not so blatant. However, the prime minister’s job is not to like or dislike another country’s leaders; it is to do what is best for Canada. There is an old saying: “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” It seems that the prime ministers of Canada never learned this.
Observing President Trump over the years, certain recurring patterns of behaviour are noticeable. The president places a premium on loyalty, and he respects people who show gratitude. In his first term, President Trump appointed some of his family members to important administrative positions, largely for those two reasons. The president does not highly value people who have not accomplished something significant in their lives. Wayne Gretzky, Dana White, Dr. Ben Carson, Kevin O’Leary, the late Barbara Walters, and many more are among his friends. He is also not impressed by politicians, bureaucrats, clubmen, or socialites. These types of people were a constant parade into his office before he entered politics, all seeking his money and influence. Justin Trudeau’s clubman status and Prime Minister Mark Carney’s bureaucratic credentials do not hold any weight with him.
Adriana Fallico of Global News reported that President Trump is “not looking to renew” the CUSMA/USMCA trade agreement. In his statements regarding the trade agreement, the president also stated that “We don’t need anything Canada has…” This is not an anti-Canadian statement; it is simply a factual assessment. Oil, critical minerals, agricultural products, manufactured goods, and services can all be sourced from other countries if America does not produce them itself. Canadian goods and services are a convenience and, in many cases, provide cost savings.
If President Trump decides against renewing CUSMA, the Canadian economy will enter a rapid, uncontrollable downward spiral. None of Prime Minister Carney’s trade agreements or multiple MOUs will be sufficient to offset what will happen. The lack of diplomatic etiquette by two Canadian prime ministers means their chickens will have come home to roost.
Dr. A.W. Barber is the former Director of Asian Studies at the University of Calgary. He is internationally active and has wide-ranging interests.
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