OTTAWA - Following a tumultuous weekend in which Donald Trump threatened Canada with steep tariffs on all goods, only to back down, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre angrily criticized the US president for bringing Canadians together right before his planned election campaign.
I think Ford actually did a good job on this one. He’s Trumpian in terms of his appeal and I think did a good job of rallying Canadians of various stripes and working WITH other premiers.
Daniel Smith was the opposite. She was a Trump apologist, and was divisive instead of being a team player.
Don’t get me wrong - I think Ford is a complete tool 98% of the time, but I think he did a good job this once.
Ford folded: after the tariff decision was paused (not cancelled, paused) dutifully restocked shelves and the overpaid StarLink deal is back on.
His “Canada is not For Sale” schtick is just that: a schtick. Mark my words, if Trump wanted to build housing on greenbelt land, Ford would Get It (Doug Ford) Done! He (Ford) is the most for-sale politician in the country, and that’s saying something when you’re competing with Danielle Smith.
Susan Holt in NB did a good job. American goods are still off the shelves.
Trump is engaged in brinksmanship and we need US trade more than vice versa. I think the correct move is to publicly back down - but also remind Canadians that a one month reprieve is nothing.
Once you play a card, you lose it. Right now Ford can still play that card. Manitoba can’t (and that makes the national level impact weaker).
It actually makes me really happy that I can be on board with how Ford has responded to Trump’s objectively-bad-for-Canadians ideas of tariffs and annexation.
He may not be a good public servant, but goddammit, he’s a_Canadian._ And that’s more than we can say about some of our other “leaders”.
Something about a broken clock
But yeah, Ford did good here.
I feel the same. Still won’t vote for him, but it’s nice to see some competence coming out of him for a change.
He’s always been competent. He just hasn’t been working with the same ideals or goals as most of us until now.
Yeah, that’s kind of it, isn’t it?