'Change of general, change of fortune', will Canada overcome the trade war with the US?

Canada's determination to fight to the end

Over the past week, the Canadian government has been rolling out billboards protesting President Donald Trump’s tariff policies in several US states. Billboards with messages like “Tariffs are a tax on hardworking Americans” and “Tariffs are a tax on your food” have been installed along busy highways in dozens of US states.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has used propaganda tactics against his neighbor. Many see it as a blow to the battleground states, and a calculated strategic move. The billboards are being installed in places that are expected to be hardest hit by the North American trade war. Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Detroit, Minneapolis — all of these cities have heavy trade with Canada, and are threatened by rising inflation and other taxes.

US President Donald Trump and new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Illustration photo: GI

Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Western leaders want Americans to realize that President Donald Trump and his pressure tactics on Canada will be responsible for the financial burdens that Canadians will face. Speaking on CNN, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly emphasized, "We need to reach out to ordinary Americans. Let them ask their senators, their mayors, their governors."

In Canada, a propaganda campaign has emerged to call for patriotism and to increase the spirit of solidarity between the people and the government to overcome the country's difficulties and challenges. Slogans such as "Buy Canadian! Think Canadian!" appear frequently on the country's public services.

Western political science calls these propaganda tools of the incumbent government to consolidate power and voter trust. The entire media campaign has brought some initial success to Prime Minister Mark Carney: the people showed solidarity and Prime Minister Mark Carney showed his charisma as a leader.

Speaking on television, Mr. Carney emphasized that relations with the United States will never be the same again; at the same time, he affirmed that Canada's response to the latest US tariffs will be to fight and defend to the end for the national interest.

The US government has made some concessions.

It can be seen that Prime Minister Mark Carney has achieved two successes. First, in less than a month, the ruling Liberal Party of Canada, where Mr. Carney recently became leader, has escaped political difficulties and is now the leading candidate to win the next parliamentary election. Observers believe that, under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Liberal Party would be defeated by the Conservative Party. Thus, it can be affirmed that Canada or the ruling Liberal Party "change generals to change fortunes".

This is also considered the reason why Prime Minister Mark Carney has changed the election date from the fall to April 28. Clearly, Mr. Carney wants to act when the situation is bright, meaning there is a high chance of winning the election when Canadians still feel dissatisfied with the administration of US President Donald Trump.

Second, in the face of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s countermeasures, President Donald Trump appears to have made some concessions. This involves both the tariff hike, for which there are currently exemptions, and the tone of his communication with Canada. On March 28, after a phone call with the Canadian Prime Minister, despite being known as an experienced negotiator and a seasoned economist, President Donald Trump delivered the warmest message of welcome to Canada in a long time.

Gone are the claims of making Canada the 51st state and the threat of tough tariffs, replaced by the tone of “a very productive call,” “agreeing on a lot of things,” and “we’ll meet right after the Canadian election.” President Donald Trump seemed to acknowledge that he would have to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has turned Canada’s domestic politics in his favor.

Mr. Trump will have difficulty facing many 'fronts'

Recent polls show that while Canadians were most concerned about the economy under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, they now want to resist the attacks from the Trump administration. Americans, on the other hand, remain concerned about the economy and are not interested in the relationship with Canada or foreign policy in general.

There is no denying the initial successes that Mr. Trump has brought to the United States, such as cutting government spending by eliminating unnecessary elements from the apparatus. However, up to three-quarters of Americans surveyed are concerned about rising prices and think that the tariff war is the cause.

Mr. Trump has clearly sensed the difficulties that lie ahead. His ambition to buy Greenland from Denmark will not be easy, especially since the opposition Democratic Party of Greenland won the parliamentary elections on March 11. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is too complex to be resolved “in 24 hours,” “before Easter,” “in three months,” or in other time frames that Mr. Trump has stated.

Meanwhile, if the US economy shows no signs of improvement and the American people continue to be tired of inflation, these will be weapons that political opponents can use to undermine the reputation of President Donald Trump.

Hung Anh

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/thay-tuong-doi-van-canada-se-vuot-qua-cuoc-chien-thuong-mai-voi-my-post340922.html