Multiple mainstream media (MSM) news sources in Canada and the United States (US) have recently reported that Mark Carney struck a trade deal with China in response to Trump’s tariffs. This short statement says more than meets the eye. The CUSMA (aka USMCA), which largely eliminates tariffs, became effective in 2020. This agreement removes tariffs from most agricultural goods, energy, and many industrial goods. A few items, such as steel, aluminium, and softwood lumber, are exceptions. This means that the recent US tariffs imposed by President Trump do not apply to Canadian goods qualified under CUSMA. Therefore, these new tariffs cannot be the primary motivating factor for Prime Minister Carney’s deal with China. On both sides of the border, the MSM’s agenda remains “Orange man bad.” This provided the Liberal Party with ample fodder for their successful 2025 election campaign, in which Mark Carney became the Prime Minister. It also has become a refrain by Carney and the MSM to boost support by invoking nationalism — even to the extent of recycling a phrase from an era when hockey was a far more pugilistic sport. Yet no one seemed to remember that the “chicken dance is a foolish performance where the dancers share embarrassment.” .RUBENSTEIN: Ministry of Crown-Indigenous Relations ordered to release Kamloops files.What was the primary factor for a Canadian trade deal with China? In 2018, representatives of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) observed Canadian military winter survival training in Ontario. Prime Minister Trudeau visited China in 2016 for the G20 Summit and in 2017 to attend the Canada-China Leader’s Dialogue. During the 2017 visit, both countries agreed to discuss a free trade agreement. However, talks stalled because no agreed-upon framework materialized, followed by the Meng Wanzhou incident and the detention of the two Michaels in China. For the remainder of Trudeau’s term, concerns about foreign interference and national security took centre stage, and free trade talks were not resumed. In 2024, Canada also imposed a tariff on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), steel, and aluminium, as did other countries. Mark Carney served as an advisor to Trudeau during the latter part of his tenure. Carney’s position in Brookfield and the company’s significant investments in China raised conflict-of-interest questions. While still governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney delivered a speech at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium in 2019. He proposed ending the US dollar as the reserve currency. He discussed two possible alternatives to the US dollar’s role. One of these was replacing it with the Chinese yuan. In his 2021 book Value(s): Building a better world for All, Mark Carney strongly advocates for the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) agenda. As part of his argument, he advocates for net-zero emissions. In 2023, Canada added a new regulation to the Environmental Protection Act banning internal combustion vehicle sales by manufacturers..Canadians do not want EVs. They are not environmentally friendly, are impractical in the Canadian weather, have insufficient range for many uses in Canada, pose a fire hazard, and lack adequate infrastructure. Another problem is that they generally cost more than comparable gas-powered vehicles. Despite the change in government following the last national elections, the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard regulation has not been repealed.Prime Minister Carney has been travelling around the world, trying to drum up trade and investment for Canada with little success. He understands that if he does not get results, his tenure will be cut short. Even if he secures trade agreements with several countries, they will not be sufficient to counter any significant loss of trade with the US. Economically, his best bet is a trade deal with China. He is certainly aware that China has overproduced EVs and has aggressively promoted them around the world. He should also be aware that citizens are hesitant to buy them and, more importantly, the negative effects of importing these EVs on domestic manufacturing and other sectors, effects that have recently become a topic of considerable concern in Europe. But being an ideologue means never having to say you are sorry to Canadian auto workers..BORG: Quebec is the only province backing the federal ‘gun grab’.The primary motivational factors behind the China deal were not Trump’s recent tariffs but rather Canada’s long-standing efforts to expand trade with China, the opportunity to advance net-zero goals with cheap Chinese EVs, and Carney’s alleged personal animus toward the US. Even more significant are the implications for Alberta.The Prime Minister and Parliament could have repealed the regulation mandating 100% EV sales by 2035 in Canada. They didn’t, because they want the power to control what people purchase. This is not the free market but rather a soft command economy. The point is that the Prime Minister and his party do not want any oil extraction. For both political and economic reasons, he may allow a pipeline, but at what cost? Furthermore, Bill C-69, Bill C-48, the carbon tax, and other measures remain in place because they want the power to control production and shipping. There has been no positive movement for oil-producing provinces, only a forestalling of a fight. .Although some news outlets led people to believe that canola seeds would soon be filling the holds of Chinese cargo ships, all is not as it appears. The Prime Minister claimed a “new strategic partnership,” but far more troubling — with echoes of the WEF and UN “Great Reset” ideology — was Carney’s reference to “the new world order.” What emerged from Carney’s trip was mostly memoranda of understanding (MOAs) covering tourism, cultural exchanges, combating crime, energy, and other topics. Such memoranda are essentially agreements to discuss potential agreements in the future. The wording in the provisions on EVs and agri-food has been questioned for leaving wiggle room for China while offering little for Canada. These various understandings and agreements are far from being an overall benefit for Canada. Although, if realized, they may benefit limited sectors, they come at a significant cost to other sectors. That is the deception. The press is attempting to portray Carney as the right man for the job, but the outcome will likely be mediocre. 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.
