HANNAFORD: Not exactly an early Christmas party when Trudeau met Trump

Few of us in Western Canada actually felt sorry for Prime Minister Trudeau, when he lately presented himself at Mar-a-Lago for a chat with America’s next president. Such reservoirs of empathy as divine providence has placed in our hearts have long since been capped, as surely as Alberta's carbon emissions. The prime minister needed to hear some home truths we thought, and if he wasn't listening to Canadians perhaps Mr. Trump would get through to him.Mr. Trudeau had to go of course, even if he would be mocked with accusations of going to Florida to receive instructions, like Diefenbaker and Lester Pearson before him. If he had not, the equally damning accusation would have been that he was ignoring a highly damaging threat to Canada's economic wellbeing. Nevertheless, we can appreciate how uncomfortable was the situation for him.How uncomfortable? Sufficiently, that Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc had to explain to the CBC that when Trump was talking about Canada becoming a US state — two actually, one red and one blue — it was actually 'just a joke.' Most people would have assumed that anyway, surely: It is hard to imagine the US coveting BC, when it already has California. But, bless the CBC for checking.We assume it's a joke, anyway. Check out Mr. Trump's latest post on Truth Social. .Trump seems to troll Trudeau on becoming 51st state governor.Second, Mr. Trudeau knew going in that Trump thought he was a bit of a joke himself.Despite what people say, Trump can handle and resolve conflict — half the people he’s nominated for his administration were once his opponents or his critics.It’s the type who snigger behind his back and act superior, that summon up his unforgiving streak.And that, of course, was what happened a few years ago at a Buckingham Palace reception during a NATO summit when Mr. Trudeau was caught in a hot-mic moment, chatting with other world leaders and dissing Trump.Trump later dismissed Trudeau as ‘two-faced.’ What Trudeau did back then was foolish in two ways; first, in the diplomatic world you just don’t do that sort of thing. Second, if you haven’t built a skyscraper or two yourself, you need to choose your words carefully when taking the mickey out of people who have — especially if your special achievement is letting things fall apart.Which of course was the issue. On this prime minister’s watch, things have been falling apart and in particular, this government has been admitting to Canada large numbers of poorly screened immigrants, some of whom have tried to slip over the US border, where they have been found to have terrorist connections..Conservatives force emergency meeting on attempted terrorist attack .In Question Period today Mr. Trudeau tried to make light of it, claiming the numbers were quite small and nothing like Mexico’s.Fair enough, they're not. But you don’t need masses of people to have a real problem, just the same. (The 9/11 attacks involved fewer than 20 people.)So let’s assume the US Customs and Border Patrol claim is correct that this year there have been 199,000 questionable ‘encounters’ between people trying to slip north-south over the border. If one tenth of one percent of those people turned out to be dangerous, that would be 200 potential terrorists… in fact, the US Customs and Border Patrol claims the number was more than 300..HANNAFORD: Canada's shame, that Trump tells our PM to do his job — and he's right.So Mr. Trump was asking — and north of the 49th we also have to ask — what were these people doing in Canada in the first place? Around the world is Mr. Trudeau’s Canada considered an open door to the US?The government Mr. Trudeau leads really could be doing a better job on this and in Trump’s view, it could be doing a better job on drugs as well. (How Mr. Leblanc could say this morning that it wasn’t a priority after spending time with Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago beggars explanation.).Public safety minister considered border patrol then decided 'it’s not a priority' .So, alas for Mr. Trudeau. Everybody was very civil it seems but in the end, there wasn’t really much he could say, other than ‘you’re right, we’ll try and do better.’ Which even as he accused the Americans of pumping an erroneous narrative,’ is what he in fact did admit; there will be helicopters, there will be drones, there will be more people handling immigration. Most Canadians could have told him the same thing a while ago of course, and even now are patiently waiting for an election to do so.However, being told even ever so politely to get to work on what he knows he should have been doing all along, by somebody he despises, and who he knows despises him, was — yes — uncomfortable.That, and then in the ultimate erosion of testicular vigour, to have to accept the bloody man’s lavish hospitality, in his palatial home by comparison with which the White House is a downgrade and in Canada, there is no comparison..However, perhaps it was worth it. Mr. Trump evidently made such an impression upon Mr. Trudeau that during Question Period in the House of Commons today, the prime minister addressed Mr. Speaker, as 'Mr. President...'He has until January 20th, 2025. Mr. Trudeau and his crew no doubt want to make a little fist and show some independence of action.None of that however, triggers any empathy for Mr. Trudeau. Right now, Canadians would just settle for real progress. It shouldn't take Donald Trump to get the Government of Canada to do its job.

HANNAFORD: Not exactly an early Christmas party when Trudeau met Trump

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