Gary Mar says the Lake Ontario trade fight leaves Canada at a major disadvantage as Sept. 7 approaches for Canada and the United States. The Canada West Foundation president and former Alberta trade minister says Canadians are treating the dispute as existential while most Americans barely know it is happening.
Mar described the 49th parallel as “like a two-way mirror.” He said, “Canadians look through it, and they see Americans. But Americans look at the same mirror, and they see themselves. So we get much more information on what’s going on in the United States than Americans ever get... with respect to Canada.”
Canada and the United States
Canada and the United States face a Sept. 7 deadline to reach a new trade deal or see sanctions go into effect on both sides. The gap is not just about attention. Canadian grocery stores and pharmacies have posted aggressive signs pointing out what products were made in America since Donald Trump took office, while the trade flare-ups are by far the biggest story in Canada.
Mar said the same dispute is lucky to make the C-slot of a cable news show in America. That split leaves Canada pressing for leverage in a fight that Americans often do not follow closely enough to shape their own political response.
Gary Mar and Donald Trump
Mar said it would be very difficult for conservatives in Canada to say, “We agree with Donald Trump.” He said, “They can be critical of how the liberal government is conducting their relationship with the U.S., but it would be very difficult for the conservatives to say, ‘We agree with Donald Trump.’”
That political squeeze matters because the trade fight is not being argued only at the government level. It is also running through public attitudes in Canada and the United States, with Canadians seeing a direct national test and Americans seeing a much smaller issue.
Abdul El-Sayed and Sept. 7
Abdul El-Sayed said, “If you start a trade war with Canada, you are the a------.” His line captured the blunt political strain around the dispute as Sept. 7 draws closer.
The unresolved issue is the exact shape of the sanctions that would hit both Canada and the United States if no deal is reached. For now, the deadline is the point of pressure, and every day before Sept. 7 narrows the room for a new trade deal.
