The National Post reports in its Saturday, Jan. 13, edition that while never shy about threatening to withdraw from the North American free-trade agreement if it is not renegotiated to his liking, President Donald Trump's latest remarks, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, were relatively soothing. The Post's Andrew Coyne writes that the talks, Mr. Trump said, are "moving along nicely." Still, it would be hard to say the negotiations were going exactly swimmingly.
For all the attention that has been paid to the demands the Trump administration has brought to the table, preposterous as they are, the Trudeau government has brought a few non-starters of its own: the same familiar Liberal hobbyhorses -- gender, climate change, indigenous rights -- that helped scupper a final agreement on the Trans Pacific Partnership, and prevented talks from getting started with China.
To be fair, if there is confusion on the Canadian side, it is more than matched on the other. Early attempts to cosy up to Mr. Trump appear to have been abandoned, but the broader diplomatic initiative seems no further ahead: Maclean's reports "a realization is setting in that the charm offensive has not had its desired effect."
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