Latest news with #Power&Politics
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Carney defends inviting Modi to G7 after RCMP linked India to murders and extortion
Prime Minister Mark Carney defended his decision to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta just months after the RCMP accused his government of acts of murder, extortion and coercion. As this year's chair of the G7, Carney said it's important to have India at the table in Kananaskis while world leaders discuss issues including energy security and critical minerals, given the country's size and key role in the global supply chain. He said he consulted with the other G7 leaders on the decision. Carney also suggested India is now more willing to co-operate with ongoing Canadian investigations. "We have now agreed importantly to continued law enforcement dialogue. So there's been some progress on that," Carney said during a Friday news conference. "I extended the invitation to Prime Minister Modi in that context and he has accepted." The invitation, announced earlier Friday morning, garnered swift condemnation given Canada's public accusation that members of the Indian government are involved in plots to stoke fear and cause harm on Canadian soil. Last fall, the RCMP laid out allegations accusing agents of the Indian government of playing a role in "widespread violence" in Canada, including homicides, and warned that it poses "a serious threat to our public safety." That came after Canada accused Indian government agents of being involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian activist for Sikh separatism. WATCH | Carney defends decision: The World Sikh Organization of Canada said the decision caused "outrage and pain" within the Sikh community across Canada. "For Sikhs in Canada, this is a betrayal, not just of our community, but of core Canadian values," said president Danish Singh in a statement. Liberal MP criticizes PM's move The Sikh Federation of Canada called the trip "a grave insult." The group said Nijjar's 2023 shooting death outside a gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., was "part of a co-ordinated effort to silence dissent and terrorize our community." A member of Carney's own caucus also voiced criticism. Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal, who represents the Surrey riding where Nijjar was shot, said neither he nor many of his constituents support Modi. "They are concerned about justice," he told CBC's Power & Politics. "We cannot tolerate any interference from any foreign agents irrespective whether they're from India, China, Russia, Iran or any other country." RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme has said the Mounties have strong evidence showing the "highest levels" of the Indian government were involved in orchestrating a campaign of violence on Canadian soil, including homicides, coercion and extortion. Duheme said police evidence shows Indian diplomats and consular staff collected information and brought that information to the Indian government, at which point instructions would be fed to criminal organizations to carry out acts of violence. There's been no suggestion from officials that the alleged campaign of violence has ended. The RCMP's comments came nearly a year after then prime minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada had evidence linking Indian agents to the killing Nijjar. Rising in the House of Commons in September 2023, Trudeau said Canadian security agencies were pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and Nijjar's death A Canadian citizen, Nijjar was a prominent local leader in the Khalistan movement pushing for the creation of an independent Sikh state in India. Four Indian nationals are accused in the alleged assassination plot and their cases are before a B.C. court. New Delhi has denied the allegations and has accused Canada of supporting "Khalistani terrorists." Leaders from the G7 countries — Canada, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — along with the president of the European Commission are heading to Alberta for high-level meetings June 16 and 17. Conservatives say invitation is necessary Modi has been invited to every G7 leaders' summit since 2019, but Carney had been under pressure from Sikh organizations to break with that tradition. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called the invitation "necessary," saying Canada needs to work with India on trade and security files. "India has been at the last six G7 conferences. It's one of the biggest and fastest-growing economies in the world. We need to sell our natural gas, our civilian nuclear power technology and other resource projects to India," he said Friday. "We want to see the government work on addressing security issues at the same time when the prime minister has those conversations."The NDP called on Carney to rescind the invitation. "It is unconscionable that the government would roll out the red carpet" for Modi, said the party's critic for public safety and national security Jenny Kwan "This move undermines efforts to hold foreign powers accountable for interference and violence in our country." Trudeau met with Modi on the sidelines of the Italy G7 last June, but relations between the two countries remained terse. When the RCMP went public with its investigation, Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats and consular officials "in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the government of India." Global Affairs Canada said that it had asked India to waive diplomatic and consular immunities "and to co-operate in the investigation," but India declined. India responded by expelling six diplomats, including Canada's high Liberal government under Carney has shown a willingness to thaw relations with India. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she had a "productive discussion" with her Indian counterpart last month on "deepening our economic co-operation and advancing shared priorities." During the recent federal election campaign, Carney called the Canadian-Indian relationship "incredibly important." "There are strains on that relationship that we didn't cause, to be clear," he said. "But there is a path forward to address those with mutual respect." In a social media post Friday, Modi wrote that he looks forward to meeting at the summit. "As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests," he wrote.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Liberals aren't tabling a budget. How does that affect the economy — and your wallet?
The recently re-elected Liberal government isn't planning to release a budget this year, opting instead for an economic statement later this fall. But experts warn that not providing a fiscal snapshot could erode economic confidence and delay the government's agenda. A federal budget is one of the most significant legislative pieces a government can put forward. It provides an update on the health of the nation's coffers and outlines the government's spending priorities. Typically the budget is tabled in March or April and passed before the House rises in June. But a 2025 budget hasn't been put forward yet since Parliament was prorogued in January and the election campaign began in March. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne indicated Wednesday that the government isn't planning on tabling a late spring budget, and will instead opt to release a "substantive" economic statement later this fall. Champagne cited ongoing economic uncertainty — due in large part to the U.S. trade war — as one of the reasons the government won't pass a budget before June. "Hopefully by [fall] there'll be less uncertainty that we need to factor into … I want to be straight with Canadians and give them the best possible [financial and economic] picture that I can," Champagne said in an interview with CBC's Power & Politics. Champagne also argued most of the government's spending priorities were laid out in the Liberals' election platform. WATCH | Champagne defends delaying budget: But Kevin Page, a former parliamentary budget officer and head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa, told Power & Politics that "the reason you have a fiscal plan is to deal with the uncertainty." "The party platform that the Liberals produced was based on a set of assumptions that would no longer hold. The economy is much weaker now, the deficit will be much higher," Page told host David Cochrane. "I don't think it's a strong argument. I understand the argument more in terms of compressed timelines." Budgets are more than just a fiscal document. In many ways, they are also communications documents and a way for the government to signal where it anticipates the economy is headed. WATCH | Former PBO on delayed budget: Rebekah Young, an economist at Scotiabank, argued it's important for the government to show its economic projections and what it's prepared to offer if things take a turn for the worse. "Markets are looking for those sorts of signals and now what we've seen provinces do is put ranges of uncertainty around their assumptions so at least they know roughly where those guardrails are," she told Power & Politics. "The big question mark is: if things are a lot worse … the government is likely going to have to deliver additional programs beyond what they've already talked about." In trying to account for uncertainty, the government could be creating more — specifically in the bond market. Government bonds are used to raise funds and often make up a significant portion of individual savings portfolios. Without a clear picture of the government's finances, Page said people will have less confidence in buying government bonds. "The bond rating agencies, they're not going to like the fact that the government is not producing this type of financial document updating Parliament, updating Canadians, on the fiscal position," Page said. During the campaign, the Liberals promised $130 billion in new measures to boost the economy and transition the country through the trade war. The House returns at the end of May and is scheduled to rise for the summer before the end of June. That leaves little time for the Liberals to put forward a substantive budget. Former prime minister Stephen Harper's government tabled a budget in June 2011 despite that year's election taking place in early May. But the Conservatives largely had the budget ready beforehand, having tabled a similar document in March before the campaign. Page said he thinks it would be realistic for the government to provide a fiscal snapshot this spring and then table a full budget in October. WATCH | No Liberal budget in 2025 'extremely unusual,' Poilievre says: An economic statement, which is typically tabled in the fall, is different from a full budget. They can be used just to provide a snapshot of the government's finances and economic projections but they are sometimes considered a sort of mini-budget if new spending is included. The Liberal government was able to turn around an economic update in November 2015, roughly a month after taking office. "It's not sustainable for the finance minister not to put out some sort of economic and fiscal document, even if it's just the outlook, which would include the fiscal position of the government as Parliament makes these these changes to the tax act," Page said, referencing the promised tax cut the Liberals are aiming to pass by Canada Day. Even if the government doesn't table a budget, it doesn't mean current federal programs are at risk of running out of money. Budgets are required to outline any new spending the government wants to propose. But funding for ongoing programs is typically approved through different Parliamentary measures, namely the government's spending estimates. Governments are required to table main estimates once a year and supplementary estimates three times throughout the year while the House is sitting. During an election campaign, the government can use a measure known as special warrants to keep the lights on. In May, such a special warrant was issued and will cover operating costs until June. But the Liberals will need to present its spending estimates to cover costs past that point. WATCH | Blanchet wants details of Liberal tax cut: The main estimates are meant to be passed every March, but haven't yet been tabled this year because the House hasn't been sitting. The next deadline for the supplementary estimates to pass is June. But without a budget to outline the government's overarching fiscal priorities, spending on new items they promised during the campaign might be rolled out at a slower pace. "You can't implement what they've said they were going to implement without a budget … the clock is ticking," Page said, arguing that the bulk of the Liberal agenda might not get underway until 2026 or 2027. Young said smaller pieces of legislation will be required until the full fiscal outlook is laid out. "I expect we're going to see legislation coming forward one at a time," she said. "I think they'll move forward piecemeal until we get to the fall where we get to see the bigger picture."
Epoch Times
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Poilievre to Stay in Opposition Leader's Residence Ahead of Upcoming Byelection
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will continue to live in the residence of the official Opposition leader pending his bid to secure a Parliamentary seat in an upcoming Alberta byelection. Poilievre's unsuccessful bid for his Ontario riding in the recent federal election has raised questions about his eligibility to reside in , where he and his family have lived since shortly after he assumed leadership of the Conservative Party in 2022. The government-owned residence is intended for the leader of the official Opposition, a role that can only be assumed by a sitting MP. But interim Opposition leader Andrew Scheer has confirmed in a media statement this week that Poilievre and his family will remain in residence as the Tory leader gears up for an election campaign in the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot. 'It would be more costly to taxpayers to move the family out and then right back into the residence later this summer,' Scheer said in the statement. 'I have no intention to move into the residence and so we expect the family will just remain there through this short transition phase.' Poilievre lost his Ottawa-area riding of Carleton during the April 28 election after holding the seat for the past two decades. The riding's composition was changed after the 2021 election, which Poilievre won by more than 11,000 votes. Its boundaries were redrawn in 2022 based on census data. Related Stories 5/8/2025 5/10/2025 Alberta MP Damien Kurek offered to resign in his Battle River-Crowfoot riding shortly after Poilievre's loss to give him a chance to regain his seat in the House of Commons. The riding is a longtime Tory stronghold, which Kurek won with 81.8 percent of the vote. Kurek's resignation cannot be made official right away, however. An MP cannot officially resign until their election results are officially confirmed and free from legal disputes, which typically takes a minimum of 30 days. Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to announce the date of the byelection once Kurek's resignation is official. 'I will ensure that it happens as soon as possible,' Carney said on May 2. 'No games, nothing.' The byelection campaign must run for at least 36 days as set out in the . Conservative Party's Choice The Conservative Party's decision to allow Poilievre and his family to remain at Stornoway was not entirely unexpected, as Scheer suggested as much last week. Scheer said it didn't make sense to evict Poilievre from the residence for what would likely be a short duration until he reclaimed a seat. 'It does cost a lot of taxpayers money to move somebody out, move somebody in, just to move them out, just move somebody in again,' Scheer told CBC's 'Power & Politics,' adding that he had no desire to move into Stornoway while acting as interim leader. 'My own view on this is whatever is the most efficient, the most cost effective for Canadian taxpayers. We don't want this to add any extra burden.' Though Stornoway is government-owned, Privy Council Office spokesperson Daniel Savoie said in an email that it is up to the Conservative Party to decide who lives there. 'The Privy Council Office does not play a role in administering the Official Residences Act,' Savoie said. 'Any questions on how the Conservative Party will manage its leadership in the House of Commons in the future, and therefore who will reside at the official residence, should be directed to the Conservative Party.' Despite remaining at Stornoway leading up to the byelection, Poilievre has declined the severance pay made available to members of Parliament who lose their seats. Conservative Party communications director Sarah Fischer the Tory leader will not accept the payment because he expects to secure the Alberta seat in the House of Commons this summer.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here are the new faces in Prime Minister Carney's cabinet
Prime Minister Mark Carney overhauled his cabinet Tuesday in the wake of last month's election. The Liberals increased their seat count to 170, falling just short of a majority. The larger caucus gave the prime minister plenty of fresh faces and veteran MPs to choose from. Carney seems to have opted to shake things up, adding 24 new faces that previously haven't held cabinet portfolios. Of the 24, 15 are ministers and nine are secretaries of state — a sort of junior cabinet position. While a majority of Carney's ministers had been part of Justin Trudeau's Liberal caucus, 13 of them are first-time MPs. Ten former ministers were also dropped from their roles. You can read more about them here. Here is a look at the new faces joining the Liberal front bench. In his first, albeit brief, cabinet, Carney didn't appoint any ministers who had endorsed Chrystia Freeland in the Liberal leadership race — though he did give Freeland herself a spot. But in naming Julie Dabrusin minister of environment and climate change, Carney added a cabinet member who had backed one of his leadership rivals. The representative for Toronto-Danforth gets her first cabinet portfolio after nearly a decade as an MP. In April's vote, Dabrusin trounced her NDP opponent in former leader Jack Layton's old riding. Previously, Dabrusin had held a few parliamentary secretary positions, including to ministers of environment and natural resources. The former broadcaster joins cabinet in his first foray into elected politics. Solomon, who had previously worked for both CBC and CTV, is taking on the new role of minister of artificial intelligence. Solomon won his first election last month in the riding of Toronto Centre. In 2015, CBC fired the then host of Power & Politics and The House, following reports he was brokering art deals with people he interviewed as a journalist — including Carney. More recently, Solomon worked for the Eurasia Group as the publisher for GZERO Media. The newly elected representative for the riding of Edmonton Centre will be Alberta's sole representative at the cabinet table. Carney tapped Olszewski to be minister of emergency management and community resilience. She will also manage the department known as Prairies Economic Development Canada. Olszewski ran for the Liberals in 2015 and 2019 in the neighbouring riding of Edmonton Strathcona, but fell short both times. She now joins the Liberal caucus representing the riding previously held by former cabinet minister Randy Boissonnault. Mandy Gull-Masty, former grand chief of the Grand Council of the Crees, is the new minister of Indigenous services. The newly elected representative for the Quebec riding of Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou is one of three Indigenous MPs on Carney's front bench. Gull-Masty was first elected to public office in 2014, serving as deputy chief of her home community, the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi, where she held the finance, administration, housing and mining negotiation portfolios, according to the Grand Council of the Crees. She was elected as the first female Grand Chief of the Cree Nation Government in Quebec in 2021. The MP for Brampton-Chinguacousy Park enters cabinet for the first time as president of the Treasury Board. Ali is one of the veteran MPs in Carney's cabinet who has previously not held a portfolio. He has been an MP since 2021, and has been a member of a few House committees. Unlike some of the other MPs joining cabinet who had been part of caucus before the last election, Ali hadn't held a parliamentary secretary position — sometimes seen as a stepping stone to cabinet. But Ali has been quite active as a backbencher, joining over a dozen parliamentary groups and associations. He now takes over a role that is largely responsible for overseeing the federal public service. Ali was one of a number of MPs to have toured the West Bank last year and subsequently raised concerns about Israeli settler violence in the territory. Tim Hodgson is new to elected politics, but has some familiarity with government and with the prime minister himself. The MP for Markham-Thornhill worked with Carney during his tenure at the Bank of Canada, and will now serve as the minister of natural resources and energy. Hodgson also has private sector experience, most notably in his former role as the CEO of Goldman Sachs Canada. The representative for the Quebec riding of Louis-Hébert is another MP making the jump to cabinet after nearly a decade on the backbench. Lightbound was first elected in 2015 and has been a parliamentary secretary to a number of cabinet ministers. Carney has now given Lightbound his own portfolio as the minister of government transformation, public works and procurement. The veteran MP has not shied away from speaking out against the Liberal government in the past. Rebecca Chartrand, who identifies as Anishinaabe, Inninew, Dakota and Métis from Pine Creek First Nation, is one of three Indigenous members of Carney's cabinet. The newly elected MP jumps right into a cabinet role after unseating longtime NDP MP Niki Ashton in the northern Manitoba riding of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski. Chartrand was previously the president and CEO of Indigenous Strategy, a management consulting company. During her campaign, Chartrand promised to advance economic development opportunities in the North, ranging from the railway to the Port of Churchill and the abundance of critical minerals. She takes on the role of minister of northern and Arctic affairs and minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency. The new MP for the Northwest Territories is the only territorial member of cabinet, having been sworn in as the minister of Crown-Indigenous relations. Alty is one of the new MPs jumping right into a cabinet position. She previously served as mayor and city councillor in Yellowknife. Alty had promised to push for federal funding related to an Indigenous conservation deal in the territory — something she could now potentially have influence over in her cabinet role. The former Vancouver mayor will take on a cabinet position after notching his first federal electoral win. The new MP for Vancouver Fraserview-South Burnaby will be Carney's housing and infrastructure minister. He will also be responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada. Robertson was Vancouver's mayor from 2008 to 2018. He also served as a New Democrat B.C. legislative member from 2005 to 2008. Heath MacDonald will be the cabinet representative from P.E.I., taking on the role of agriculture minister. The agriculture file had previously been held by Lawrence MacAulay, another Islander and longtime minister who decided not to run this past election. MacDonald is not a new face in the Liberal caucus — he was first elected in 2021. Though he hasn't previously been a parliamentary secretary, he has previously been the chair of the House public safety committee. McKnight is another rookie MP who Carney has immediately put in his cabinet. She will be taking on the role of veteran affairs minister and associate minister of national defence. A small business owner, McKnight won last month in the B.C. riding of Delta, which included parts of former minister and MP Carla Qualtrough's riding. Before entering electoral politics, McKnight served as the executive director of the Delta Chamber of Commerce. Like Dabrusin, Diab had endorsed Freeland in the Liberal leadership race. Despite that, Carney named the Nova Scotia MP the new minister or immigration, refugees and citizenship. Diab was first elected in Halifax West in 2021. Though she hasn't held a parliamentary secretary position, Diab has been the chair of the House justice committee. The child of Lebanese immigrants, Diab brings provincial cabinet experience to her new job. She had previously been an N.S. MLA and held a number of provincial cabinet positions — including immigration — during her tenure. The new minister of health is also a rookie MP. Marjorie Michel won her seat last month in the Montreal riding of Papineau — the same riding that former prime minister Justin Trudeau represented. Michel is a longtime Liberal organizer. She previously served as Trudeau's deputy chief of staff and worked as the party's director of campaign operations in Quebec during the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Michel had initially been tapped to be the Liberal deputy campaign director back in the fall when Trudeau was still party leader. An MP since 2019, Sidhu gets his first cabinet role as minister of international trade — likely to be a key portfolio given the ongoing U.S. trade war. The MP for Brampton East has been a parliamentary secretary for a number of ministers — including his two predecessors, Dominic LeBlanc and Mary Ng. Sidhu was an early backer of Carney's leadership bid. A former Saskatchewan Liberal and NDP MLA, Belanger will be the secretary of state for rural development. Belanger, who is Métis, is one of three Indigenous members of Carney's cabinet. After winning his riding, the newly elected MP said he wanted to convene a series of summits bringing together leaders, artists, land stewards and language keepers to shape a shared vision for the North's future. Belanger won the Liberals' first seat in Saskatchewan since 2019, and will be the province's sole representative in caucus and at the cabinet table. Fuhr was an MP from 2015 to 2019, before losing his B.C. seat to Conservative Tracy Gray. Fuhr was able to take the seat back from Gray in last month's election. For his second term as an MP, the representative for Kelowna will have a cabinet role — albeit a junior position — serving as the secretary of state for defence procurement. During his first stint as an MP, Fuhr was chair of the House defence committee. He is the first and only Liberal MP to be elected in B.C.'s interior in the last 50 years. Gainey had been an adviser with the Liberal government before making the jump into electoral politics 2023. She won a byelection that year in the Montreal riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount to replace outgoing MP and former cabinet minister Marc Garneau. Gainey advised two ministers of national defence and veterans affairs, and is a former president of the Liberal Party. The Montreal MP will be Carney's secretary of state for children and youth. First elected in 2015, Long now gets his first cabinet role. He will be the secretary of state responsible for the Canada Revenue Agency and financial institutions. Long was one of the more outspoken MPs calling on Trudeau to resign. The New Brunswick MP had initially signalled he wouldn't run again but decided to stay on after Carney won the leadership. In the past, Long also broke ranks with his party over small business tax changes. Provost, a survivor of the 1989 Montreal massacre and longtime gun control advocate, is taking on the role of secretary of state for nature. Provost won her first election last month in the Quebec riding of Châteauguay-Les Jardins-de-Napierville. Carney would often tout Provost's candidacy during the campaign when emphasizing his party's commitment to firearm regulations. In an embarrassing moment early in the campaign, the Liberal leader mispronounced Provost's name. Sarai has been an MP since 2015, but this will be his first time at the cabinet table. Carney named the Surrey Centre MP as the secretary of state for international development. Since his first election, Sarai has been a parliamentary secretary for veterans affairs. He has also been the chair of the House justice committee. Sarai has found himself in hot water in the past. The MP invited Jaspal Atwal — who was convicted of attempting to assassinate an Indian cabinet minister in 1986 — to a pair of high-level receptions during Trudeau's 2018 trip to India. Sarai apologized and resigned as chair of his party's Pacific caucus. The former Olympian turned politician is now the secretary of state for sport. Van Koeverden was first elected in 2019, unseating longtime Conservative MP and former cabinet minister Lisa Raitt. He has held a number of parliamentary secretary roles, including for former ministers of sport. But this is his first time at the cabinet table. Van Koeverden won a gold medal in kayaking at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Although she is a former Alberta NDP MLA, Mclean won a seat for the federal Liberals in B.C. A lawyer by trade, McLean won the riding of Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, which had been held by the NDP since 2011. McLean is now the secretary of state for seniors. Zerucelli is a rookie MP taking on the role of secretary of state for labour. He was elected in the Toronto riding of Etobicoke North, a seat formerly held by longtime Liberal MP and former cabinet minister Kirsty Duncan. Although he is a new MP, Toronto Life magazine listed Zerucelli as having worked for the Trudeau PMO in 2016.
CBC
07-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Is CUSMA the best path out of the trade war with the U.S.?
Business groups see glimmer of hope after Carney-Trump meeting 6 hours ago Duration 3:37 Social Sharing Business leaders were hopeful the White House meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump would provide a framework for how trade talks may progress. After the two leaders spoke in the Oval Office, an unlikely winner appears to be emerging: the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade (CUSMA, or USMCA as it's called in the United States). At his Oval Office meeting with Carney, Trump was asked if USMCA is dead. "No, it was actually very effective and it's still very effective. But people have to follow it. That's been the problem, people haven't followed it," Trump said. In the very next breath, he mused that the trade deal was a transitional step that may not be needed in the future. But his embrace of the agreement might be just enough to reset the parameters of the Canada-U.S. trade talks. "I think the president has opened a wide open door and we need to drive through it," said Goldy Hyder, president of the Business Council of Canada. CUSMA compliance Since the outbreak of the trade dispute, Hyder has said repeatedly that CUSMA is the best mechanism to resolve the conflict. He says many Canadian companies didn't have to take steps to become CUSMA compliant because they were given "Most Favoured Nation" status under previous trade deals. Trump has repeatedly accused the Canadians of cheating. And some say having so many products that are non-compliant with CUSMA added fuel to that. RBC economics says the vast majority of Canadian exports could be CUSMA compliant if the companies went through the process. "By our count, more than 94 per cent of Canadian exports to the U.S. are likely compliant with CUSMA rules of origin," wrote RBC's deputy chief economist Nathan Janzen. WATCH | What happened during the Trump-Carney meeting: What went down in Carney and Trump's Oval Office meeting 13 hours ago Duration 5:42 Power & Politics host David Cochrane breaks down what happened when Prime Minister Mark Carney met with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in front of reporters, from the tone of the meeting to what was said. Hyder says going through the process of making sure most Canadian products are actually compliant under the new deal, as opposed to old deals, will help assuage some of the concerns from the White House. He says that message was made loud and clear by the president during his public statements with Carney. "A recognition very publicly that the best way forward is through the USMCA," said Hyder. He says framing the dispute through CUSMA also serves to contain some of the volatility associated with the tariffs and threats emanating from the White House. An opportunity for Canada? One problem so far has been the sprawling nature of the president's complaints. Trump has railed against everything from autos and steel to energy and making Canada the 51st state. The issues were so big and so varied, it was hard to see how the dispute may end. Longtime veterans of Canada-U.S. trade didn't expect Trump to emerge from the meeting with Carney as the defender of the trade deal. "I was rather surprised that President Trump was defending CUSMA as a good deal," said former diplomat and long-serving politician Frank McKenna. That could prove advantageous, since Canada has issues it wants to resolve as well, according to McKenna. "We need to make them understand this is a two-way negotiation," said McKenna. One issue near the top of that list was highlighted by Carney as he told Trump Canada wants some changes to the deal as well. "Part of the way you have conducted these tariffs has taken advantage of existing aspects of USMCA," he told Trump. Possible next steps Businesses and business associations have repeatedly told the politicians to find a way to get talks moving. The uncertainty caused by the tariffs is weighing on business investment in both countries. The tariffs themselves are hurting businesses across the continent. At first blush, business associations seemed optimistic after the meeting at the White House. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce said a relationship reset was much needed. President and CEO Candace Laing said she was impressed with the tone of the meeting and the sense of momentum it gave. "Our two countries working and making things together will be mutually beneficial for decades to come, if we are able to keep discussions like today's going," said Laing in a statement Wednesday. The question is how to get negotiations actually moving. "We agreed to have further conversations in the coming weeks and we are looking forward to meeting in person at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis in Alberta," said Carney. CUSMA is not technically supposed to be renegotiated until 2026. But Hyder and others say there's no need to wait. In fact, Hyder says Carney should suggest a meeting of Canada, Mexico and the U.S. on the sidelines of the G7 to jump start those talks. "Call them to the G7, have a sidebar North American leaders summit, put on the agenda: where do we go from here?" says Hyder. One key question lingering over the trade war has been what an exit ramp might look like. At the White House this week, Trump laid out one clear path. He may change his mind; the president has a volatile nature.
