(Leith Dunick, Thunder Bay Newswatch)
On Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a visit to my hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario to announce $4.7 billion (roughly $3.4 billion in U.S. dollars) in funding for Alstom to build and maintain 300 plus rail cars for VIA Rail, Canada's national passenger rail system.
Following the press conference, Carney was asked about Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick's comments that Canada walked away from the deal for domestic political reasons.
Indeed, Lutnick has made this claim on more than one occasion. Last month, Lutnick asserted that Carney's claim concerning the use of French language on labeling was intended to affect the ability of the Parti Quebecois to win provincial election in Quebec next month.
Then on Wednesday, Lutnick claimed that Canada started "adding crazy ideas to the mix" at the last minute and that he asked "one of the ministers" if he was trying to blow up the deal. Lutnick alleged that minister told him he wasn't permitted to say so. The only minister present at the negotiations at the time was Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc who has not commented on the matter.
For his part, Carney replied in part, "I don't think, with all respect, appointed, unelected cabinet members in the United States are experts on Canadian politics."
Indeed, I doubt that Lutnick could find Thunder Bay on a map much less name all 10 Canadian provinces and our three territories.
I also doubt that LeBlanc or anyone in the Canadian delegation made a non-denial denial to Lutnick about trying to blow up trade negotiations. Given Lutnick's dishonesty about his association with Jeffrey Epstein (not to mention his association with a pathological liar like Trump), I am not inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.
While Trump, Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent decry Canada, Carney is moving forward in helping to bring more manufacturing to my home and native land.
My work colleagues are staggered to hear a world leader speak with an even tone in complete sentences (in two different languages) who actually tries to work for the betterment of the people he was elected to lead.
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