Canada's Trump pitch: Strong country helps "make America great again"

• "Let's be absolutely clear: A 'Canada Strong' will help make America great again," Carney said Thursday at the Economic Club of New York, borrowing President Trump's slogan to pitch a deeper partnership on autos, aluminum and critical minerals.
• Acknowledging U.S.-Canadian tensions, Carney said: "We have always worked and eventually worked through [our differences], because we share values and our common interests run deep."

Between the lines: Already fraught bilateral tensions have taken a more adversarial turn ahead of the mandatory USMCA review, which requires the three countries to decide by July 1 whether to extend the agreement for another 16 years.

• Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Rick Switzer said last month that there's "not a grown-up in Canada in charge."
• While Carney was in New York, U.S. officials announced formal USMCA renegotiation dates with Mexico — with no talks set yet with Canada.
• Canada has sought stronger trade ties with the rest of the world, a deliberate push to reduce dependence on the U.S. market as Trump ratcheted up tariffs.

The big picture: Carney did not mention USMCA by name, though his call for a "Fortress North America" hinted at the deal's importance.

• Carney, a former two-time central banker, framed Canadian aluminum exports to the U.S. as "the energy equivalent of 10 Hoover Dams," arguing it made little sense to replicate that capacity domestically.
• Carney said that the North American market was "the best and most durable way to confront" intense global competition.

The bottom line: USMCA has shielded the U.S. from the worst of its own trade policies, though U.S.-Canadian tensions raise the risk that buffer will disappear.

• "It's still the case that 85% of our trade goes across tariff-free. ... Everyone benefits from that," Carney said.