Mark Carney was asking for Trump’s tariffs

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Wednesday that his Liberal government will recognize the state of Palestine at the United Nations in September, following the recent trend set by France and the UK.

The decision to recognize Palestine at a time when the bloodthirsty terrorist organization Hamas is firmly in control is abhorrent, especially when the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel is still so fresh in many people’s minds. Democratic countries like Canada shouldn’t be enhancing the status of a murderous outfit that’s the equivalent of pure evil in our world.

The Canadian government argues that they have put restrictions in place that must occur before recognition is approved. Carney said the Palestinian Authority must hold an election in 2026 and Hamas cannot be involved. He also insisted that Hamas releases the remaining Israeli hostages, and there must be a demilitarized Palestine. “Preserving a two-state solution means standing with all people who choose peace over violence or terrorism,” the PM said at Wednesday’s press conference, “and honoring their innate desire for the peaceful co-existence of Israeli and Palestinian states as the only roadmap for a secure and prosperous future.”

Let’s put aside the obvious fact that terrorist groups like Hamas can’t be trusted when it comes to negotiating terms and conditions for just about anything. Does anyone truly believe Hamas’s leadership gives a tinker’s dam about Carney’s demands? Canada is a middle power with virtually no influence or cachet on the international stage since the path of destruction that former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau left in his wake. If Hamas barely pays attention to larger, more influential countries who have come around to their way of thinking, their perception of Canada won’t change. 

There isn’t a chance in hell that Hamas will drop its political and military influence in Palestine. They’ll be pleased with the UN’s recognition of Palestinian statehood, but their end game hasn’t changed. That is: to destroy democracy, liberty and freedom in the West and beyond. Their enemies, including Israel, the US, France, the UK and yes, Canada, won’t suddenly become bosom buddies and lifelong chums.

In fairness, Carney’s announcement could be for purely selfish reasons. He may believe it will solidify his political support among Canadian progressives. There’s some validity to this argument. Since he has a minority government, much like Trudeau did on two previous occasions, it could be the best solution to achieving long-term Liberal electoral support. While Carney’s decision will frustrate Canadian Jews, he knows there are many more voters in Canada’s Arab and Muslim community – including young ones.   

Yet Canada’s relations with the US is another piece of this puzzle. Carney’s timing with this announcement couldn’t have been much worse, unless it was planned in advance to infuriate US President Donald Trump. 

Canada and the US have been in the midst of a tariff battle. It started during the latter stages of Trudeau’s leadership last year, complete with Trump’s comments about Canada becoming the “51st US state.” A sizeble number of left-leaning Canadians foolishly believed Carney was the best leadership choice to take on Trump. That’s why his Liberals won the April 28 federal election. The working relationship between these two leaders seemed more positive at first blush, which wasn’t difficult to achieve with the bumbling Trudeau out of the picture. Some believed there was faint hope for a resolution before the August 1 deadline. 

Alas, Carney’s con job with the Canadian electorate has been fully exposed. Early this morning, Trump announced that he was increasing the tariff rate on Canadian products from 25 to 35 percent.

Even before Canada’s Palestinian recognition statement, it was clear the tariff negotiations weren’t going particularly well. Canada had briefly threatened to double its counter-tariffs on US metals from 25 to 50 percent and Carney’s own tone changed dramatically this month. He went from telling the press that Canada was in “intensive negotiations with the Americans” to resolve the tariff battle to making this eye-raising statement: “we’re working hard to get a deal, but we’ll only accept the right deal with the United States. The right deal is possible, but nothing’s assured.” It also didn’t help matters that Carney began to focus more heavily on a trade and security partnership with the European Union at the same time, even suggesting Canada was the “most European of non-European countries.”

Carney’s announcement about Palestine was a slap in the face to Trump, who strongly supports Israel and regards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a political ally. “Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. “That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh Canada!!!”

A trade deal between the two countries to reduce the 35 percent tariffs now seems highly unlikely. Carney has suggested that the talks may not end today, but he appears to be focusing on “broader discussions” like defense spending and investments. In other words, the tariffs will remain in place and the faith placed in him by far too many Canadian voters will be for naught.

Is Carney bothered by the mess he’s caused? It sure doesn’t seem like it.