Canada found itself in a precarious position on Monday morning after Mexico cut a deal with President Trump to postpone tariffs in exchange for a major deployment of forces along the border between the two countries.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada spoke to President Trump on Monday morning but no such compromise was reached between the two. A senior Canadian government official with knowledge of the call said the situation was still in flux ahead of a second phone call between the two leaders scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern, but did not express optimism that a compromise could be reached.
The diverging fates of Mexico and Canada highlight an early rift between the two allies who, together with the United States, have long had a deep tripartite free trade agreement, originally known as NAFTA. Its successor, known as the US-Mexico-Canada agreement, was negotiated by Mr. Trump during his first presidency.
But when Mr. Trump first threatened tariffs against Canada and Mexico in November, citing illegal migration and fentanyl flowing into the United States from both neighbors, some Canadian politicians rushed to throw Mexico under the bus.
Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, a prominent voice on the topic, and others suggested that the United States should form a separate deal with Canada and ditch Mexico. The argument focused on the vast difference between the two borders: Only a fraction of the undocumented migrants and fentanyl entering the United States come from Canada compared to Mexico.
While Mr. Trudeau did not suggest ditching Mexico, the relationship between the two countries suffered deeply. The senior Canadian official previously said that the trust between them had been reduced to zero.
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