Uh oh
Justin Trudeau takes jab at Donald Trump's 'America First' doctrine
Justin Trudeau has made a barely disguised jab at Donald Trump's inward-focused 'America First' doctrine, imploring governors from across the US to promote a "thinner border" with Canada.
Becoming the first Canadian Prime Minister to speak at the National Governors' Association - he told the the US governors gathered in Providence, Rhode Island, that the US-Canada relationship was "a model for the world" and both sides must continue to work to "get it right".
"Sometimes getting it right means refusing to take the politically tempting shortcuts. More trade barriers, more local content provisions, more preferential access for homegrown players and government procurement, for example, does not help working families over the long term or even the midterm," he said.
Mr Trudeau to be referring to the US stance on the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) between the US, Canada and Mexico, which Mr Trump has threatened to rip up if he can't make it "fairer" to America.
The Canadian leader said isolationism between the nations could lead to "a race for the bottom" that hurts workers in all nations.
“Canada doesn't want to go there. If anything, we'd like a thinner border for trade, not a thicker one," Mr Trudeau said.
He also urged the governors to get involved in the federal government's negotiations on the agreement to protect their own citizens.
"To boil this down to one point: Canada is the [America's] biggest, best customer — by far," Mr Trudeau said.
Justin Trudeau takes jab at Donald Trump's 'America First' doctrine
Justin Trudeau takes jab at Donald Trump's 'America First' doctrine
Justin Trudeau has made a barely disguised jab at Donald Trump's inward-focused 'America First' doctrine, imploring governors from across the US to promote a "thinner border" with Canada.
Becoming the first Canadian Prime Minister to speak at the National Governors' Association - he told the the US governors gathered in Providence, Rhode Island, that the US-Canada relationship was "a model for the world" and both sides must continue to work to "get it right".
"Sometimes getting it right means refusing to take the politically tempting shortcuts. More trade barriers, more local content provisions, more preferential access for homegrown players and government procurement, for example, does not help working families over the long term or even the midterm," he said.
Mr Trudeau to be referring to the US stance on the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) between the US, Canada and Mexico, which Mr Trump has threatened to rip up if he can't make it "fairer" to America.
The Canadian leader said isolationism between the nations could lead to "a race for the bottom" that hurts workers in all nations.
“Canada doesn't want to go there. If anything, we'd like a thinner border for trade, not a thicker one," Mr Trudeau said.
He also urged the governors to get involved in the federal government's negotiations on the agreement to protect their own citizens.
"To boil this down to one point: Canada is the [America's] biggest, best customer — by far," Mr Trudeau said.
Justin Trudeau takes jab at Donald Trump's 'America First' doctrine
