Mark Carney got the balancing act right after having to walk a narrow diplomatic tightrope in his first meeting with Donald Trump.
Carney went into the Oval Office on Tuesday with competing objectives as he pursues a major reset in ties with Washington.
First, the newly elected Canadian Prime Minister needed to establish an effective working relationship with the US President.
Carney’s project to recast Canada’s most important international relationship, reduce reliance on the US and foster greater economic diversification is a momentous undertaking.
The pathway to achieving it will be far smoother with the understanding of Washington, while the entire endeavour becomes considerably more challenging should Trump take a hostile view of his Canadian counterpart.
This was always a risk for Carney, given Trump’s unpredictable nature, his low opinion of former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and the reality that previous Oval Office encounters have veered off the rails. Witness what happened to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in February.
Carney passed this first test. Both men were cautious, civil and respectful in their initial encounter, despite the Canadian leader winning a historic election victory on April 28 based on a tidal wave of anti-Trump sentiment.
Second, Carney entered the Oval Office knowing he needed to project a new sense of national purpose and strength. This meant rejecting any attacks on Canada’s sovereignty or talk of the country becoming America’s 51st state. After all, this is why Carney was elected, and he needs to keep faith with Canadian voters.
Yet this would also risk a public argument with Trump in front of the world’s media.
Carney would need to thread the needle – stand up for Canada, signal his disagreement with Trump on Canada becoming a part of America, while also laying the foundations for a strong and effective working relationship with the US President.
This was no easy feat, yet the politically inexperienced Carney demonstrated he was up to the task. He respectfully disagreed with Trump and informed him that Canadians would not change their minds on becoming the 51st state.
He put this in language Trump would understand as a property developer, noting that some places – including the White House itself – were simply not for sale.
“As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale,” Mr Carney said. “We are sitting in one right now.
“And having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign over the last several months, it’s not for sale. It won’t be for sale – ever,” he said.
Trump took the rejection in his stride, only urging the Canadian leader to “never say never” – a sign he will not let go of his dream of acquiring America’s northern neighbour.
The meeting occurred without incident in a major victory for both sides, but this was only the first hurdle for Carney.
Whether he can achieve his desired reset will take time, serious effort and careful management of the relationship with Washington and Trump himself.
Trump sues News Corp over Epstein birthday letter article
The defamation lawsuit was filed in a Florida federal court
The UK closed a tax loophole for rich expats – now they’re fleeing
Instead of paying up, wealthy expats are getting out — sparking questions about whether the move will raise any money at all.