In this week's special edition of the MBP Intelligence Briefing, Ben Woodfinden is joined by Diamond Isinger, trade expert, policy strategist and Fellow at the UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, along with Ken Boessenkool and Tyler Meredith, for an in-depth discussion of the escalating Canada–U.S. trade war following the collapse of negotiations with the Trump administration.
The panel begins with Prime Minister Carney’s decision to suspend negotiations and walk away from a potential agreement rather than accept significant last-minute U.S. demands. With new Section 338 tariffs now in effect and Canada preparing dollar-for-dollar retaliation, they examine what went wrong at the negotiating table, whether the United States remains a credible negotiating partner, and why the current trade fight could become a prolonged conflict.
The conversation then turns to the future of CUSMA and whether the agreement still offers Canada meaningful protection as the United States increasingly acts outside its existing trade commitments. They discuss how Canada should retaliate, what support affected businesses and workers may need, and why trade diversification and new international investment relationships are becoming increasingly important.
Finally, the panel considers the broader implications for Canadian sovereignty. If Washington is seeking to restrict Canada’s ability to negotiate trade agreements with other countries, they argue, the dispute is no longer simply about tariffs—it raises fundamental questions about Canada’s economic independence and its ability to pursue its own relationships around the world.
In this episode, they discuss: