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You’d have to go way back to the years 1980-82 for the last time that Canada’s relationship with the United States had hit such a bilateral low. Right now, the two longstanding friends are barely speaking to one another.

At the recent gathering of world leaders at the United Nations in New York, beleaguered U.S. President Donald Trump could barely muster the energy to shake Justin Trudeau’s outstretched hand. In the past, that would never have happened at such an international gathering.

Additionally, at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Trump made clear that he pointedly turned down a one-on-one meeting with our Canadian prime minister. Asked by a reporter why he did so, Trump explained bluntly: “Because his (Trudeau’s) tariffs are too high and he doesn’t seem to want to move and I’ve told him forget about it.”

The Prime Minister’s Office, meanwhile, has stated plainly that no bilateral meeting or “pull aside” was actually requested by Canada. If that is true, then President Trump is obviously lying. And I can’t recall another U.S. administration treating Canada in such a shabby manner — and with such disrespect.

Trump then went on to add insult to injury at that same presser. “We are very unhappy with the negotiations and the negotiating style of Canada. We don’t like their representative very much. They’ve taken advantage … ” he said angrily. This does not sound like a new NAFTA 2.0 agreement is around the corner.

Still, one thing is for sure: Canada should continue to stay at the NAFTA negotiating table. If the Americans want to break off formal negotiations, let them make that call. We need to hang tough and force their hand on this.

It’s a gamble, I know. But we have to hope that Trump wants a trilateral deal badly enough for the upcoming mid-term congressional elections that he will eventually make the requisite compromises.

Ottawa also has to hope that the U.S. Congress, which has significant authority over matters of trade, will insist on Canada being part of any larger commercial pact. It’s not a sure bet, but it’s better than caving in to every single U.S. demand for Canadian concessions.

We need to realize that this is the only leverage that we have at the moment. Remember: Canada just can’t force the Americans to accede to our key demands. So now is not the time to squander whatever leverage we have by cutting a lousy deal for Canada.

Look, we can’t just sell out to the Americans on Chapter 19/20 (dispute-settlement mechanisms), agricultural supply management, “Buy America” provisions and even on lowering duties for imported online purchases. If that is going to be the case, there’s no need for having a “tweaked” NAFTA (or whatever Trump wants to rename it) in the first place.

And here’s the real kicker: the U.S. side is even unwilling to promise that it will not invoke outrageously protectionist measures like Section 232 or the so-called “national security” pretext in a post-NAFTA 2.0 world. Clearly, we would be better off having no NAFTA at all than to settle for this total capitulation.

Really, the critical question right now is not whether there is going to be a revitalized NAFTA or not. It is, more precisely, whether the Trudeau government can win the next federal election in 2019 without a revamped NAFTA in place.

I just can’t believe that the Canadian electorate would be kind to the Trudeau government if it signed off on a deal that heavily favoured the Americans. Put simply, it’s a political loser that will only engender a significant loss of seats for the federal Liberals — including here in Atlantic Canada.

But I’m relatively certain that the Trudeau Liberals could say to voters that they stood up to the bully-boy Trump and said enough already; that they stood up for vital Canadian interests at the NAFTA negotiating table and said no more; and were not prepared to sell out Canadian farmers for precious little in return. Now, that type of federal campaign discourse could be a real political winner, given Trump’s enormous unpopularity in Canada.

And if the federal Conservatives want to campaign on the fact that Canada should have cut a bad deal with Trump’s America, then let them. I can just imagine the political advertising visuals: a picture of President Trump alongside a smiling Uncle Sam-clad Conservative Party Leader, Andrew Scheer. As Trump might say: “Not good.”

Peter McKenna is professor and chair of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown.