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After Canada has spent months trying to charm the new administration in Washington and avoid getting caught in the net of an America First trade policy — an effort that Conservatives have been happy to support — the president’s recent pointed criticism of Canada comes as a disappointment to Canadians.

We seem to be drifting towards drawn-out, adversarial wrangling, as Congress, lobbyists, and trade bureaucrats take advantage of the re-opening of NAFTA to have an old-fashioned showdown with Canada over stubborn bilateral issues. The uncertainty is already hampering business investment on both sides of the border.