The latest arbitrary deadline to a gratuitous threat made by an untrustworthy president falls this week when Aug. 19 arrives and the U.S. does or does not introduce 50 per cent tariffs on a package of Canadian goods.
The degree to which this seizes Mark Carney might be indicated by the fact the prime minister chose to spend a week vacationing in Italy rather than nibbling his nails as the minutes ticked down. Sure, his aides say he stayed in close contact with Ottawa, but anyone who’s spent any time in Italy knows that distant crises always seem somewhat less desperate when considered over a cappuccino while pondering a statue or two in a pleasant piazza.
