Mark Carney is back in the news as the ubiquitous champion of the old, rules-based international order.
Building on a speech he made in Davos earlier this year to the effect that “middle” powers should huddle together for warmth in an era dominated by superpower rivalry, he sought this week to further cosy up to the EU as an alternative to increasingly hostile relations with Trump’s America.
It’s fair to say that the Canadian prime minister’s speech to the European parliament was more important for its political signalling than its real-world economic significance. Ever since Trump made Canada the butt end of his war on international trade, Carney has ridden a wave of offended Canadian patriotism.
