Canada Could Use a New Approach to Dealing With Trump This Time

Following the news that Donald J. Trump would return for a second term as U.S. president, the reaction of Canada’s cabinet ministers was uniform. In essence, they have all urged Canadians to stop worrying because they’ve dealt with Mr. Trump before and they have a playbook.

Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, shown in 2019, spoke by phone on Wednesday.Credit…Evan Vucci/Associated Press

“I want to say with utter sincerity and conviction to Canadians that Canada will be absolutely fine,” Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister and finance minister, told reporters on Wednesday morning. “Let’s remember that our trading relationship today is governed by the trade deal concluded by President Trump himself and his team. That’s really, really important.”

“Throughout the last month and last years, we’ve been developing very strong ties with his team,” Mélanie Joly, the foreign minister, said. “So we have a plan and we’re ready.”

For this special edition of the Canada Letter, I spoke with several people who study or have been active in relations between the two countries. And not one of them shared any of the government’s optimistic outlook about how Canada would fare or how easy it would be for Canada to deal with Mr. Trump again.

“Ministers, senior officials, all have to play that game,” Wesley Wark, who studies intelligence and national security issues at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, told me. “I just hope they know in their heart of hearts that it’s a game and they have to be steeled for something much more difficult.”