“Do not worry about Canada, do not even think about them.”That’s what Donald Trump told Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto during a January phone call regarding the NAFTA trade agreement, according to leaked transcripts obtained by the Washington Post.Peña Nieto was referencing the future of the relationship among the three countries that are part of NAFTA, which is being renegotiated at the behest of Trump who has called it a “disaster.”But Trump told him not to worry about the northern nation. “Well, Canada is no problem,” he urged. “That is a separate thing and they are fine and we have a very fair relationship with Canada. It has been much more balanced and much more fair. So we do not have to worry about Canada, we do not even think about them.”NAFTA renegotiation talks are set to begin in Washington later this month, and the Canadians are in the process of beefing up their delegations.In April, the Trump administration imposed new tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber and vowed to take action against the Canadian dairy industry, which he has described as “taking advantage” of American dairy farmers.At home, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing accusations of jeopardizing the NAFTA talks through his cover story in this month’s Rolling Stone, where he’s portrayed as the anti-Trump.Trudeau has said NAFTA negotiations are “too important to fall into partisanship” and that the agreement is crucial to both the U.S. and Canadian economies.
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