After another day of drama, there is no NAFTA deal, and talks have been suspended until Wednesday. And what drama there was, when off-the-record comments that Donald Trump made in an interview with Bloomberg were leaked to the Toronto Star, who published them, which showed Trump bragging that he wasn’t negotiating with Canada in good faith, and later in the day, he confirmed the remarks over Twitter with the note “at least Canada knows where I stand.” (Speculation now stands in that he deliberately leaked the comments). The revelation of the comments no doubt put a strain on the talks, but Chrystia Freeland later noted that she was negotiating with Robert Lighthizer, not Trump, and he was negotiating in good faith. So a little wedge in there, in any case. But in the end, Freeland insisted that we are close to a deal, so we’ll see once the long weekend is over and tempers cool a little.

https://twitter.com/InklessPW/status/1035582322668498944

Meanwhile, here’s a look at the issue of Chapter 19 – arbitration – that the Americans want scrapped even though it’s been as useful to them as it has been for us, so it’s a demand that makes no sense. Also, here are other things to look for when a deal is concluded, and what areas that we have made concessions on and what it means.

Good reads:

• Justin Trudeau reiterated his intention to ensure that the Trans Mountain pipeline gets built, and sounds like he’s not planning to appeal the decision.
• Amajeet Sohi cautioned Rachel Notley about pulling out of the national climate framework over the Trans Mountain ruling (while not really admitting culpability).
• Here’s a look at how the FCA ruling on Trans Mountain can hurt Trudeau’s credibility when it comes to the pipeline and Indigenous files.
• The government announced 19 new judicial appointments yesterday – but there are still 45 more vacancies (and nobody can figure out why this is taking so long).
• The rail line to Churchill, Manitoba, has finally been sold and repairs are now proceeding to ensure they’re done before winter.
• New parliamentary secretaries were announced, and four MPs are heading to the backbenches. Don Rusnak and Celina Casear-Chavannes say it was their choice.
• Andrew Scheer’s office tried to defend his tweets about how Canadian oil is the “cleanest” and “most ethical.” (It’s not, as shown here).
• Maxime Bernier takes to the National Post to explain himself, citing that the country has been “hijacked” by special interest groups and corporate welfare seekers.
• Andrew Coyne says that the Liberals’ attempts to virtuously juggle both pipelines and the environment and Indigenous rights may leave them with nothing.
• Jen Gerson worries that there is no standard for “meaningful” consultation in the FCA ruling on the Trans Mountain pipeline, which will invite further challenges.
• Colby Cosh notes that as much as we may be frustrated by the FCA ruling, insisting the country is “closed for business” smacks of authoritarianism.

Programming note:No post on Monday for the long weekend. Enjoy!

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