I noted earlier today that Trump extracted nothing new from Mexico in exchange for suspending his threat of tariffs against the country. It’s a similar story now with Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the tariffs have been suspended in exchange for the following:

Canada is implementing our $1.3 billion border plan — reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border.

In addition, Canada is making new commitments to appoint a Fentanyl Czar, we will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada- U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering. I have also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl and we will be backing it with $200 million.

The $1.3 billion border plan was announced in December. So there’s no movement on that front.

The “new commitments” are either pointless or not new. Does anyone seriously believe that Canada’s appointing a fentanyl czar will make any measurable difference in drug overdose deaths? The Canadian government had already announced plans to better coordinate federal law enforcement efforts at the border, with a statement specifically mentioning organized crime, fentanyl, and money laundering, in January.

The bigger issue for Canada is that Trudeau won’t be the prime minister anymore come next month, and Canada is headed for an election in which the Conservative Party led by Pierre Poilievre will almost certainly win a majority. Poilievre has also been campaigning on border security and fighting crime. Trump will have a natural ally on these issues as prime minister of Canada in a short time.

Instead of laying the groundwork for that beneficial relationship, Trump has put Poilievre in the awkward position of having to say that Canada will continue to exist and wonder why imports from his country would be taxed more than twice as high as those from China. “Fentanyl’s coming from China. It’s killing our people too,” Poilievre said.

Trump’s electoral mandate for border security was about to align with Poilievre’s electoral mandate for border security. Now, in the name of securing the border, Trump has blown up the trade agreement he negotiated during his first term in exchange for meaningless promises from a Canadian prime minister who won’t be in office in less than two months. If this is great negotiating, I’d hate to see what poor negotiating looks like.