Canada will have an unusual inauguration day in Washington
Some Donald Trump fans took photos of the unexpected scene in downtown Washington during the inauguration ceremony.
“Canada congratulates Donald Trump,” he shouted on Sunday as he read a sign above the Canadian embassy on Pennsylvania Avenue, surrounded by giant maple leaf flags.
“Do you think Justin Trudeau is there?”
No, the Prime Minister was not there. But more than 1,500 people may actually attend Canada’s quadrennial inauguration day celebration on Monday.
This year’s event is weird.
The lack of a Pennsylvania Avenue parade due to inclement weather isn’t the only reason this is an unusual party.
This is the first time since the Canadian Embassy opens at a location of his choice In 1989, there is no official party to witness the live from the traditional party by Capitol Hill.
Another quirk: Revelers will be anxiously waiting all day for a series of potentially damaging executive orders threatened by the star of the day, Trump.
It’s like having a party and wondering if you’re on the menu.
There are countless rumors about what economic penalties Trump might impose: A small tariff? A large tariff with loopholes? Temporary rate? The process of applying tariffs at the end? Or he will follow through on his most serious threat yet: the full 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. has said he expects some sort of trade penalty from Trump — and the exact form is unclear.
Kirsten Hillman told CBC News in a recent interview, “I hesitate to say, it’s almost certain, but most people I’ve talked to think there’s some version of a tariff move that’s going to come forward.”
“Whether it’s ours or others… I don’t know. I hope they’re all wrong. But I think we have to be ready for it.”
Donald Trump will be the first US president since Ronald Reagan in 1985 to be sworn in inside the Capitol rather than inside. Extreme cold forced the event to be held indoors for the first time in 40 years.
Tariffs are an afterthought in the speech
Trump’s team briefed Republican allies on Capitol Hill on Sunday about a slew of executive orders coming the next day, and it’s unclear where trade fits.
A handful of the US press reports He had no plans for Monday to celebrate rates. Trump only touched on the tariffs during his speech on Sunday.
At the pre-inauguration rally, he spoke at length about other Day 1 plans. He talked about aggressive deportations and historic border movements and devoted more time to gender ideology than trade.
He pressed a note at the end before ending the village crowd’s rally with a festive celebration. YMCA.
“Finally,” Trump added, promising to bring thousands of factories back to the U.S. through tax cuts, an end to inflation, higher wages and tariffs, and other policies.
That was it. Now the continent is waiting.
Trump’s return is a truly historic moment for Canada-US relations, said Asa McKercher, a scholar at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia who studies cross-border relations.
He said the incoming president is threatening the most hostile trade action the continent has seen in more than 90 years since the Great Depression with the infamous Smoot-Hawley Tariff.
The 1930 tariffs slowed Canadian exports: They hit different products to different degrees, but the average is about 20 percent score and has been deleted Canada exports the most wool, cattle and flaxseed to the United States
Trump is also the first great politician of the United States about 115 years to make even semi-serious quips about The US annexes Canadasaid McKercher, who holds the Steven K. Hudson Research Chair in Canada-US Relations at the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government at StFX.
“Donald Trump is in some ways a throwback to a century ago. “I think it goes back to the future.”
In another way, McKercher said, Trump has a sharper break with history, saying he is willing to mock friendly nations. “It’s unprecedented for a president to deliberately give allies the middle finger,” he said.
The business leader urges caution
A Canadian businessman says he’s doing his best to focus on what’s under Canada’s control — not what’s outside of it.
“I haven’t spent time worrying about what, where, when, why (Trump’s tariffs will have an impact),” said Goldie Hyder, president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada.
“It was a better way to sleep every night.”
What Canada can really control, he said, is strengthening its own economic policies to create leverage With Trump, for example, by better developing mining and energy resources.
Hyder also warns Ottawa to be more careful about retaliatory measures that could deepen internal damage; eg Canadian threats Imposing an export tax on Canadian energy products also againimport From the USA
“The last thing you want is for our actions to boomerang against Canada,” he said in an interview while visiting Washington for his inauguration on Sunday.
We’ll find out on Monday if there’s anything to retaliate against.
Meanwhile, guests will gather at the Canadian Embassy for a reception, as has been the case for every inauguration since 1989.
Invitees include state leaders, federal cabinet members and a number of US politicians and business groups, all invited to enjoy snacks including beaver tails.
The embassy did not disclose the cost of the work, but said it was paid for by a number of corporate sponsors.
McKercher said that regardless of the extraordinary threats on the continent, proceeding with the event is in the national interest and the right thing to do.
“It’s weird,” he said of the circumstances surrounding the party. “But diplomats live in a strange world.”
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