On Friday, Ottawa holstered most of its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, removing the 25 per cent levy on most CUSMA-compliant products coming from the United States, while keeping duties on strategic sectors such as steel, aluminum and autos. The gesture follows a call between Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump and is intended to reopen a path to trade talks.

This reset is precisely why Canada must slow down. A quick, narrow bargain would be a strategic mistake. It would trade permanent leverage for temporary relief and lock us into a worse position when the formal 2026 CUSMA review kicks off, a process whose design already tilts toward U.S. advantage.

CUSMA was never designed to guarantee Canadian market access. As Jared Kushner candidly revealed in 2020: “We’

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