When asked last weekend about stalled U.S.-Canada trade talks and when he’d last spoken with President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney replied , “Who cares? It’s a detail. I’ll speak to him again when it matters.”

Days later, in the face of criticism and claims he wasn’t taking the issue seriously, Carney walked back his comments, calling them “a poor choice of words about a serious issue.” Serious, indeed. For Canada, dealing with Trump is all but an existential issue—a question of sovereignty, economic security, and geopolitical strategy.

Carney may have some defense for being abrupt. Trump last month threatened an additional 10% tariff on Canadian goods and froze talks after the province of Ontario released an ad on American TV networks that quoted former U.S.

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