Cullen ‘Disappointed’ with Trudeau’s Visit to Washington
Prince George, B.C. – Their handshake may have gone off without a hitch but a northern MP wasn’t impressed with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Disappointed that while the prime minister was doing his delicate dance, he neglected to raise any fundamental concerns with Mr. Trump’s policies,” says Skeena-Bulkley Valley NDP MP Nathan Cullen.
“Be it immigration or trade or his previous and probably currently held views on women and other things. I think it was a bit shameful actually that a so-called feminist prime minister in fact offered some legitimacy and coverage to a president who is anything but.”
He says of particular concern was the lack of any public mention of the yet-to-be signed softwood lumber agreement.
“We’re getting a lot of calls from constituents about softwood lumber,” says Cullen. “We hoped Mr. Trudeau would have raised that publicly at his press conference in a meaningful way and we don’t believe that happened, even though there’s a lot of concern in lumber communities right across the country.”
He’s also concerned about Trump’s promise to “tweak” the trade relationship between the two countries and what that could mean for lumber dependent communities.
“Talking to some Republican colleagues and the number they throw around in terms of new tariffs on Canadian wood are in the order of 30-50 per cent on top of what it costs Americans,” notes Cullen.
“So, we’re hugely concerned with that. That would hammer some of our forestry communities.”
Comments
Omg, a NDP MP not liking what the liberal PM did.. what a shock… Trudeau could cure cancer and make every illness disappear and Cullen would say..”what took him so long”
The majority of Nathan Cullen’s constituents live in forestry dependent towns, and he is looking out for the best interests of those constituency members. In other words; he is doing his job!!!
Yet, apparently, some on here would fault him for it… yeesh!
The PM appointed David Emerson to tackle the softwood lumber issue. Emerson (former CEO of Canfor) was involved with the last negotiations and is now at the Canadian Embassy in Washington working on his special assignment.
Hard for Trudeau to come hot and heavy with Trump on the feminism issue. I mean, Trump talked about groping women, Trudeau has actually hit one in the breast right in the House of Commons.
Wow, it’s so easy to play fast and loose with the truth.
Expect crickets from the left on that comment, lol
Trump deployed Ivanka with Trudeau at the women’s forum and Trudeau was all giddy to sit next to her.
Sure, which is why anyone who Googles “Ivanka Trump loves Justin Trudeau” gets a whole page links to photos of her swooning over Justin. Alternative facts from the Alt Right… so who is surprised?
ht tp://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a8801079/ivanka-trump-justin-trudeau-photos/
LOL sure, what ever. You’re so sexist BH.
Seems to me the Softwood Lumber issue boils down to the Americans slapping on duties on Canadian Lumber imported into the USA. Canada will have to fight this issue through the WTO etc; and after some 4 or 5 years we could win, and get our money back. That’s about it. In the meantime we will have some mill closures.
Exactly! GATT and the WTO are there to resolve disputes! I fail to see how an angry and aggressive first visit would have had any positive outcome! Why does the NDP not win an election and arrive in Washington with nothing but threats and accusations?
Way over the top again, reminiscent of the ill conceived strike against the US FERRY fleet and calling our minister of environment an environmental terrorist.
Who says he had to be aggressive? All Trudeau had to do was raise the issue… maybe inform Trump how we value our Crown forests in Canada and that we are open to any forest companies that want to make investments in Canada to process Canadian trees.
To not mention it at all says Trudeau is out of touch and doesn’t see much concern for the issue. Its a green light for Trump to hammer our industry.
no green light.
Meetings have a focus. Neither Softwood lumber nor the Autopact were part of that focus. They will each be negotiated in good time and as individual agreements.
This was an introductory meeting. A common thread was dealt with. The differences will be handled at other focused meetings with people who know what they are talking about …. if Trump is still in charge and he has people who have not resigned yet to negotiate for him. ;-)
It’s the first date, for crying out loud, cut the feminist some slack. LOL
I agree with Mr. Cullen that it is real important to get the show on the road, but they gotta do the touchy feely first, get to know each other, then it’s on to Justin laying down the hammer, let Trump know he’s tough. Can’t even type this with a straight face.
I’d like to see Cullen and Emerson working this one out with the states.
I agree… some bipartisan representation on the issue wouldn’t hurt. At least Cullen would stand up for the value of public forests in the negotiation process. Emerson will sell out the Canadian public and do what ever is best for monopoly capitalism and the bankers that own our largest forest companies, but sell out the free enterprise smaller operators in the process.
I agree the softwood dispute will end badly for us, but that’s the least of our problems dealing with the Americans. Left wingers down there are far to the right of any government in Canada, led by a gentleman, born a man describing himself as a feminist.
So what is JT going to do when Trump says ‘sure’ we’ll slack off on the softwood and you guys do the same for dairy products.
Would be nice to see Cullen calling for the end to marketing boards if he really cared about his constituents.
Minister Freeland has already signaled she is going to sell out Canadian farmers on the dairy issue. Just like she did in CETA. Hard to trust a woman who’s grandfather was a propaganda minister for the holocaust. Her priorities won’t be small town rural Canada IMO.
Ya, because she came from a small town in rural Canada, she will do everything in her power to destroy them. She can’t be trusted because she owns property in Ukraine, and Eagleone has not hidden his desire to see Russia re-annex Ukraine.
Hey Donald Trumps grandfather ran a whore house at one time. But I’m sure god forgave him. Didn’t you say you were of German descent ? What was your grandfather doing during WW 2 ?
My Great Grandpa, on my dads side, fought in both world wars for Canada as a tank pilot then commander. I stayed with him as a kid on his ranch in Alberta before he died. He use to say war should be avoided at all costs, but figured the world would be at it again for the same reasons.
Minister Freeland’s grandfather Michael Chomiak, however, was a nazi collaborator in Crakow that was given a powerful post of propaganda minister for Galician region of Poland. The nazi’s gave him his own car, a home, and money… as well as a printing press stolen from a Jewish newspaper publisher (Moshe Kafner) that was sent to die in Belzec concentration camp.
Freeland’s grandfather celebrated the killing of thousands of allied troops in his publications (called the German torpedo attack on US transports that killed 13,000 Americans as “a smashing blow to the solar plexus of the alliance”), and informed for the Germans on Ukrainian opposition.
Freeland’s grandfather worked his propaganda outfit just 68 kilometers from Auschwitcz-Birkenau concentration camp where millions of Jews, Poles, Russians, Gypsies and others were murdered with an industrial process. Despite working closely with the Germans he never once put into print, or tried to inform the outside world, of what was taking place right under his nose in his ‘journalistic’ area of coverage. When Freeland traveled there with Trudeau she managed to avoid any photos of her visit and made no comments of commemoration or otherwise… Trudeau being completely unaware of her families past?
When the nazi’s retreated from Poland Chomiak went with them to Vienna to continue his propaganda protecting the nazi’s from their crimes. His propaganda included hate speech towards not only Jews, Poles, and Russians, but also America and Canada his future homeland. He justified the death camps surrounding Cracow; and fostered ill sentiment towards Poles and Jews in the region to cleanse the region for a Ukrainian takeover. His hate speech is archived at Harvard, Cracow News, and the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust… among other places.
At the end of the war he was residing in a German day spa retreat (Bad Worishofen) that managed to avoid the bombing during the war. This is where he switched sides to the American intelligence units when they took over the region and received full medical care for his family. The American intelligence units used Chomiak to wage war in the Ukraine against the Russians. From Bad Worishofen Freelands grandparents are reported to have came directly to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Freeland shouldn’t have to answer for her grandfathers crimes except for two things they shared… race hatred (Freeland foments hatred of Russians), and lying… Freeland has lied about the nazi record of her family. The Chomiaks were not victims of WW2, but rather the aggressors.
With that kind of track record I don’t much expect Canadian values to be at the fore in any negotiations conducted by Minister Freeland. It will all be opportunistic at the expense of whom ever else she can use as a negotiating chip to further her own agenda.
Time Will Tell
Guess you never heard of collective guilt.
I would like to think not except in the most egregious cases, but the apple often doesn’t fall far from the tree. I think in Minister Freelands case she has her own record of flip flopping on the issues…. In opposition she was one of the fiercest critics of large trade pacts like CETA, but once in power she cried in public to have CETA approved with provisions she previously denounced.
That impugns her integrity even more so than her families past IMO.
Just in time the European Parliament passed the free trade agreement with Canada! There will be great export opportunities for us if we are smart and dedicated to explore new venues!
Europe has all the cheep wood they want from Russia by rail.
Russia is not selling cheap wood anymore …. they smartened up.
Looking at Germany as an example:
In 2015 Russia has exported to Germany the following products (see Figure 3, Table 2):
▪ Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products, etc (79%)
▪ Copper and articles thereof (4%)
▪ Aluminium and articles thereof (2%)
▪ Iron and steel (2%)
▪ Wood and articles of wood, wood charcoal (2%)
▪ Pearls, precious stones, metals, coins, etc (1%)
▪ Inorganic chemicals, precious metal compound, isotopes (1%)
▪ Machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers, etc (1%)
▪ Rubber and articles thereof (1%)
▪ Nickel and articles thereof (1%)
▪ Fertilizers (1%)
▪ Other base metals, cermets, articles thereof (1%)
Most of Europe has a reasonably robust forest industry. Remember, they do not stick frame their houses.
Trudeau handled Trump, the narcissist sociopath, very well.
When he first greeted him he went right up to him grasped him firmly with his left hand on Trumps shoulder, looked him straight in the eyes and shook his hand. The body language was one of control.
On top of that he brought him a gift to let him know that he remembers what Trump said to his father in New York many years ago when Trump stated that he admired him.
He set the pace. There was no new position provided by Trump. This was an introductory meeting. What happened behind closed doors, we do not know, likely not enough time for anything.
The time to negotiate trade and any other agreements regarding military, etc. will come soon, after the aides have laid the preparatory groundwork
Great evaluation of what happened and how well Justin Trudeau conducted himself!
Somebody briefed JT on the tRump handshake, he pulls the person towards himself in an intimidating way. JT was ready for it and when tRump yanked his arm JT stuck his left arm out at tRumps shoulder. He had to have known it was coming. Watch the video.
Typical Cullen. Complains to the media about a topic he cares little about. He was my MP for 5 years amd this is the first time he has mentioned forestry
Eagleone:”The American intelligence units used Chomiak to wage war in the Ukraine against the Russians.” Against good old Uncle Joe Stalin? Winston Churchill said that Joseph Stalin was an honest trustworthy friend! What happened? Of course Churchill also said after the war: My God, I think we slaughtered the wrong pig!
Why am I bringing this up? War is hell, it is the worst disaster that mankind inflicts on itself!
Making children and grandchildren responsible for the mistakes and warmongering that previous generations perpetrated on each other accomplishes nothing but instilling hatred and loathing into the world we are living in today!
Living in the present with goodwill and tolerance towards everybody we know and meet is worthwhile! Digging into history (selectively) is worthless, a waste of time and effort!
Have a great day!
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