Feds invoke British wartime spirit as they stay on high road with Trump
OTTAWA — As Canada teeters on the brink of a potential trade war with the United States, the Trudeau government has adopted the same motto invoked by the British as they braced for the Second World War: Keep calm and carry on.
That was the message Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump continued to take personal shots at Justin Trudeau, blasted Canada’s dairy industry and threatened to make Canadians pay for the prime minister’s alleged effrontery.
Trudeau and his ministers were careful to say nothing that would add fuel to Trump’s ire, hoping it will dissipate once the president is no longer stressed about his historic summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
Behind the scenes, they were trying to re-establish normal relations — professional and respectful, if not always in agreement — and keep lines of communication open with American officials.