Akeeagok, other premiers arrive in Washington to counter Trump’s threats
Meetings with government officials, politicians planned to avert import tariffs Trump says he favours
With U.S. President Donald Trump threatening import tariffs on Canadian products, Canada’s premiers including Premier P.J. Akeeagok are in Washington to stress positive relations between the countries. (File photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok and Canada’s 12 other premiers arrived in Washington, D.C., Tuesday where they plan to present a united front and make the case over two days for strengthening Canada-U.S. relations.
“With snow coming down here, it feels like we are home,” Akeeagok told Nunatsiaq News, shortly after his plane touched down and Washington was being battered by a snowstorm.
Joking aside, he got down to business.
“I think it’s so important, especially at this moment, to have that united voice and that united push [to share] the potential impacts the tariffs have on each of us,” Akeeagok said.
The premiers’ visit is in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on nearly all Canadian imports. He backed off that threat temporarily last week for one month, but on Monday signed an order imposing 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum, including Canadian products, coming into his country, to take effect on March 12.
Trump has also repeatedly speculated about making Canada join the U.S. and becoming the 51st state.
Akeeagok noted that while Nunavut may not be directly impacted by Trump’s tariff threats, it’s important to let people know “the sheer impact it would have on us and our southern friends” in the United States.
“It’s so important to be down here to tell our story, that we’re all connected, and any tariff is not good for anyone, including our closest ally and closest friend, the United States.”
The Council of the Federation, an organization composed of Canada’s 13 premiers, works to promote co-operation between provinces and territories. Ontario Premier Doug Ford chairs the council, and is leading the premiers’ visit to Washington for meetings with members of the Trump administration.
“I’ve met with the industry folks in Nunavut, and there’s a real concern in terms of the investor confidence, in terms of investments, specifically in the mining sector,” Akeeagok said of the potential impact of tariffs, and any reciprocal tariffs Canada might impose on U.S. imports in response.
While the majority of meetings are planned for Wednesday, Akeeagok said Ford arranged a meeting among the premiers, North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer and industry leaders later on Tuesday.
Starting Wednesday morning, premiers are expected to begin meetings with with U.S. government officials and industry leaders that are expected to stretch into the evening.
Did he enter the US with seal skin stuffs on?
Tell elon to come fix the Gn we need Elon in nunavut. How many DEI hires in Gn? Wonder how many people would be “showed the door” ??
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives are far more successful and do more to help a business prosper than whatever that ridiculous clown is doing in Washington. It ensures that actually qualified people aren’t simply looked over because of their race, gender or sexual orientation.
Trump’s nominations have all been white people who’s only qualification seems to be willingness to sell out the USA to Russia and loyalty to the megalomaniac. Anyone with a pulse that would stand up for the rule of law and good governance is being purged under the auspices of “DEI” but it’s really just a gutting of the public service to put in loyal people who will help Trump and Elon make themselves richer at the expense of the American public.
“Trump’s nominations have all been white people…”
Progressives have such faith in the ‘rightness’ of their narratives they feel no burden whatsoever to calibrate them with reality. Truly something to see.
Trump has several “POC” nominees. We can be sure they were chosen for their perceived competence (granted, in Trumpland, who knows), and not for optics (a problem Democrats paid a high price for last November).
Curious, how do you determine if diversity quotas for the boards of companies, corporate hiring or college admissions are a success? What metric counts for success? Does this vague buzz word simply mean more visible minorities in chairs?
One study suggests “DEI instruction has been shown to increase prejudice and activate bigotry among participants by bringing existing stereotypes to the top of their minds or by implanting new biases they had not previously held” (see Dobbin, F. and A. Kalev, Anthropology Now. 2018).
Thankfully DEI practices are being abandoned across the United States. Companies like Google, Amazon, Toyota, Ford, as well as colleges and universities are moving on. Hopefully we will see this trend in Canada soon.
‘Equity’ schemes not only impair business by imposing artificial quotas unrelated to corporate goals, but even worse, they create a burdensome stigma for members of minorities who have earned their place through hard work and talent; stigmas that affect the attitudes of their peers as well as their own self perception of themselves.
How about merit based instead of DEI how many billion will the Gn save?
No point fellas, just join us, we’ll fix you right up when you join the greatest nation on earth.
just imagine all of the infrastructure need of the north being met:
highway from MB to Baker Lake, railway between Baker Lake and Saskatchewan, power houses updated, deep sea ports, airport-strips upgraded, security from Russian submarines, no carbon tax (up to 25% by April 1-this should be pissing you off more than any tariff threats), lower taxes all around, strong economy just to name a few.
All of this would bankrupt the US, oh wait they already are Zillions of dollars in debt to China whether Orange man likes it or not.
While I appreciate the effort of our provincial leaders, I doubt this will have much of an effect. The tariffs are coming, but I don’t think they will be long lived, For one, once Americans feel the pinch of prices going up, they’ll really feel the impact of Mr. Tump’s policies, and secondly, as a result of higher prices and the impact on the economy, Mr, Trump will lose the house in 2026. It’s going to be a rough two years, but as I like to remind people, this is one man, one administration, not the American people. Our relationship can be repaired down the road, but I hope this is a wake up call to finally diversify our trade.
The efforts have to be made though. Canada doesn’t have as much power in a trade war, so we have to hit with everything we have to inflict the economic pain quickly. Tariffs hurt both sides, but they’ll hurt us more in the long term. So sending premiers to make the point to leaders in Washington is important. Average Americans may feel the impact, but they have no way to make Trump back down. Congress does, at least in theory.
Also respectively, your optimism is misplaced. This is one man, two administrations, and a significant plurality of the American people. We cannot wave our hands saying ‘oh the neighbour is just being silly, but they’ll sort themselves out in a few years’. This time is different. North America has fundamentally changed, and I don’t think it will be undone. You are right that Canada needs to diversify it’s trade, and I argue, boost our military. For 80 years we have been able to rely on US support and defense, and the fact we no longer can chills me to my bones.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion assumes merit first. You first need to actually screen in and be qualified. It ensures the right person gets the job and that they aren’t discriminated against due to a factor outside of their control. Turn off fox news and read a book for a change.
No more Inuit having to train these non Inuit on how to do their damn jobs P.J. We have a very small trad market with the US so come home and fix your government instead. Oh darn there is no photo op in that work.
“Diversity, Equity and Inclusion assumes merit first.”
I don’t agree. I think DEI is grounded in a larger ideology that assumes there are two broad classes in society: oppressors and the oppressed. Being hierarchical this can be parsed further by reference to particular identity markers.
Okay, everyone must “screen in”? And by what criteria? Race, ethnicity, other preferred identity groupings? Clearly these are factors outside anyone’s control.
DEI is the sleight of hand that tells you it does not discriminate, yet does so by definition.
For many of us that is obvious. I do wonder if progressives truly believe the twists of language and abuse of logic they use?
Their arrogance is telling at least, “read a book for a change.” If you disagree you are suffering from illiteracy or a kind of self-imposed ignorance. As distasteful as this is, see it as the author projecting. At some deeper level surely the inconsistencies in their message must gnaw at them.
No Canadian wants to join a country with a lower standard of living, lower average life expectancy, worse economic outlook and a dictator at the helm.
Thank you but no thank you to joining that cesspool that is the United States currently.
Trump and his crew must be terrified sleepless for fear of “None of it.”🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😩
Also harpoon, drum and hockey sticks.🤣🤣🤣🤣
Would be awesome to watch Trump and Musk fall off their seats laughing and holding stomach as Akeeagok “talks tough” making demands.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪
Canada may not be for sale but the Stanley Cup is.👏🥳🎵
🎵Oh can you see…by the dawn’s early light…🎵
Akeeagok and his buddies in the federal Liberal party are going to the USA to commiserate with the poor people of the USA while Nunavut and the rest of Canada rot. If you support that behavior you support the decline of Canadian society.