The headline from the CBC made it sound like the Trump administration was engaged in a street-level shakedown of their closest ally and neighbour.

“Washington demanding ‘entry fee’ from Ottawa before trade talks: sources,” CBC’s headline read.

LILLEY: CBC isn't telling you the truth on trade talks with USA Back to video

The story ran online, on radio and on TV all day, making it sound like the Americans wanted a cash payment to start negotiations. On social media, people just saw the headlines, which means they were left with the false idea that the Yanks were telling us to pay up or something bad might happen.

Given that the Trump administration has launched the Trump Gold Card that will grant wealthy investors a visa to live in the U.S. for $1 million, the idea of a shakedown may not be far-fetched. In this instance, though, when it comes to Canada-U.S. trade negotiations, it’s not happening.

You wouldn’t know that from the way this story is presented, and you’d also be left with some other false impressions as........

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