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Terry Glavin: Carney's global quest for photo ops comes with crippling compromises

Why has Canada signed a security MOU with Qatar?

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It’s a peculiar axiomatic reality of Canadian public opinion. Whenever the popular loathing of United States President Donald Trump is inflamed, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s approval ratings either solidify or rise. While President Trump’s belligerent tariff manipulations alienate America’s friends and allies around the world, Carney can be found posing with yet another head of state at the signing of some shiny new free trade arrangement.

Terry Glavin: Carney's global quest for photo ops comes with crippling compromises Back to video

Fair play to Carney for playing the game. Seeking out alternatives to trade with the United States is an especially easy case to make at the moment, but in all those photo opportunities at summits and official state visits, there’s quite a lot of moral hazard and diplomatic risk in play that the cameras don’t pick up.

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What’s going unnoticed are the devils in the details embedded in the Carney government’s zeal to secure trade, investment and security partnerships with any country willing to sign on. And it isn’t easy to keep up.

Carney and his ministers have made whirlwind visits to 29 foreign........

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