Debra Thompson is a contributing columnist for The Globe and Mail.

Pierre Poilievre won’t be able to manage Donald Trump, either.

In one fell swoop, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement, the pending Liberal leadership race, the prorogation of Parliament, and the near guarantee that there will be a federal election this spring have catapulted Canada into a political transition at a challenging moment. With president-elect Donald Trump poised to take over the Oval Office on Jan. 20 and promising a barrage of executive orders on “day one,” the Prime Minister’s Office will be in a weakened position to protect Canadian interests currently held hostage by the crossfire of Mr. Trump’s agenda.

This vulnerability comes at a particularly fraught time in Canada-U.S. relations. Mr. Trump’s provocations that Canada is commensurate to (and should become an) American state should not be taken lightly.

Mr. Trump’s recent jabs at Mr. Trudeau, referring to him as the “Governor” of the “Great State of Canada,” are clearly an attempt to troll the current Prime Minister.........

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