Friday Focus: US warships move into the Middle East and does Canada need to pick a trade lane?
Friday Focus: US warships move into the Middle East and does Canada need to pick a trade lane?
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Rudyard and Janice begin today’s show with the dangerous escalation between Iran and America. Trump has moved an Armada into the Middle East following his demands that Iran cease enrichment of uranium and limit its ballistic missile program. Will Trump use force if Iran does not comply? And what are the targets? Turkey and Qatar are trying to broker an agreement but the Ayatollah, a fervent idealogue, does not want a deal. This is a very dangerous situation that could easily escalate without a clear plan. In the second half of the program they discuss the fallout from Mark Carney’s Davos speech and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s suggestion of a North America customs union. This would build a wall of tariffs around the continent and lead to much deeper integration with the U.S., in opposition to Carney’s plans for trade diversification. Why would America want this? And will Trump stoke the flames of Alberta separatism to influence upcoming trade negotiations?
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