Managing Trump: (Tariffs & ALMOST everything else: General & Canada): 1)(Updated) Carney spoke to Trump about dispute over Gordie Howe bridge; 2)Ford cancels plan to remove Crown Royal from LCBO shelves after $23M deal; 3)Palace says King Charles III will support police assessing former Prince Andrew’s Epstein links; 4)Greenland’s foreign minister hails new Canadian consulate as ‘historic’; 5)Keeping her ‘eye on the ball’: Hillman reflects on her time as top diplomat in D.C.
1) (Updated) Carney spoke to Trump about dispute over Gordie Howe bridge
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Kelly Geraldine Malone, February 10, 2026
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Donald Trump’s threat to stall the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge will be resolved following a call with the U.S. president Tuesday.
“I explained that Canada paid for the construction of the bridge — $4 billion — that the ownership is shared between the state of Michigan and the government of Canada,” Carney told reporters in Ottawa before the weekly cabinet meeting.
The prime minister said he also told Trump that Canadian and American steel and workers were involved in the bridge’s construction.
In a social media post late Monday, Trump insisted the U.S. must be compensated before he’ll allow the bridge to open. He claimed the bridge was built with virtually no U.S. content.
“Now, the Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just ‘take advantage of America!'” Trump posted. “What does the United States of America get — Absolutely NOTHING!”
In his post, the president complained about U.S. liquor being removed from Ontario stores and repeated misleading allegations about Canada’s dairy sector and its limited tariff deal with Beijing on agriculture products and electric vehicles.
Trump also claimed China will “terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada” and “permanently eliminate the Stanley Cup.”
Carney said his conversation with Trump involved a “series of issues” that Ottawa will follow up on, in tandem with negotiations on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known as CUSMA. The continental trade pact is up for mandatory review this year.
Trade talks between Canada and the United States have been frozen since October, when Trump was angered by an Ontario-sponsored TV ad that quoted former president Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.
While Trump said Monday that “we will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY,” a White House official speaking on background said the president was referring only to talks about the bridge.
The president requested that U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra, who is from Michigan, help “smooth” the conversation on the bridge, Carney said.
The bridge connecting Windsor, Ont. and Detroit is supposed to open sometime this winter after delays.
The bridge’s construction was negotiated over decades by both Democrat and Republican administrations and state leaders. The project faced massive pushback from the Moroun family, which privately owns the rival Ambassador Bridge and is a major Republican donor.
In a 2012 deal signed by Rick Snyder, the Republican governor at the time, Canada agreed to shoulder the cost of construction, which it would recoup through tolls.
The Trump administration endorsed the bridge project in 2017 during his first term in office.
Democrat state lawmakers were quick to condemn the president’s threats to stall the bridge’s opening. Sen. Elissa Slotkin posted on social media that “cancelling this project will have serious repercussions.”
Some state Republicans defended the president’s move. Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall told “The Detroit News” Tuesday that the “U.S. holds a lot of the cards here.” Hall said Canada should “treat us more fairly,” pointing to “reciprocal” trade deals and Ottawa’s limited agreement with Beijing.
Detroit Regional Chamber president and CEO Sandy K. Baruah said “Canada is more than a neighbour; it is critical to our economic future.”
“There is no greater example of that than the international bridge,” Baruah said in a media statement Monday.
In Ottawa, Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said “that bridge will stand for over a century as a monument to Canadian and American friendship, ingenuity, work and partnership.”
“I don’t know what motivated the statement yesterday, but what I do know is that bridge will stand the test of time,” he said.
2)Ford cancels plan to remove Crown Royal from LCBO shelves after $23M deal
By Allison, Jones February 13, 2026
Crown Royal will remain on Ontario liquor store shelves, after its parent company agreed to $23 million in spending in the province and Premier Doug Ford cancelled his plans for a boycott.
Ford had been threatening for months to pull the product from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario after Diageo announced it is closing a Windsor-area Crown Royal bottling plant.
The premier memorably kicked off his campaign against Diageo by slowly pouring out a bottle of Crown Royal onto the ground at a press conference.
In recent weeks, though, the premier had softened his tone, saying he offered what he called an olive branch to the company. He urged them to support Ontario jobs in other ways since the Amherstburg closure will affect 200 jobs.
Ford announced Friday that Diageo has agreed to new spending in the province, including $11 million to buy grain neutral spirits from eastern Ontario, $5 million in Ontario-based marketing and promotion, and $3 million in ready-to-drink beverages through a Toronto-based co-packer.
“By standing firm in our plan to protect Ontario workers, we’ve secured nearly $23 million in investments that Ontario would not otherwise have seen,” Ford wrote in a statement.
“These investments will help keep Ontario workers on the job, strengthen provincial supply chains and support the local community in Amherstburg and the surrounding area.”
Diageo said in a statement it is glad there is a resolution.
“Diageo is pleased that Crown Royal, an iconic Canadian whisky, will remain on the shelves of the LCBO, and we remain committed to Ontario through our significant investment in the province,” the company wrote.
Diageo also has bottling and distillation facilities in Manitoba and Quebec, and government officials from those provinces had expressed concern about what a boycott of Crown Royal in Ontario would do to those jobs.
The agreed-upon spending by Diageo also includes $2 million for new packaging for pre-mixed beverages from a co-manufacturer in east Toronto, $1 million for organizations that support the growth of Ontario’s agricultural sector and $500,000 for economic development in the Amherstburg area.
3)Palace says King Charles III will support police assessing former Prince Andrew’s Epstein links
Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press
By Danica Kirka, February 9, 2026
Palace says King Charles III will support police assessing former Prince Andrew’s Epstein links
King Charles III is ready to “support’’ UK police examining claims that the former Prince Andrew gave confidential information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Buckingham Palace said on Monday.
The statement came after Thames Valley Police said Monday that they were“assessing” reports that the former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, sent trade reports to Epstein in 2010. The department, which serves an area west of London that includes Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home, previously said it was evaluating allegations that Epstein flew a young woman to Britain to have sex with Andrew, also in 2010.
“The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct,’’ the palace said in a statement. “While the specific claims in question are for Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we stand ready to support them as you would expect.’’
The statement is just the latest effort by the palace to distance the royal family from Mountbatten-Windsor as the U.S. Justice Department’s release of more than 3 million pages of documents from its investigation into Epstein reveal more embarrassing details about the relationship between the two men. Earlier in the day, Prince William and Princess Catherine released their own statement saying they have been “deeply concerned” by recent revelations.
The palace also reiterated Charles and Queen Camilla’s concern for the victims of Epstein’s abuse.
“As was previously stated, Their Majesties’ thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse,’’ the palace said.
The jeopardy faced by the royal family could be seen Monday when Charles visited Lancashire, in northwest England. While most of the crowd clapped, cheered and waved flags, one person shouted, “How long have you known about Andrew?”
Concerns about Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to Epstein have dogged the royal family for more than a decade.
The late Queen Elizabeth II forced her second son to give up royal duties and end his charitable work in 2019 after he tried to explain away his friendship with Epstein during a catastrophic interview with the BBC. After more details about the relationship emerged in a book published last year, Charles stripped him of the right to be called a prince and ordered him to move out of a royal residence close to Windsor Castle.
But the Justice Department documents have brought new attention to Mountbatten-Windsor as reporters home in on dozens of email exchanges between Epstein and the former prince, many of which took place after the financier was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008.
Correspondence unearthed in recent days appear to show that Mountbatten-Windsor sent Epstein copies of his reports from a 2010 tour of Southeast Asia, which he undertook as Britain’s envoy for international trade. An earlier email appears to show Andrew sharing his itinerary for the two-week trip to Hanoi, Saigon, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong with Epstein.
“We can confirm receipt of this report and are assessing the information in line with our established procedures,” Thames Valley police said in a statement released on Monday.
Adding to the storm, a U.S.-based attorney said on Feb. 1 that he represented a woman who alleges Epstein flew her to Britain to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor. The encounter took place at Royal Lodge, the former prince’s longtime home in Windsor, the attorney said in an interview with the BBC.
Police previously said they were assessing this report.
The king last week forced Mountbatten-Windsor to move out of Royal Lodge months ahead of schedule. Anger over Mountbatten-Windsor’s living arrangements had grown amid concern that he was still reaping rewards from his status as a royal even though he is no longer a working member of the royal family.
Mountbatten-Windsor is now living on the king’s Sandringham estate in eastern England. He will live temporarily at Wood Farm Cottage while his permanent home on the estate undergoes repairs. Unlike Royal Lodge, which is owned by the crown and managed for the benefit of taxpayers, Sandringham is owned privately by the king.
Thames Valley Police began its latest inquiry after Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchy group Republic, reported Mountbatten-Windsor for suspected abuse of public office and violations of Britain’s Official Secrets Act.
Smith, whose group seeks to replace the king with an elected head of state, compared Mountbatten-Windsor’s correspondence with Epstein to earlier revelations about Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the U.S., who is already the subject of a police investigation into whether he shared sensitive information with Epstein. Those communications were also revealed in the Justice Department documents.
“I cannot see any significant difference between these allegations and those against Peter Mandelson,” Smith said on social media.
4)Greenland’s foreign minister hails new Canadian consulate as ‘historic’
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Dylan Robertson, February 6, 2026
The Canadian flag was raised and dozens of people joined in a spontaneous version of O Canada on Friday as Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand officially opened the new consulate in Nuuk, Greenland.
“The significance of raising this flag today and formally opening the consulate is that we will stand together with the people of Greenland and Denmark on many issues,” Anand said, citing deepening ties on defence, security, climate change, economic resilience and Arctic co-operation.
“The co-operation between Denmark, Greenland and Canada will continue, not just in the short term, not just in the medium term, but in the long term.”
Canada announced plans for the new diplomatic mission in December 2024, before U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his threats to annex the Danish territory.
The consulate took on new significance in recent weeks as NATO allies moved to back the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Trump demanded U.S. control over Greenland and only recently stepped back from threats to use force to acquire the territory — after Danish leaders said the NATO military alliance would fall apart if the U.S. tried taking allied territory by force.
At the time, Greenland’s government had advised citizens to prepare enough supplies to survive for five days in the event of something like an invasion.
Greenland is an autonomous island within the Danish kingdom. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said repeatedly any decisions about Greenland’s future are up to the people of Greenland and Denmark.
Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland’s foreign minister, said the consulate opening is a “historic day.”
“This is not just the opening of a building but a further strengthening of the friendship and co-operation between Greenland and Canada,” she said.
She told reporters Greenland will follow through on its plan to open a diplomatic mission in Canada, “hopefully in 2028.”
Anand told reporters Canadian companies are interested in exporting more to Greenland and there’s rising interest in more flights and collaboration on fighting climate change.
“This is much more than symbolism. This is really about building ties,” she said of the consulate.
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon was also in Nuuk for the ceremony, as was Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed.
Obed noted that over 90 Inuit from Inuit Nunangat — the section of the Inuit homeland that is part of Canada — came to Greenland for the occasion.
“We just want to show just how much in solidarity we are with Inuit in Greenland and Greenland generally,” he said at the ceremony.
Not far from the Canadian consulate sits the Port of Nuuk, where Ottawa has anchored a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker. Anand has said that ship is meant to signal Ottawa’s support for Greenland’s territorial integrity.
She is set to hold a Saturday press conference at the icebreaker, alongside Motzfeldt and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.
At a hotel reception following the public event, Obed painted a bleak picture of a world order that is falling apart — but insisted Indigenous self-determination persists.
“We may not live in a time much longer where we can count on the United Nations or NATO or other mechanisms that we have worked on for 50-plus years,” he said. “But we know that there are dozens if not hundreds of countries over the world that would be in solidarity with us in this moment.”
He added that Inuit have been united by their fear of Trump and his goals.
“This is a scary time for us as Inuit, and I can’t even imagine for the Inuit here from Greenland what it is like to read about yourselves in the papers in such ways that are disrespectful — and don’t follow the self-determination, the human rights and the territorial autonomy that you have over your homeland,” he said.
Simon told the reception diplomacy is a way of life in the Arctic.
“The challenges of life in the Arctic could only be met through co-operation, ingenuity, and trust,” she said.
Simon said the consulate “reinforces Canada’s respect for the people of Greenland, respect for your democracy, your sovereignty, and your right to shape your own future.”
Motzfeldt said that respect is deeply appreciated.
“I want to thank Canada for being a steadfast friend and supporter of Greenland, especially during challenging times,” she said.
5)Keeping her ‘eye on the ball’: Hillman reflects on her time as top diplomat in D.C.
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Kelly Geraldine Malone, February 7, 2026
Kirsten Hillman hasn’t written her autobiography yet, but the 57-year-old career diplomat — soon to be Canada’s former ambassador to the U.S. — may already have a title picked out: “Diplomacy is a contact sport.”
One glance at her CV tells you why.
She has been the underdog staring down centre ice as the world’s largest economy looks to tear up Canada’s critical trade pact. She’s been the quarterback directing plays to keep trade moving during a global pandemic.
And she’s been the goalie, deflecting shots as U.S. President Donald Trump calls for Canada’s annexation and addresses its prime minister as “governor.”
“You just have to keep your eye on the ball,” Hillman said when asked what advice she would have given herself at the start of her tenure.
“What exactly is our job here in Washington and across the country as Canadian diplomats? Our job is to do the best that we can … get the most that we can for Canada on every individual topic that comes up.”
There will be distractions and diversions, Hillman said, “but we just keep plowing through.”
Hillman grew up in Calgary and Winnipeg. Before coming to Washington, she earned a reputation across party lines as a knowledgeable civil servant and trade policy expert.
She served as Canada’s senior legal adviser to the World Trade Organization and as Canada’s chief negotiator for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
She came to Washington in 2017 to serve as deputy under then-ambassador David MacNaughton during the first Trump administration — just as the president was threatening to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Negotiation of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, which replaced NAFTA, was a key test of Canadian diplomacy. Robert Lighthizer, Trump’s trade representative at the time, recounted in his book how at one point during the process the two countries weren’t speaking — and “NAFTA was hanging on by a thread.”
Ultimately, the new deal, better known as CUSMA, was signed to much praise by the governments of all three countries. That deal is up for review this year and Trump’s public comments have suggested it could be a lengthy, hard-fought negotiation.
The CUSMA experience left Hillman with a clear sense of the pitfalls of diplomacy in the Trump age that served her well after she was named ambassador in 2020 — the first woman ever to hold the post.
The challenges came at her quickly. There was the COVID-19 pandemic, the new Biden administration to navigate and a growing number of global crises. She worked with Washington to secure the release of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig from detention in China.
Now, Hillman said, Trump’s return to office has made the relationship with Canada’s largest trading partner and closest neighbour even more complicated.
Hillman has a reputation in Washington for being able to navigate both Republican and Democrat spaces. The Washingtonian, a monthly magazine, has named her one of the most powerful women in D.C. multiple times, including last year.
Hillman said, no matter who sits across the table from her, her job is to listen and look for common ground. That doesn’t always mean accepting the median position as a compromise, she said.
“Diplomacy isn’t about finding a compromise position,” she said. “It’s not about taking sort of Canada’s view and America’s view and watering them both down and finding something we can both live with. That’s not what it’s about.
“Representing your country in another country is about … pursuing your country’s interests, trying to minimize risks, but doing so in full faithfulness to the values of your country.”
Hillman has travelled across the United States and makes a point of meeting people on all levels of government. It’s nobody’s idea of easy work but it matters — now more than ever.
“I’m so deeply proud of our country and I’m so deeply honoured to have this role in trying to lead our overall relationship with this country,” she said. “And even when I’m exhausted, I fall back on that and I think, ‘OK, this is really important.'”
The important work isn’t always the kind that makes headlines. Hillman said she remembers correspondence from people and companies looking for help navigating problems ranging from contracts to cross-border water issues.
She said she’s received a lot of emails over the past year thanking the embassy team for navigating the unprecedented turmoil of the second Trump administration.
“I’m blessed,” Hillman said with a wide smile. “I really am.”
Deciding to step away wasn’t easy, she said. She spoke with Prime Minister Mark Carney about staying on after his 2025 election win to help with the transition, but indicated that her time in Washington was winding down.
“I also want to start a new chapter in my life,” Hillman says.
While a return to Ottawa — and a much-needed vacation — could be in her immediate future, Hillman did not say what her next career move might be.
Carney appointed global investment banker and pension fund manager Mark Wiseman as Canada’s next ambassador to Washington. His term begins Feb. 15.
When asked what advice she’d give her successor, Hillman said it’s important to collaborate.
It’s “not a one-person job,” she said. “This is a team effort, and it’s a heck of a team.”
Diplomacy means meeting people where they are at, she adds. Any Canadian diplomat in Washington should carve out time to meet with people outside the Beltway bubble — the governors and businesspeople with a vested interest in a healthy Canada-U.S. relationship.
“Understanding who America (is) requires leaving Washington, D.C.,” she said. “That’s for sure.”