# Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro questions motives behind Canada's 10-year Afgh



## shawn5o (26 Aug 2020)

Say what?


*Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro questions motives behind Canada's 10-year Afghanistan mission*
_'Every time that a Canadian shows up in a uniform, it's doing us a favour? How's that work?' Navarro asks_

The Canadian Press
Aug 26, 2020  •  Last Updated 2 hours ago  •  2 minute read

National Post

WASHINGTON — White House trade adviser Peter Navarro is taking some unprovoked swipes at Canada in a new book about U.S. President Donald Trump’s unconventional approach to foreign policy.

In CNN correspondent Jim Sciutto’s book, “The Madman Theory: Trump Takes on the World,” Navarro casts aspersions on Canada’s role in the U.S.-led multilateral NATO mission in Afghanistan.

He suggests Canada’s decade-long mission, which cost the lives of 158 Canadian soldiers, was motivated more by a desire to curry favour with the U.S. than to support the global fight against terrorism.

…

In an interview with CTV News, former Obama-era defence secretary Leon Panetta rejected Navarro’s comments, saying they reflect more on the self-interests of the Trump administration than they do on Canada’s values.

…

“Were they doing us a favour, or were they brought into the idea they needed to do that as part of the global effort against terrorists?” Navarro responds.

“I mean, if they were just doing us a favour, maybe their government should have been thrown out of office. I mean, every time that a Canadian shows up in a uniform, it’s doing us a favour? How’s that work?”

...

Panetta, who served as Barack Obama’s secretary of defence from 2011 to 2013, described Canada as having been “in the foxhole” with the U.S., as well as being a long-standing and trusted ally — unlike the U.S. itself in the Trump era.

Full article at National  Post link above


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## stellarpanther (27 Aug 2020)

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/top-trump-adviser-says-his-disparaging-comments-about-canadian-military-were-taken-out-of-context-1.5081035


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## QV (27 Aug 2020)

I'm struggling to see where Navarro disparaged Canadian soldiers.  Can someone point that out specifically?  Is this the statement?



> "Were they doing us a favour, or were they brought into the idea they needed to do that as part of the global effort against terrorists?" Navarro responds.
> 
> "I mean, if they were just doing us a favour, maybe their government should have been thrown out of office. I mean, every time that a Canadian shows up in a uniform, it's doing us a favour? How's that work?"


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## daftandbarmy (27 Aug 2020)

QV said:
			
		

> I'm struggling to see where Navarro disparaged Canadian soldiers.  Can someone point that out specifically?  Is this the statement?



He didn't. He's their trade secretary so is taking a chunk out of us for not being on the Trump Fan Wagon, pretty much:


White House trade adviser Peter Navarro was sharply critical of Canadian policies toward the U.S. in interviews with CNN’s Jim Sciutto for Sciutto's new book, “The Madman Theory,” the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported.

In an interview, Navarro reportedly dismissed the idea that Canada is “doing us a favor” with its military presence in Afghanistan.

"Were they doing us a favor, or were they brought into the idea they needed to do that as part of the global effort against terrorists?" Navarro told Sciutto. "I mean, if they were just doing us a favor, maybe their government should have been thrown out of office. I mean, every time that a Canadian shows up in a uniform, it's doing us a favor? How's that work?"

Navarro also blasted the United States's northern neighbor on trade issues, accusing the country of serving as a way station for Chinese products that would otherwise be subject to stiff U.S. tariffs.

"What’s good about Canada?" he told Sciutto, according to the CBC. "It's like this blue-eyed brother kind of thing. It's just Canada. It has its own national interests and self-interests."

Leon Panetta, who served as Defense secretary and CIA director during the Obama administration, pushed back on Navarro’s characterization in an interview with CTV News. Trump, he said, “sends a strong signal that he is not a trustworthy member or a trustworthy ally, and that raises a lot of concerns with regards to those strong alliances that are critical to peace and prosperity.”

"Instead of an America that is a world leader, the rest of the world is looking at the United States as a rogue nation that cannot be trusted," Panetta added.

Navarro and other Trump administration figures have frequently blasted Canada on trade issues. In 2018, Navarro accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of “bad-faith diplomacy” and said there was a “special place in hell” for him at the Group of Seven summit in Quebec. 

https://thehill.com/policy/international/trade/513863-navarro-slams-canada-in-new-book-interview-whats-good-about-canada


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## QV (27 Aug 2020)

Right.  That's how I saw it too.  So I'll put this one in "the riots are mostly peaceful" category.  


Edit:  I see the thread title has now been modified to remove the suggestion Navarro disparaged Canadian soldiers.


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## Remius (27 Aug 2020)

Well some people are offended. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/hillier-navarro-canada-afghanistan-idiot-1.5701264

I didn’t see where anyone is blaming Trump for this.  

Navarro is the same guy who said his credentials as a social scientist is on par with actual scientists when it comes to his expertise on certain treatments....

Right...

I’ll stand with my fellow Canadians who didn’t like what he said.


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## Colin Parkinson (27 Aug 2020)

Trade advisory blasts Canada, just after the US loses a decision on the softwood lumber issue, hmmmm


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## daftandbarmy (27 Aug 2020)

Colin P said:
			
		

> Trade advisory blasts Canada, just after the US loses a decision on the softwood lumber issue, hmmmm



Exactly  :rofl:

They always lose those decisions though, and then we get all the 'penalty box' money we've paid into the kitty.


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## QV (27 Aug 2020)

Remius said:
			
		

> Well some people are offended.
> 
> https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/hillier-navarro-canada-afghanistan-idiot-1.5701264
> 
> ...



That is because you are reacting with emotion, rather than logic.


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## Remius (27 Aug 2020)

QV said:
			
		

> That is because you are reacting with emotion, rather than logic.



Hardly.  The man has record of saying stupid things.  This is just par for the course.  Not shocked that the pro trump camp in Canada are acting as apologists for it.  Same as when they were cheerleading for their boy during the free trade négociations.  It is really at the end of it nothing, and typical for that administration.  Go after allies when they don’t get their way.  

Does not mean people have to take it.  Glad Rick Hillier called him out for what it is.


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## QV (27 Aug 2020)

Remius said:
			
		

> Hardly.  The man has record of saying stupid things.  This is just par for the course.  Not shocked that the pro trump camp in Canada are acting as apologists for it.  Same as when they were cheerleading for their boy during the free trade négociations.  It is really at the end of it nothing, and typical for that administration.  Go after allies when they don’t get their way.
> 
> Does not mean people have to take it.  Glad Rick Hillier called him out for what it is.



Is it anti Canadian to want Canada to contribute more to NATO, say 2%(or more) of GDP?  I find it ironic that people who serve wouldn't want a bigger/better/or better equipped CAF.  There are legitimate complaints about the status, capabilities, and contributions to NATO of this G7 nation.  Is believing we can and should be doing more wrong because a number of recent US administrations think so too?       

If you weren't saddled by emotion in your response (where you insinuate you're on team Canada and I am not) you'd see I was criticizing the heading of this thread which originally stated Navarro was disparaging Canadian soldiers, which he did not.


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## suffolkowner (27 Aug 2020)

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> Exactly  :rofl:
> 
> They always lose those decisions though, and then we get all the 'penalty box' money we've paid into the kitty.



I hope this is true, as it wasn't for me when I had to pay tariffs on my pigs, even though my pigs never left the province and were fed on ontario grain. Maybe there was some obscure form I had to fill out?


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## Remius (27 Aug 2020)

QV said:
			
		

> Is it anti Canadian to want Canada to contribute more to NATO, say 2%(or more) of GDP?  I find it ironic that people who serve wouldn't want a bigger/better/or better equipped CAF.  There are legitimate complaints about the status, capabilities, and contributions to NATO of this G7 nation.  Is believing we can and should be doing more wrong because a number of recent US administrations think so too?
> 
> If you weren't saddled by emotion in your response (where you insinuate you're on team Canada and I am not) you'd see I was criticizing the heading of this thread which originally stated Navarro was disparaging Canadian soldiers, which he did not.



Sorry QV, if you are saddled reading into this and projecting what I wrote and applying it to yourself.  Not my problem.   But I can see it upset you and apologize if you felt targeted.

But you didn’t say any of those things in your first para. Neither did Navarro. 

But I take it you agree with his statement given your responses.

Like I said, I agree with Rick Hillier’s less than tactful response.  Navarro has a history of saying stupid things.  That’s how this should be viewed.  Another stupid thing he has said. 

Navarro has tried to clarify what he said and that it was taken out of context.  Wouldn’t be the first time.  

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/top-trump-adviser-says-his-disparaging-comments-about-canadian-military-were-taken-out-of-context-1.5081035


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## QV (27 Aug 2020)

Remius said:
			
		

> Sorry QV, if you are saddled reading into this and projecting what I wrote and applying it to yourself.  Not my problem.   But I can see it upset you and apologize if you felt targeted.  Nice try
> 
> But you didn’t say any of those things in your first para. Neither did Navarro.  My guess is he believes Canada in general doesn't take defence that seriously and in his mind our contribution to Afghanistan reflected that. My guess is he felt another G7 should contribute more.
> 
> ...


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## shawn5o (27 Aug 2020)

QV said:
			
		

> Is it anti Canadian to want Canada to contribute more to NATO, say 2%(or more) of GDP?  I find it ironic that people who serve wouldn't want a bigger/better/or better equipped CAF.  There are legitimate complaints about the status, capabilities, and contributions to NATO of this G7 nation.  Is believing we can and should be doing more wrong because a number of recent US administrations think so too?
> 
> If you weren't saddled by emotion in your response (where you insinuate you're on team Canada and I am not) you'd see I was criticizing the heading of this thread which originally stated Navarro was disparaging Canadian soldiers, which he did not.



Hi QV

avarro was disparaging Canadian soldiers wasn't in the original post. Another poster linked an article from CTV that referenced that remark.


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## Jarnhamar (27 Aug 2020)

[quote author=Remius] 

Navarro is the same guy who said his credentials as a social scientist is on par with actual scientists when it comes to his expertise on certain treatments....

[/quote]

PhD in social science. That cure is as good as found.


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## QV (27 Aug 2020)

shawn5o said:
			
		

> Hi QV
> 
> avarro was disparaging Canadian soldiers wasn't in the original post. Another poster linked an article from CTV that referenced that remark.



When I first saw this thread, the heading stated exactly that and Stellarpanther's post was the only post.  Then after I replied to SP I saw your post above SP's.  I assumed a mod was merging two threads, either that or something is glitchy.


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## garb811 (27 Aug 2020)

QV said:
			
		

> When I first saw this thread, the heading stated exactly that and Stellarpanther's post was the only post.  Then after I replied to SP I saw your post above SP's.  I assumed a mod was merging two threads, either that or something is glitchy.


I merged it.

- Milnet.ca Staff


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## shawn5o (27 Aug 2020)

garb811 said:
			
		

> I merged it.
> 
> - Milnet.ca Staff





			
				QV said:
			
		

> When I first saw this thread, the heading stated exactly that and Stellarpanther's post was the only post.  Then after I replied to SP I saw your post above SP's.  I assumed a mod was merging two threads, either that or something is glitchy.



Hey guys. Mystery solved.  8)


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## shawn5o (27 Aug 2020)

*US Embassy defends Canada after Navarro slams country's military service in book*

BY MORGAN GSTALTER - 08/27/20 02:12 PM EDT

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/513978-us-embassy-in-canada-responds-after-navarro-slams-countrys-military

The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa on Thursday issued a rare statement praising Canada’s military service in Afghanistan after White House trade adviser Peter Navarro sharply criticized Canadian policies in a new book.

Richard Mills, the embassy’s chargé d’affaires, said that the U.S. “deeply values the service and sacrifice of our Canadian allies in support of the defense of freedom and global security.”

The statement cited Vice President Pence’s comments during his 2019 visit to the country, noting how the two North American countries “have stood shoulder to shoulder in the defense of freedom for generations.”

…

Mills is currently the top-ranking official in the embassy because Aldona Wos, who President Trump nominated to be the U.S. Ambassador to Canada in February, has not been confirmed.

The unusual statement comes after Navarro was quoted in a new book, “The Madman Theory” by CNN’s Jim Sciutto, dismissing the idea that Canada is “doing us a favor” with its military presence in Afghanistan.

More at link above


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## The Bread Guy (27 Aug 2020)

shawn5o said:
			
		

> *US Embassy defends Canada after Navarro slams country's military service in book*....


And this from the U.S.'s senior diplomat in Canada, via Twitter:


> Statement by Chargé d’Affaires Richard Mills: The United States deeply values the service and sacrifice of our Canadian allies in support of the defense of freedom and global security. #FriendsPartnersAllies


More in attached graphic from the Tweet.

Well played.


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## QV (27 Aug 2020)

Navarro writes a negative opinion about Canada’s military contributions, the media salivates, prominent Canadians protest, the US Government soothes Canadian hurt feelings.  

And here we are.


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## Colin Parkinson (28 Aug 2020)

Meanwhile Chrétien is laughing as Afghanistan was started as a "makework" project to have our troops to busy to help the US in the Iraqi invasion.


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