The letter from US President Donald Trump, sent to the Prime Minister of Canada on Thursday evening, Mark Carney, contains difficult to prove claims, half-truths or downright falsity. Here are five commented extracts.
Read Donald Trump’s letter in the article “The White House accentuates pressure on Ottawa”
“The United States has imposed customs duties in Canada to stem our nation’s fentanyl crisis, partly caused by Canada’s failure to prevent drugs from flocking to our country. »»
This is a falsity often repeated by the Trump administration, and completely contradicted by the facts established by the American authorities themselves. According to statistics from the US Customs and Border Protection, 53 kg of fentanyl from the “north border” has been grasped with Canada since 2022. There has been a substantial increase in seizures since October 2024, when we have seized 26 kg from Canada. What may seem enormous for this drug 50 times more powerful than heroin, but represents only a tiny proportion of the seizures. These have totaled 33.8 tonnes since 2022. Canada represents only 0.07 %. It is on the Mexican border, with 31.8 tonnes or 97.1 % of the seizures, that the real problem is.
“Instead of working with the United States (on the fentanyl file), Canada retaliated with its own customs duties. »»
It can of course be estimated that Canada has not done enough against fentanyl, but it would be wrong to say that nothing has been done. In December 2024, a “border plan” of 1.3 billion increases 8,500 to 10,000 agents were announced to protect the border, and specifically reserving 200 million intelligence to combat organized crime and fentanyl. From December 2024 to January 18, 2025, the Royal Gendarmerie of Canada reported to have carried out 524 arrests and seized 46.2 kg of fentanyl. As Washington asked, the Trudeau government announced in February 2025 the appointment of a new “Fentanyl Tsar”, as specified in the official press release, Kevin Brosseau.
“Canada […] Count of numerous pricing and non-tariff and commercial barriers and commercial barriers which cause unbearable trade deficits against the United States ”.
This affirmation is in fact divided into two parts, which are not necessarily linked. Before Donald Trump’s election, American administrations have often denounced the “barriers” imposed by Canada. In a report dating from November 2023, for example, the International Trade Administration quoted a dozen categories ranging from the banishment of products to discrimination concerning tenders, to the establishment of standards disoriencing non -Canadian products or penalizing products that would have benefited from dumping. In addition, in 2024, Canada displayed a surplus of 100 billion for the exchange of goods with the United States, and a deficit of 12.6 billion for the services. That said, the 100 billion American deficit disappears when excluding Canadian oil imports, which were exactly this amount in 2024. In other words, Canadian “barriers” have nothing to do with it.
“Canada makes extraordinary customs duties pay for our dairy producers – up to 400 % – and it is by assuming that our dairy producers have access to [marché canadien] To sell their products to people in Canada. »»
The management of the offer, which has governed Canadian agricultural production for milk, eggs and poultry since 1972, irritates many Americans, not just Donald Trump. This complex system grants quotas to Canadian farmers and imposes customs duties on imports. But since the ratification of the Canada-US-Mexico (ACEUM) free trade agreement in 2018, Canada has been allowed by a certain customs duties in Canada, equivalent to 3.5 % of the Canadian market. It is beyond this quota that rights of up to 315.5 % can be taxed. However, in the specific case of milk, this quota has never been reached and American dairy producers have never had to pay these customs duties.
“It is a great honor for me to send you this letter in that it testifies to the strength and commitment of our commercial relationship …” “You will never be disappointed with the United States of America. Thank you for the attention you will pay to this question! »»
If it contains clear threats and questionable, even downright false affirmations, Donald Trump’s letter begins and ends with amazing polite formulas. Should we see irony or mockery? “‘Thank you for your attention!’ With an exclamation point, it’s hard not to see a touch of humor, there is a mocking tone, comments Rafael Jacob, author and researcher at the Raoul-Dandurand chair of UQAM. It seems to be its new favorite expression, it has been up to the past few weeks that it emerges. It is his style of his, which is in the least extraordinarily inortodox and extremely hard to follow, very often. “If he admits” reluctant “to Psychoanalyse Donald Trump on form, he is scathing as to the bottom of this letter. “The bottom is completely impossible to follow too. It is completely inconsistent. »»