There was a disquieting air of jubilation from Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet back in January when the government announced it had secured a new “strategic partnership” with Beijing.
Not that it wasn’t good news that Canada and China had broken their decade-long stalemate, that relief was coming to Canada’s canola farmers, and that plans were set in motion to diversify our energy, agri-food and wood product exports. But the celebratory tone and pageantry that came with the new partnership seemed incongruent with the reality of the situation, which was that renewing ties with China was a necessary evil for Canada.
