| It’s rare for a Canadian prime minister to drop in on the summertime retreat of the country’s provincial and territorial leaders (that’s usually when they trash him behind his back). Rarer still is a sleepover between the host premier and the PM. But that’s what unfolded this week with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney. The pair stayed up until after midnight chatting by the fire at Ford’s family cottage, to hear the premier tell it. Ford, who welcomed the other premiers to the summit at the Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ontario, clearly delighted in his role as host in one of the province’s most scenic places. He heaped praise on Carney — a “community builder” and “brilliant businessman” — and called it “refreshing” to work with a prime minister who “has our backs.” The other provincial leaders also lined up to pledge faith and trust in Carney and Dominic LeBlanc, the minister in charge of US-Canada trade talks and a man who is collecting a jillion frequent-flyer miles as he shuttles between Washington and Ottawa. The premiers also shared plans for the economy, signing a flurry of agreements to work together to boost internal trade and growth.  Canada’s premiers (pictured in Washington, DC in February): Now with even more unity. Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg Over the course of the three-day summit, I spotted a lone protester with a bullhorn pacing the highway, and heard that an orderly nurses’ protest passed by at one point. But within the heavily policed resort, the vibe was one of almost surreal unity among the nation’s key lawmakers. Canadian rock band Blue Rodeo took the stage during a cocktail party on Tuesday evening, and the chorus of one of their biggest hits could have been a theme song for the whole affair: And if we’re lost, then we are lost together, together, together. There’s wisdom in keeping a united front as the country faces a serious economic threat in President Donald Trump, one that eclipses traditional Canadian grievances and regional rifts. But disagreements are bound to resurface and several were already bubbling up during the meetings in cottage country. The premiers agreed it’s more important to strike a good deal with the US than to get one by Aug. 1 at all costs. But if that deadline passes and Trump does impose the threatened 35% tariffs, there’s less consensus on what to do after that. Ford wants to hit back with “dollar for dollar” counter-tariffs while others, including British Columbia’s David Eby and Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe, strongly object to retaliatory levies that they say will only hurt Canadians. Eby told Bloomberg’s Thomas Seal bluntly: “I don’t think that additional counter-tariffs are going to change Donald Trump’s mind.” Carney’s government has pledged to support “nation-building” infrastructure projects and asked the provinces to submit lists of proposals. He said this week the promised “major federal projects office” would be open for business by Labor Day. The endeavor has pitted Eby against Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, whose greatest wish is to build another oil pipeline to the coast of BC. Eby, who’s less enthusiastic about that idea, suggested Smith should get in touch with him when a pipeline company actually proposes one. When the feds eventually do select certain proposals to support, it stands to create some resentment among premiers who don’t get what they want. And a range of Indigenous groups have raised concerns about fast-tracking pipelines, mining claims or other projects that trample on their rights or land. The uneven effects of US tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos might also weaken pan-provincial unity once the shape of a trade deal becomes clear. The premiers are currently giving Carney “a whole lot of latitude in doing what he needs to do in these negotiations,” Jordan Leichnitz, a former New Democratic Party strategist, said during a panel discussion on CBC after the summit wrapped up. “But we’re still at a place where it’s not clear what the trade-offs are going to be,” she said, predicting that there could be “serious regional political ramifications” when an agreement with Trump is eventually struck. Someone’s ox is going to be gored. Carney’s still in a honeymoon phase with the Canadian public and voters want to see the premiers work well with him, Tim Powers of public affairs firm Summa Strategies said on the CBC panel. Yet, he warned, “Today’s hero can be tomorrow’s piñata.” | 
