Wilkinson called Singh’s public spitballing on retaliatory measures counterproductive
“The NDP leader honestly doesn’t know what he’s talking about… in the context of finding a resolution to this challenge,” Wilkinson told reporters at a Thursday media call-in.
“We are not going to negotiate in public,” said Wilkinson. “And we are not going to tell the Americans exactly what we were going to do.”
Wilkinson called Singh’s public spitballing on retaliatory measures counterproductive.
“This needs to be thoughtful, and there needs to be a strategy. And to be honest with you, Mr. Singh is not helping the cause of Canada by saying things like that publicly.”
He nevertheless conceded that critical minerals are a possible bargaining chip for Canadian negotiators.
“There are a range of options, and certainly critical minerals may be part of that conversation… but we are not interested in this being an escalatory issue,” said Wilkinson.
Singh called on all political leaders to support his proposal.
“Bringing all these voices to the table… will help forge the all-hands-on-deck approach that this moment demands.”
National Post
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