"Winning" Means Different Things for Different People
Originally posted on Quora, Aug. 10 2026
QUORA QUESTION
If the USMCA trade pact with Mexico and Canada were ever to unravel, which country would likely be the winner of a less integrated, less competitive North American market?
The USMCA includes three countries, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. You only mention Mexico and Canada. In 2026, Mexico and Canada strengthened and deepened their bilateral trade relationship. Canada led a trade mission to Mexico in February, and Mexico led a trade mission to Canada in March. On May 8 2026, the highest trade officials of both countries signed a joint statement.
The Minister and Secretary reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the Canada-Mexico Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the Canada–Mexico Action Plan, launched by Prime Minister Carney and President Sheinbaum in September 2025 (Joint Statement Following the Conclusion of Mexico’s Trade Mission to Canada (Toronto and Montréal - May 6-8, 2026).
Canada is not looking at this in terms of winners and losers. Canada is looking at this in terms of what Canada can control. As Prime Minister Mark Carney frequently says, Canada can control how we build our own economy. We are masters in our own home. We will build Canada Strong.
The goal is to become economically independent and to support ourselves no matter what other nations do so that we can absorb stock market shocks and other economic and financial shocks. Part of that goal is to have more than fifty percent of our exports be non-US by 2035. We have already sharply decreased US exports, meaning we no longer depend so much on the US for our market.
That market is not any single country. Never again will Canada put all its eggs in one basket. Carney made 20 trade and security deals on five continents. And it appears that Canadian companies are following him in reshaping their supply chains to countries where Canada now has those deals.
We have an American confirming that Canadian corporations are rewiring their networks and rerouting their supply chains around the United States.
It’s OVER: Canadian Boycott FORCES Corporations To ABANDON America!, Aug. 8 2026
Large Man Abroad speaking, Min. 0:00:
The Canadian boycott is eating the US economy alive and the corporate executives up north right now are really finally falling in line behind the Canadian consumer.
0:25 What we’re seeing is Canadian corporate strategy actively rewiring itself to ditch the US entirely.
I can see Donald Trump declaring the United States being the winner in such a situation, just as he declares the United States being the winner of the Iran War when the rest of the world calls it something very differently. In fact, the United States has from the beginning called itself the winner when the rest of the world called it the loser. War of 1812 was supposed to be an overpowering and annexation of Canada but ended up being a burning of the White House instead. The Americans won a few of those battles so they claim they won the War of 1812.
No they didn’t. Nor did they win the War in Iran. Or the Trade War with Canada. But they might say they did. Words are cheap.