Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

HUNTSVILLE — Who in Muskoka hasn’t sat around the fireplace in to the wee early hours “solving all the problems of the world?”

Doug Ford and Paul Carney did that last night at the premier’s Port Sydney “shack.”

The fate of the country’s trade, tariffs and Trump conundrum may well have been on the way to being solved in the heart of Muskoka.

It’s where Ford hosted Canadian premiers and territorial leaders for a “steak” BBQ on the eve of the Conference Premiers at Deerhurst Resort.

“Full disclosure,” he said at the end of the second day after Monday responding to my question about him inviting premiers to his cottage on Fawn Lake.

“The prime minister stayed at my place (bunkie?). We had dinner and we were up till 12:30 at night, chatting in front of the fire place, solving all the problems of the world.

“I have a little shack down the street there,” he joked in his folksy way today at an end of day presser.

“He’s got a very nice small chalet,” interjected Francois Legault, Quebec’s premier standing aside him and who was on hand for the evening social.

“You know, I haven’t known the prime minister very long,” said Ford. “He’s the most humble person you’d ever want to meet.

“Let me give you a little background — now that you’ve got me on a roll.

“The prime minister was a Goldman Sachs guy. He worked on Bay Street. He was chair of Brookfield, which is close to a trillion-dollar fund. He was chair of Bloomberg. Bank of Canada Governor, Bank of England Governor.

“He has never said that in all his entire time that I have known him. He doesn’t do that. He’s very humble. He listens. He’s a smart business person.

“I always say to my businesses: ‘Who are you going to give your keys to?’ I’d hand my keys over to the prime minister. He’s business-minded.

“He has his hands full because of the last 10 years of what has happened in our country. And he’s playing clean-up right now. And we’re going to be here to support him.

“But he’s a very good man. He’s off to a good start. An honest man and he just wants the best for Canada.

“He doesn’t need to be doing this. But he’s giving everything he possibly can. And I think that’s the consensus around the table. He’s trying and he’s a very shrewd business man.”

Hardly feint praise from a Tory who could one day run against Carney.

But a step in the right direction, nonetheless, for the premiers and this year’s COP chair.

Morning after tough pill to swallow

Day 1 may have ended on a high this afternoon, followed tonight by an Ontario celebration with 500 invited guests with Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor and their band entertaining.

But a work shift earlier it was different story.

At a morning Memorandum of Understanding signing between Ford, Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe and Danielle Smith of Alberta the mood was, shall we say, a little less positive.

It might have been from the Smores from the night before.

The Western leaders made it clear Ottawa needs to step up to the plate to help them as they help indeed want to help him and Canada in its time of need.

It was much the same with other government leaders like B.C.’s David Eby who balked at Smith’s dream of a northwestern Canada pipeline.

While obstacles remain, P.J. Alleeagok, of Nunavut, welcomed the prime minister’s 5 per cent commitment to more military spending that would be an obvious advantage in the north.

However, his counterpart R.J. Simpson, of the Northwest Territories, dodged a question about his support for Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ protection plan. He’s leaving that to the feds of which Carney is one and seems interested in joining.

Out East Tim Houston in Nova Scotia was remains a little hesitant about being all aboard without conditions. However, New Brunswick’s Susan Holt touted her province’s natural sea and manufacturing benefits as a guard against reciprocal tariffs against their southern neighbours.

In between, Ford and Legeault are both positive, though the latter leader will naturally side with the French culture, shipping and electricity as hedges in the current war of 2025. Quebec is also a powerful shipbuilder and power generator and aeorspace developer.

Ford can never curb his enthusiasm for the Trillium province as the engine that drives Canada and does more business with the U.S. than a half dozen other larger American trading partners.

Ford for all his blustering blubber continues to champion not only the prime minister but “Team Canada” and our potential to be a powerful world leader.

That’s theme Captain Carney carried on with on the balcony overlooking Penn Lake in reassuring Canadians that his first ministers are in synch with him.

And that they are in his good hands.

Indeed between asking for and offering full assistance, provincial premiers did commit to working collegially and confederately on both their at odds, while reloading federal “arsenal” with weapons from provincial quivers that the prime minister can combat the “fluidity” of Trump.

Ford said he didn’t want to reveal the strategy Carney shared with the leaders in a meeting this morning about how he and top Liberals plan to combat tariffs and trade.

Premiers and territorial leaders in general throughout the day addressing and taking questions from reporters eventually warmed up to the federal objectives, putting their trust albeit reservedly in check in some parochial respects.

Everyone wants to know when Carney and Co. will announce the “big projects” the country can get behind to revive a threatened economy.

With the clock ticking loudly to an Aug. 1 deadline for deal with Trump before added 35 per cent tariffs, the question of “deal or no deal” hung heavily.

Carney hinted at early fall for word on the big reveal.

In the meantime this was a rare opportunity for the PM to sit down with all the premiers — only the third time they’ve met since the federal election — anxiety is being shared with optimism.

Starting with Carney being the first prime minister to attend a COP conference.

A good start and a positive step.

Even if little was shared or promised publicly.

The hangover from that night of social solidarity was still a wake-up call for him when the national leaders sat down for a few hours of formal tete et tete early on on a morning that saw Carney meet at 6:30 a.m. with nurses who want to expand training schools nationwide. So what was the big deal about just making a deal?

Premiers learned they must first make peace with the prime minister before waging war with Trump.

Unity and a little disunity aside, the Canadian pow-wow today with Carney was essentially positive provinces-wide.

As Carney told me when I asked as he left Deerhurst.

“Yes,” he said his elbows are up

First ministers welcomed the PM to their summer meetings to repeat what he knows.

They want to wrestle more federal powers from Ottawa.

Not unlike American states.

That power struggle isn’t global. Charity begins at home.

Carney was asked how realistic is Aug. 1 deal?

“There’s two sides to a deal. If it’s in best interests of Canadians, yes.”

And “if not we will take stock.”

“A good deal stabilizes past good relationships and doesn’t tie our hands,” he said.

“We’re going to focus on the positives.”

Regarding the big national projects to help kick-start a threatened if not languishing economy, Carney said it depends on what each proposal will do to “benefit multiple parts of the country and Indigenous communities.”

He also told reporters standing with Penn Lake as a backdrop (on the balcony where Stephen Harper announced the G8 15 years ago) that he and his team are also working on a longer-term forestry agreement.

And that the steel, auto, forestry, pharmaceutical industries — and a little less aluminum — are of greater negotiating interests just now as most other sectors aren’t feeling the same impacts.

Concluding his brief 15-minute remarks, he said: “The spirit and substance of the meetings was about building the country and being more and more concrete about doing that. And building better relationships (with premiers) and at the same time coming to a good accord with the United States.

“Canadians are excited. What’s coming out is how fundamentally positive Canadians are. They want to build and move forward. They don’t want a dispute. If there are challenges south of the border with that relationship (Canadians) want to focus on how good they can do in this country.”

Carney also took one last moment to plug the Canada Pass, allowing free access to federal parks and sites. And that Canadians under 18 can ride VIA Rail free.

“Canadians are fundamentally happy, positive and productive.

“That’s the nature of them.”

Leaving to his SUV entourage he told me “Yes!” it’s still elbows up for him and Canada.

The conference continues Wednesday morning with a final statement in the afternoon on what they accomplished.