What’s Trump’s problem with Canada?

Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours, and since the end of the Second World War that’s exactly what the US and Canada have been. They’ve enjoyed free trade agreements, close knit economic ties - and not so friendly ice hockey matches.

But recently this relationship has soured, with President Trump calling them “one of the nastiest countries to deal with”. It looks like the era of mostly free trade is over, with a raft of tariffs set to come into force on April the 2nd, or “liberation day” a Donald Trump calls it.

But is President Trump right about the trading relationship between the two countries? What does he mean when he claims that “the US subsidises Canada $200 billion a year”?

Presenter: Tim Harford

Producer: Lizzy McNeill

Series Producer: Tom Colls

Editor: Richard Vadon

Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison

Studio manager: Andrew Mills