Canada's top negotiator, Janice Charette, hit the nail on the head with a blunt warning to her American counterparts this week: you can only push people so far. According to sources, Charette made it clear that if President Donald Trump follows through on his threat to impose new tariffs, Ottawa may not be able to contain the anger and frustration that would erupt across Canada. She warned U.S. officials that the federal government could lose the ability to rein in public anger or control the reaction from Canada's premiers. Once that happens, Ottawa could find itself with little room left to negotiate with Washington. Charette delivered the stark message during high-stakes trade discussions in Washington alongside Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc. According to reports, the Americans presented a new proposal on Tuesday that would lower some of the sectoral tariffs, but not by nearly as much as the Canadian side would like to see. Charette stressed that Canadians would expect their government to stand up for the country, its workers and its businesses. If the threatened new 50% tariffs take effect, the political pressure to respond with immediate retaliatory measures could become overwhelming. And frankly, Mrs. Charette is right. You can only push people so far before patience runs out. Canadians have every right to expect their government to defend Canada's interests, and I'm glad she made it clear to the Americans that there are limits to what Ottawa can control. I hope they got the message loud and clear. I’m not sure everyone realizes the pressure these negotiators are under right now. They’re carrying an enormous responsibility, and honestly, I actually pity them.