Top Conservative and Liberal MPs are downplaying U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s comments dumping on Canada’s strategy heading into major trade talks with the U.S. and Mexico.

But former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig insists that while Lutnick spoke crudely, he has a point about the risks posed by Ottawa’s outreach to China amid the crucial trade talks.

Lutnick turned heads in Ottawa last week when he told a panel event it would be a bad strategy for Ottawa to wait out the clock to reach a good deal with the Donald Trump administration.

“That is like the worst strategy I’ve ever heard. They suck,” Lutnick said on Friday, insisting the president views the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement as a bad deal that must be “reimagined.”

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