Good morning. Mark Carney said what he came to say at the White House – more on that below, along with the start of the conclave and the question of Alberta’s secession. But first:

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Mark Carney didn’t say much in the Oval Office. Over his half-hour televised meeting yesterday with President Donald Trump, the Prime Minister spoke just four times, each response kept under a minute. He seemed content to let Trump go on at length about a variety of subjects, including – but not remotely limited to – Barack Obama’s presidential library; California’s high-speed rail line; China; ISIS; Joe Biden’s senility; and the many golden accents in the room. Trump got to weave, which is his preference. But Carney got the sound bite.

It came early on, when a reporter broached the whole 51st-state business. Trump trotted out his talking points about an artificial, ruler-drawn border and the massive tax cuts awaiting Canadians if they joined the U.S. Then Carney leaned in. “As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale,” he told Trump. The White House is one of them, Buckingham Palace another. Add Canada to the list. “It’s not for sale. It won’t be for sale – ever,” Carney said.

Oh, sure, Trump countered with a tepid “never say never.” But Carney accomplished his main goal in this high-stakes White House meeting – assert Canada’s sovereignty, which is still strange to write – and Trump appeared disinclined to press the issue. He was largely in congenial host mode, praising Carney for his comeback election victory and saying he wanted friendship most of all.

There was some talk of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement: USMCA was an improvement on NAFTA, Trump insisted, although perhaps no longer relevant. He liked when the Prime Minister mentioned stepping up military spending, and didn’t seem to be listening when Carney noted that Canada is the largest importer of U.S. goods. Trump doubled down on his claim that the U.S. subsidizes Canada to the tune of US$200-billion (incorrect) and said nothing could convince him to lift the tariffs (we shall see). But everything went about as smoothly as could be expected in the Oval Office. “We had another little blow up,” Trump told Carney at the end, likely referring to his sit-down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “This is very friendly.”

Then the pair adjourned for a closed-door working luncheon. That too seemed to go well, at least from Trump’s perspective: Hours later, he said it was “a greet meeting” with “no tension” and that the relationship moving forward would be strong. Trump also signalled he wouldn’t subject Carney to the insults suffered by our last Prime Minister. “As far as calling him Governor Carney, no, I haven’t done that yet,” he told reporters. “And maybe I won’t.”

At his own afternoon press conference from the roof of the Canadian embassy, Prime Minister Carney was a little more circumspect. He kept referring to the lunchtime conversation as “wide-ranging,” and said while trade deals aren’t negotiated in a day, the serious discussions can now begin. And yes, he asked Trump to knock it off with the 51st-state comments, but “he‘s his own person,” so: you know. “We’ve established a good basis today,” Carney said, sounding very much the former central banker. “We have a lot more work to do…but we are engaged. We are fully engaged.”

A reporter told Carney she had watched his face throughout the Oval Office meeting and couldn’t figure out what he made of it all. Carney started smiling before she finished speaking. “Thank you, I guess, for your question,” he said. “I’m glad you couldn’t tell what was going through my mind.”

More from The Globe

Opinion: Carney reset the Trump relationship, not the trade war, Campbell Clark writes, while Shannon Proudfoot thinks Carney learned a new skill from Trump.

News: Ontario and Alberta butt heads over Carney’s meeting in Washington.

Podcast: Doug Saunders joins The Decibel to discuss what the meeting signals about Canada-U.S. affairs now.

This morning, 133 cardinals begin the process of choosing the next pope – and everyone else turns their eyes to the roof of the Sistine Chapel for the telltale puffs of white smoke. On the ground in St. Peter’s Square, thousands of tourists (and 4,000 journalists) are stuck in a strange Roman limbo together. Read more from The Globe’s Eric Reguly here.