In the end, Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, long threatened before being announced this weekend, were just about as bad as they could have been. At 25% on all goods except energy — that’s been hit with 10% instead — the tariffs will be catastrophic for Canada’s economy, which since the advent of continental free trade in the Eighties has been intertwined with America’s.
There has been a united front in Canada as politicians of all parties — including those who have spent much of their careers denigrating their own country — rallied around the flag. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s press conference, in which he recalled the blood shed on battlefields by Canadians alongside Americans, even suggested that he rather liked Canada — which might have been helpful had it come a decade earlier. In Ottawa, the American national anthem was booed in public; several provincial governments have taken American alcohol off the shelves.
It is less clear where Canada goes from here in the short to medium term. Trudeau announced retaliatory tariffs, despite Trump’s threats to double his own levies if Canada responded in kind, proving the adage that Americans simply don’t believe anyone else has patriotism or national interests. These were necessary, if only because Canada would no longer be a serious country if it allowed itself to be crushed without a murmur by its erstwhile ally.
But everyone is aware that although trade wars are mutually self-destructive, America has a lot more of an economy to destroy than Canada. Tit-for-tat is not a game which benefits America; but neither is it a game Canada can win, if only by the inexorable laws of arithmetic. It may be satisfying to slap a tariff on Florida orange juice, but it will hardly make Americans quiver in fear. Cutting off Canadian electricity and oil, which would make the US pay attention, are so far considered too drastic as retributive measures.
Nor is it clear whether Washington has an exit plan. The stated rationales for the tariffs — cross-border fentanyl trade and illegal immigration — are widely understood as a polite fiction. The quantity of fentanyl which comes from Canada is relatively small compared to what enters from Mexico. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 asylum seekers came from the United States to Canada at one border crossing alone during the Biden administration, so Trudeau’s country arguably has far more of a grievance on that front.
Trump’s public remarks, insofar as one is able to draw anything from them, suggest that what he really wants is to roll back continental free trade by forcing manufacturing to return to America. This means that the tariffs — which are in violation of the 2020 trade deal signed by, among others, a certain Donald Trump — may be here to stay.
It would be helpful if there were something other than a lame-duck government in Ottawa, too. Trudeau may still be Prime Minister eo nomine, but he lacks the legitimacy to deliver the necessary political and economic response. Meanwhile, the ubiquitous Mark Carney, who in theory is nothing but a private citizen, has been jetting around and acting as if he were already running the country. Parliament continues to stand prorogued, to the intense frustration of the Conservatives who will almost certainly win the next federal elections — when they are finally called, that is.
Last year, Canada mourned the death of Brian Mulroney, who as prime minister undid centuries of resistance and ushered in free trade with the United States, which many had always opposed as the first step to annexation by America. Now, the continental trade debate, which most had taken to be settled, has been reopened in the most dramatic manner possible. Even if Trump backs down, which looks increasingly unlikely, Canadians will never assume again that the republic down south is a benign hegemon.
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SubscribeCanada has been quietly selling itself out to China, as well as destroying itself economically and politically. That is much more long term destruction than a trade war.
The Trump tariffs are a kick to the head of America’s closest ally, an affront to decency and diplomacy. 25% for Canada and Mexico, yet only 10% for China. Hmm. He’s clearly imposing himself on weaker nations.
More than ever, we need strong leadership in Canada and a clear-headed plan to diversify our economy away from the U.S. Some form of counter vailing tariffs are needed, if only to show Canada has a backbone. However, we do not want a trade war. Shutting down electricity and energy sales to the U.S. is unserious.
Trudeau needs to declare some kind of economic emergency and build pipelines from Alberta to the east and the west coast – overriding all regulatory hurdles that typically delay and prevent these projects. Nearly 25% of Canada’s exports are oil and gas and all of this goes to the U.S. at discounted rates. We can easily diversify away from this market if there is the political will to do it.
We need to invest and exploit the abundance of natural resources that have strong demand across globe. We need to invest in industry that requires intensive energy inputs, like AI, because we have some of the most abundant reserves in the world.
All of this requires big boy political leadership and vision, and unlike oil and gas, there is a short supply of that in Canada today.
As an American, I agree with most of what you say. Trump has, indeed, whacked Canada and Mexico, two relatively weak countries, and erstwhile allies, with high tariffs, while levying a lower tariff on China.
Now every country must figure out where it lies on the spectrum of economic strength relative to America, and how much commercial pain it’s willing to suffer if it doesn’t accommodate the US. The biggest challenge, I would suggest, is to Europe. A united EU is an enormous economic power but, as has been discussed many times on Unherd, the EU is far from united and is run, or dictated to, by an unelected bureaucracy. Now the EU must truly face the question of how it will deal with America in the new world order where there are no real friends, only frenemies.
The danger for Trump isn’t that other countries will levy tariffs (though that is a danger), but that the tariffs will finally force countries to make hard choices, and perhaps distance themselves from the US, thereby weakening the US’s international power. Recall that, a couple of years ago, America was going to break Russia by imposing sanctions. All America achieved was to catalyze changes in the global balance of power that were already underway and are probably not in America’s favor.
The move away from international free trade and the demise of the nation state now seems inevitable. Trump’s America-first tariffs are one step in that process; all that can be said for sure is the process will be unpredictable and painful.
I hope this serves as a wake-up call for Canadian political leaders. There’s no reason for a country swimming in high-demand natural resources to be so dependent on the American market. Unfortunately, we have very incompetent political leadership right now.
Mexico is an erstwhile ally?
“the demise of the nation state now seems inevitable.”
???
I worded that statement badly. I meant that for the past twenty years or more the Western world has promoted internationalism and, consequently, the demise of the nation state. The West is now moving away from both of those trends, which means the resurgence of the nation state (which, in my opinion, is a good thing).
Good points. But you push for longer-term changes to Canadian internal policy. What about the short term? Surely Canada has a better response available than just retaliation, don’t they?
Jim- I think this is a temporary thing to induce cooperation on border security.
I think Poilievre and the boys can get it sorted out promptly.
I don’t think there is much more Canada can do for border security than the enhanced measures it has already promised to do already in a vain attempt to avoid the tariffs.
As for drugs, the US northern border is already secure. In 2024 43 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the northern border, but 21,100 pounds at the southern border. If anything, fentanyl seems to be going from the US to Canada, who has its own strict laws to crack down on fentanyl use and traffic.
Donald Trump’s tariff against Canada has little reason behind it. It’s more nonsense than sense.
Hi, Carlos. Two things:
Yes, the Liberals have promised enhanced measures to patrol the border. But their pattern is to make big promises and then barely bother (or not bother at all) doing the work; look at their repeated promises to beef up NATO-required spending on our military. Trudeau’s promises are empty wind.
As for drugs at the border, I expect if the US-Mexican border is made secure, the Mexican drug cartels will look for another way to get their wares to market. Guess what other border might seem an easy target? Would it be 6000 miles long and mostly undefended? Don’t think about the current state of the Canadian-US border. Think about what it might look like in ten years or so; then ask yourself again what Trump’s reasoning might be.
… Also, what strict laws does Canada have on the drug trade? The feds have been trying to legalize hard drugs! Damn, we need a change of government.
I agree. I’m an American and I live in a state that borders with Canada. There are towns in our state alone that watch as illegal immigrants walk across their backyards into the US. The statistics may not show it, but there are more drugs pouring into this country from Canada than anyone realizes. Also, for those that don’t understand why 25% on Canada and Mexico and only 10% on China. China has had 25% tariffs on most goods for years and Trumps 10% has just brought it up to 35%. Add the fact that China is not a border country to the US. Common sense. Promises made, promises kept.
“The statistics may not show it, but there are more drugs pouring into this country from Canada than anyone realizes.”
If no one realizes it, and the statistics don’t show it, then how do you know it?
I’m not a tariff fan. Its possible you’re right. Its also possible that it’s a calculated gamble and he’s calling bluffs to renegotiate better deals. A bluff isn’t taken seriously unless the bluffer is willing to throw some chips in.
How about actually doing the things it has promised to do? Too radical?
As regards dealing with drug-trafficking offenses, Canada has a famous ‘catch-and-release’ program. Criminals are pretty comfortable with pushing their luck.
Look up article in The Hub Anil Wasif: The real reason for Donald Trump’s tariffs “For those Canadian policymakers looking to make sense of real motivation behind Trump’s tariffs, they should consult an obscure yet important policy paper released days after the November presidential election. The paper, entitled “A User’s Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System,” sets out an ambitious plan for reconceptualizing global trading arrangements using tariffs as a key policy weapon. Its author, Stephen Miran, has since been nominated as the chair of Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers.
In the paper, Miran argues that the Bretton Woods system, which established institutions like the IMF and World Bank, is being exploited to undermine U.S. interests. He sets out the case that tariffs are a powerful tool to restore American economic dominance. As he puts it: “Tariffs and currency policy are aimed at improving the competitiveness of American manufacturing, increasing our industrial plant, and reallocating aggregate demand and jobs from the rest of the world stateside.””
Or maybe the smuggling from Canada is more effective
It’s not in American economic interests either, so it’s got to be temporary, with a view to nudging policy alignment on other matters.
So the era of mutual economic interests eclipsing everything else/ being prioritized above more specific national interests, is over.
I don’t agree at all. I think Trump sees tariffs as a way to onshore industry in the U.S., and generate revenue for the feds. I think a large tax cut is imminent and tariff revenue will be cited as the reason
100% that is his plan. I just don’t think tariffs on Canada will be long term. I think he’s probably trying to leverage a more beneficial trade arrangement and possibly get rid of some road blocks.
Canada will almost certainly need to produce and export more natural gas into the global market and the added supply could force OPEC to lower prices. The Canadian Carbon taxes are going to have to go. The US will be ramping up production as well. He clearly thinks cheap Fossil Fuels are the key to bring down costs across the board.
It is.
Yes, I think the tariffs are Trump telling the Canada to get itself a government with which he can have a meaningful discussion.
Of course, there isn’t much the Canadian people can do about that so long as Trudeau wishes to remain in office.
I completely agree. Trump won’t deal with Trudeau or any other Liberal WEF successor.
It appears, according to latest developments, that the next Federal election may not well be until 18 months from now. So that may well be painfully long period of Liberal-dominated (continuing) policy, supported by the NDP. Everything could go very very poorly in that interim, i.e. until Poilievre is given the reins. The solution: Trudeau must, posthaste, apologize for Canada being lying freeloaders w.r.t. our commitments to defense spending; and proffer a strong and clearly-worded plan about getting our out-of-control disastrous immigration (read illegal resource-guzzling refugee) program under control.
Trudeau needs to go back to wherever he came from.
Canada definitely needs to decide if it wants to be a country. You can’t tax alberta more and everything will be better this time around.
My biggest fear is an export tax on Alberta energy. I won’t exactly be shocked if Trudeau does it.
You must be from Alberta to believe this!
Don’t look now but the Co2 tax went up 20% April first.
Whatever the Canadian response…
But is the current relationship a healthy one? At least for the USA.
It is not, as Trudeau shares many predilictions with his natural father (widely known to be Fidel Castro) but it is also not a fiction that the northern border is widely neglected by Canadian authorities, and that under Trudeau, immigration policies became careless.
We have two largely benign neighbors to our north and south, and we should have far better relations with them. Our massive consumer sector powers much of their economy, and our prosperous, comfortable lifestyles depend on good trade relations with them.
We also have had cases of unlawful entrants freezing to death along our northern borders, have seen Toronto swell with largely unvetted new arrivals, and concurrently saw very heavy handed actions against those who disagreed with Trudeau’s leftist authoritarianism.
Trade wars are to no one’s advantage. Let’s hope Polliviere can soon mend some fences, perhaps literally, and restore good working relationships. Let’s equally hope that Trump can assist America’s industry and working classes, without damaging the North American economy.
Cheaper energy does wonders for prosperity, while expensive energy does the opposite. That might be a good place from which to start.
While much of the western world is back-tracking from the destructive Green Dream of Tax+Decarbonize, Canada’s heir-apparent Carbon-Tax Carney, is scheming to double down on all of that costly nonsense. Listen to him carefully, he speaks with a forked tongue. Do not be fooled, he is Trudeau 2-0, rolled in with the insane convict radical Steven Guilbeault.
Tariffs are a good thing. I would have two types of charges though. A flat charge based on the product and a percentage portion based n the cost.
I’m not sure what Trump’s end game is here either. Canadian trade benefits from cheap energy, a beneficial exchange rate, proximity to natural resources and specialisation in chosen industries. None of these things constitute trade manipulation. Does he seriously expect them to become the 51st state?
I doubt if he believes he can take over Canada. But Canada has had a bit of a free ride with the US – they have been the same whilst also being different and that could have only happened with the security coming from the US. Canada has had plenty of time to waste while the politicians have played woke games and suddenly… they have to think about their own survival. Time for the kids to stop playing and the adults to take charge.
Europe is next. The politicians have been playing games, knowing that if anything serious happens John Wayne will come riding over the hill. European politicians have zero idea about how to survive in bad times and they have also wasted the last 20 years playing silly childish Woke.
This is fair. Canada has for too long expected the U.S. to defend our borders. And it’s not just Trudeau.
Who is Canada being defended from- the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans? Arctic polar bears? Space meteors? Who’s boogie man?
Chris, would you have asked this question during the Cold War? That’s old news, I know. However China and Russia both keep sniffing around the Canadian Arctic, which is largely empty of people but chock-full of lovely natural resources.
Canada has a history of being pro-active in supporting justified military & financial efforts for systemic stability: proportionately more support than the US to both WW 1&2, then Korea, forward positioned NATO troops in Europe, Iraq 1, post 9/11 actions, helped bail out the UK in supplemental IMF contribution in the 1970s and provides significant energy security to the US. After embarrassing participation in the UKs Boer war it bows out of stupid wars like Vietnam and Iraq 2 and disregards threat inflation of the war-junkies. Re the Arctic, are you aware of the military and dual use infrastructure that Canada funds and supports there, as well as NORAD and other access rights?
Totally agree.
I too am struggling to figure out Donald Trump on this. It makes no sense. Why go to war (trade war, in this case) for no reason?
I voted for Donald Trump, but when he nominated Matt Gaetz and the other unqualified candidates I had my doubts. Now those doubts have multiplied as he acts like a bull in a china shop, doing some good but smashing delicate relationships for no reason.
I want my vote back.
You’ve completely missed the point. The issue ids to ensure that Mexico and Canada cooperate with the US over the border and in Mexico’s case put an end to the cartels, sex trafficking, fentanyl etc…. Mexico and Canada should simply do the right thing and the tariffs will be gone right away. Really simple.
Canada does cooperate with the US over the border. There are no out-of-government-control Canadian cartels smuggling people and drugs like in Mexico. The southern border is a problem for the US; the northern border not so much.
I don’t think tariffs will go away. I think he will drop taxes to make sure peoples cost of living is a wash. All good stuff for the fly over states.
Absolutely not happening. This was merely a pretense
Perhaps MExico wont do anything, but last I read Pete Hesgeth has not put off the table the US sending in delta forces to destroy the cartels.
“to ensure that Mexico and Canada cooperate with the US over the border”
This is the level of ignorance we are dealing with here. Amazing.
Champagne Socialist: what are all the amazing commentators, except for your good self, missing?
He is aligning us law to the benefit of the us population. Not the rich us oligarchs farming slave labour in China.
You mean to bring more manufacturing back to the US from Canada and Mexico?
I’m pretty sure he is just starting. Sort of like, “if we do this to Canada and Mexico what are we going to do to you”.
That said Mexico is a big target because China has been making factories in Mexico so I think they are done.
To reshore manufacturing from Canada to the us they just buy the companies and use a financial meltdown to move the jobs to the states. The Canadian govt allows it.
Look up article in The Hub Anil Wasif: The real reason for Donald Trump’s tariffs “For those Canadian policymakers looking to make sense of real motivation behind Trump’s tariffs, they should consult an obscure yet important policy paper released days after the November presidential election. The paper, entitled “A User’s Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System,” sets out an ambitious plan for reconceptualizing global trading arrangements using tariffs as a key policy weapon. Its author, Stephen Miran, has since been nominated as the chair of Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers.
In the paper, Miran argues that the Bretton Woods system, which established institutions like the IMF and World Bank, is being exploited to undermine U.S. interests. He sets out the case that tariffs are a powerful tool to restore American economic dominance. As he puts it: “Tariffs and currency policy are aimed at improving the competitiveness of American manufacturing, increasing our industrial plant, and reallocating aggregate demand and jobs from the rest of the world stateside.””
The whole post war system, largely designed by the Americans, has benefitted them more than any other nation. If people lose trust in America and drift away from the dollar as the defacto gold standard America will be babkrupt
Trump and his heir-apparent Vance would not like a 51st blue state the size of California.
It’s bad decisions like this that call for oversight and reversal by Congress. They could easily and quickly remove the tarrifs by legislation, but since so many GOP congressmen are in supine lickspittle mode with Trump they won’t act, on the lame theory that “this is what America voted for” even though very few voters know about, care about or understand tarrifs.
Tarrifs imposed by fiat are not even within the president’s legal powers, other than for national security reasons or due to certain abuses. I suspect the Supreme Court would look favorably on an argument testing Trump’s actions.
Finally, Canada needs a public relations push in America. I suspect 90%+ of us do not like molesting our friends and neighbors up north and are strongly on their side. This would be an ideal role for the Democratic party, and would fit nicely with their “resist” game, but unfortunately they are too busy spitting up on themselves over their election failures to think clearly,
Unfortunately, I don’t think this is an issue in the U.S. at all. No one is talking about it outside of Canada and Mexico. There’s a big shrug from those on the right and the left.
It’s been headline news over here in the BBC all weekend – other countries are definitely noticing. It’s kind of staggering that the US is having a go at Canada. Staggering and bizarre.
Of course it may all blow over, but for now it seems Trump needs to be taken literally as well as seriously.
Well it may not blow over so easily, Trump and his cronies don’t respect international treaties and can’t be trusted, I can tell you the mindset is changing here, and no matter what happens in the end, the abuse , insults, and blatant lies against Canada won’t be forgotten for a long time. It’s a wake up call, Canada the needs to drastically amend it’s economic model to rely less on the US, forge closer links with other countries for business and exports, reduce internal trade barriers, become more energy independent and produce more of it’s own products for consumption, especially vital ones. It’s going to take time, there may be some pain but it’s doable .
It’s near the top of the squawk on both MSNBC and FOX News. While I’m sure Mexico and Canada residents care much more, here in the States it’s far from the non-story you perceive it to be.
*Looks like this particular firestarting tactic won’t be put to a real test for at least a month, at least in North America.
On the us part, Us tariffs are a tax on us consumers not Canadians. Like any tax it depends on what is done with the money.
On the Canadian part, I am of a different opinion. A definition of insanity is doing the same thing and hoping for different results. Now I don’t think the us s getting a bad deal trading with Canada we definitely have treated them as a good way not to spend on military. That will hopefully change now.
Once we start building Canada instead of virtue signalling for un jobs we might find we are much better off.
It’s hard to believe that anyone who paid the least little attention to Trump’s campaign is shocked at what he’s doing. If nothing else, he gets high marks for fulfilling campaign promises.
And in the long run it will be better for both.
Exactly. He’s been talking tariffs tariffs tariffs for a long time. Our political leaders should have been paying attention.
But what is the point in the Canadian tariffs? There’s no drugs or asylum seekers crossing the border, there’s little industry that’s going to move across…I fail to see what he is trying to achieve
Revenue
Not if it causes inflation or an economic slowdown
While I believe that Trump would like to see lower tariffs on some American goods such as poultry and dairy, I believe that this trade war is mostly a bludgeon to get Canada to get serious on their own national defense. Since 2014 NATO has had a 2 percent of gdp minimum spending rule. Canada is at 1.3 percent. They are basically freeloading off of the US for defense. Similarly, they have been too lax in screening at their boarders. So, from Oct 2022 through Oct 2024 1199 people on the terrorist watch list were apprehended at the Canadian border. For comparison, only 205 were caught at the Mexican border. That rate has grown recently. The first month of the current fiscal year saw 44 apprehensions. Basically, Canada needs to do better. They know that they need to do better, but the current (unpopular) government in Ottawa figures that they can capitalize on this crisis to cling to power.
This article captures just how serious these tariffs are for Canada, but I think it’s even bigger than that.
I think this is a moment where Canada is going to matter more than we usually do – in a Franz Ferdinand sort of way. An event that shouldn’t be the thing that changes everything, but will, because it sets bigger things in motion.
This marks the moment the US definitively becomes an unreliable trade partner. Once that trust is broken, you don’t really get it back – kind of like cheating in a marriage. You can try to move past it, but it’s never the same.
And with him already talking about doing the same to the EU and others, this feels like a real turning point. If they’re willing to do this to us – their biggest trading partners and immediate neighbors – it’s setting off something much bigger. Canada carries just enough international weight (more so than Mexico in this way) to make this a real breaking point.
The true beginning of the end of American hegemony in trade.
I honestly don’t think anyone cares outside of Canada and Mexico.
Look up article in The Hub Anil Wasif: The real reason for Donald Trump’s tariffs “For those Canadian policymakers looking to make sense of real motivation behind Trump’s tariffs, they should consult an obscure yet important policy paper released days after the November presidential election. The paper, entitled “A User’s Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System,” sets out an ambitious plan for reconceptualizing global trading arrangements using tariffs as a key policy weapon. Its author, Stephen Miran, has since been nominated as the chair of Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers.
In the paper, Miran argues that the Bretton Woods system, which established institutions like the IMF and World Bank, is being exploited to undermine U.S. interests. He sets out the case that tariffs are a powerful tool to restore American economic dominance. As he puts it: “Tariffs and currency policy are aimed at improving the competitiveness of American manufacturing, increasing our industrial plant, and reallocating aggregate demand and jobs from the rest of the world stateside.””
As a Canadian and someone who supports a lot of what Trump is doing – this has been disappointing. It is not clear to me what he is trying to achieve. It may be that he is trying to create a wedge between Alberta and central Canada. Trudeau is loathed in Western Canada for his delusional assault on the oil industry to fight ‘global warming.’ It has cost Canada hundreds of billions in lost investment- and has made us ripe for economic bullying from Trump. If Trudeau tries to ban oil exports to protect Ontario and Quebec (one more time) that could trigger a nationalist outpouring of a different kind. Objectively Alberta would be better off as part of the US. This is the first time in recent history that the US would be open to accepting Alberta joining them. So if they left – Canada would not be negotiating terms of withdrawal with a former Province – they’d be negotiating with Trump. Trudeau’s arrogance knows no limits so it is possible he will assume Alberta would never leave and overplay his hand. I should note that personally I don’t really care which way this goes. I’d be happy to join the US if terms were favourable. A country that elects Justin Trudeau three times is not a serious nation.
I live in Alberta and I have zero interest in joining the U.S. and I doubt very many others do either. There has often been strong sentiment here for separation from Canada, but never talk about joining the U.S.
Trudeau won’t cut off energy sales to the U.S. because it would crush the economy. He could implement an export tax – his dad did – and this might actually trigger a real political crisis.
I think you underestimate the depth of Trudeau’s mental illness. The fact that he is still clinging to power shows how little he cares for country or his party. He prides himself on being a risk taker. I fully expect him to put export tariffs on oil. He is mentally incapable of backing down. Mexico had the tariffs delayed for negotiations this morning just by agreeing to some enhanced border security. Canada could have done the same if it had a leader who wasn’t mentally I’ll and who Trump doesn’t viscerally detest.
Hard to take you serious. No one is cutting oil off to the States because Energy East was not built. Everyone in Alberta certainly knows this. Even Trudeau knows this (even if the Toronto based media; Globe and Mail and CBC don’t) since he basically killed Energy East. To get western Canadian oil to eastern Canada refineries it has to go through the US. and come back up at Sarnia Ontario. Trump know this oil can not be shut off. His 10% tariff on the amount of Canadian oil coming into the States daily should do nicely to offset the tax cut he is giving the “Tech Bros”.
Of course it’s silly, there won’t be an energy cutoff of any kind, oil gas or electricity. This guy hyperventilates constantly against Trudeau and against Canada, I bet less than 10% of Albertans would want to join the US, most of them are proud Canadians, warts and all, despite the endless internal politics, most of it is BS anyways.
The first time the USA has declared Canada a hostile country since 1812.
Canada wasn’t a country in 1812, despite its self-mythologising.
Like many student union politicians across the West, Trudeau has been very rude about Trump for years. What did he think would happen?
It was recently explained to me that, the real reason that Trump is kicking Canada’s posterior, is because American jurisdictions are angry that Canada ‘won’, the deals to have various battery manufacturers set up shop in Canada instead of the US. These resounding Pyrrhic victories, Canada ‘won’ by offering more free (taxpayers) money, also tax breaks. IF this is true, I find it sad, that any such race to the bottom (when won) would be the subject of so much gnashing of teeth. The punch-line: most of the deals are currently ‘going south’ — and I don’t mean into the US or Mexico.
Simples. He wants the outcome of the War of 1812 to be reversed.
Seems pointless. The War of 1812, fought between the United States and Britain partly on British imperial territory that later became Canada, was a draw.
You think Trump knows that there was a war of 1812?
That’s cute!
By the way, it looks like Trudeau came to his senses already.and backed down.
Think of what Trump is doing as an intervention to force Canada to realize how mseed up Trudeau is.
The tariffs are the best thing that has happened to Canada in generations. We have been complacent, swaddled in self-righteous mediocrity. This is a wake up call to become a serous nation.